How do you reach young people with fewer opportunities who would not apply for DiscoverEU on their own?
Quote from Nati on 2026-08-12, 11:16We would like to exchange experiences on how to reach young people with fewer opportunities specifically for DiscoverEU Inclusion projects, especially those who are unlikely to apply for the standard DiscoverEU call independently. In our experience, recruitment often works best through direct relationships with other organisations and trusted intermediaries. At the same time, we would also like to use DiscoverEU Inclusion to reach young people beyond these existing networks, which is not always easy. Which outreach channels, organisations or trusted intermediaries have worked best for you? We are especially interested in concrete approaches that have successfully connected young people with fewer opportunities to DiscoverEU Inclusion.
We would like to exchange experiences on how to reach young people with fewer opportunities specifically for DiscoverEU Inclusion projects, especially those who are unlikely to apply for the standard DiscoverEU call independently. In our experience, recruitment often works best through direct relationships with other organisations and trusted intermediaries. At the same time, we would also like to use DiscoverEU Inclusion to reach young people beyond these existing networks, which is not always easy. Which outreach channels, organisations or trusted intermediaries have worked best for you? We are especially interested in concrete approaches that have successfully connected young people with fewer opportunities to DiscoverEU Inclusion.
Quote from SUMA on 2026-09-15, 10:48One example from SUMA: we shared our DiscoverEU resources through the Croatian Youth Network. They were then also forwarded to a teachers’ mailing list. This helped the information reach people outside our contacts.
This was sharing resources, so we cannot say how many participants it brought in.
For recruitment, I think the next step matters just as much. A teacher or youth worker can sit down with someone, explain what support is available and help them contact the organisation. Sending a link alone may not be enough.
How do you follow up with young people who show interest but do not submit an application?
One example from SUMA: we shared our DiscoverEU resources through the Croatian Youth Network. They were then also forwarded to a teachers’ mailing list. This helped the information reach people outside our contacts.
This was sharing resources, so we cannot say how many participants it brought in.
For recruitment, I think the next step matters just as much. A teacher or youth worker can sit down with someone, explain what support is available and help them contact the organisation. Sending a link alone may not be enough.
How do you follow up with young people who show interest but do not submit an application?
Quote from AdminTravelLearn on 2026-09-22, 13:19Thanks, this is a very good point. We have a similar experience – simply sharing an open call is often not enough, especially for young people who are unsure whether travelling abroad is really “for them”.When someone shows initial interest but does not complete the application, we usually try to follow up directly. Depending on how we reached the person, this can be through a short message, phone call or through the teacher/youth worker who first introduced them to the opportunity. What works well for us
- explaining again what DiscoverEU Inclusion actually covers and what kind of support they can receive;
- asking what is stopping them from applying – sometimes it is not lack of interest, but fear of travelling, financial concerns, family concerns, language barriers or simply not knowing what will happen next;
- offering a short individual conversation before they make the final decision;
- giving a clear deadline and a simple next step instead of sending a lot of information at once;
- keeping contact with the young person after selection – in our projects we organise preparation meetings and individual/group coaching before the trip.
We also try to involve trusted adults where appropriate, especially teachers, youth workers or other organisations already working with the young person. They can help build trust, while our role is to explain the project and show that participants will not be left alone to organise everything themselves. One thing we are still thinking about is how to make this follow-up systematic without making young people feel pressured. It would be interesting to hear whether others use a specific follow-up process, for example reminders, introductory meetings or cooperation with schools/social services.
Thanks, this is a very good point. We have a similar experience – simply sharing an open call is often not enough, especially for young people who are unsure whether travelling abroad is really “for them”.When someone shows initial interest but does not complete the application, we usually try to follow up directly. Depending on how we reached the person, this can be through a short message, phone call or through the teacher/youth worker who first introduced them to the opportunity. What works well for us
- explaining again what DiscoverEU Inclusion actually covers and what kind of support they can receive;
- asking what is stopping them from applying – sometimes it is not lack of interest, but fear of travelling, financial concerns, family concerns, language barriers or simply not knowing what will happen next;
- offering a short individual conversation before they make the final decision;
- giving a clear deadline and a simple next step instead of sending a lot of information at once;
- keeping contact with the young person after selection – in our projects we organise preparation meetings and individual/group coaching before the trip.
We also try to involve trusted adults where appropriate, especially teachers, youth workers or other organisations already working with the young person. They can help build trust, while our role is to explain the project and show that participants will not be left alone to organise everything themselves. One thing we are still thinking about is how to make this follow-up systematic without making young people feel pressured. It would be interesting to hear whether others use a specific follow-up process, for example reminders, introductory meetings or cooperation with schools/social services.