The Building Bridges for Inclusion project is an Erasmus+ initiative aimed at strengthening inclusive and high-quality youth work across Europe. Through collaboration between YMCA organizations in Finland, Romania, Greece, and Lebanon, the project focuses on capacity building, cultural sensitivity, and cross- organizational learning. With a special emphasis on supporting vulnerable youth, including Ukrainian refugees, this project seeks to develop sustainable responses to youth vulnerabilities, exchange best practices, and create innovative resources for youth workers.
The project is funded by the Erasmus+ program under the KA220-YOU – Cooperation Partnerships in Youth and runs for 26 months (from September 2024 to October 2026).
Project Objectives
1. Enhancing Inclusive and High-Quality Youth Work
o Strengthening youth work across multiple European countries through targeted capacity- building activities.
o Promote cultural sensitivity and cross-organizational learning to support vulnerable youth, particularly Ukrainian refugees.

2. Strengthening YMCA’s Response to Youth Vulnerabilities
o Develop sustainable and robust responses to the challenges faced by young people.
o Equip YMCA organizations with better tools and methodologies for supporting marginalized youth.

3. Exchange of Tools and Best Practices
o Facilitate knowledge sharing among 8 professionals and 24 youth workers to improve their ability to support vulnerable youth.
o Organize capacity-building workshops to develop and implement innovative methods in youth work.

4. Creation of a Digital Toolkit for Youth Workers
o Co-create an interactive digital toolkit compiling best practices, methodologies, and models to empower youth workers across Europe.

5. Fostering Cross-Organizational Learning and Collaboration
o Enable YMCA organizations from different countries to collaborate and share expertise.
o Establish a network of professionals dedicated to improving the inclusion and well-being of vulnerable youth.

6. Increasing Cultural Sensitivity in Youth Work
o Provide youth workers with skills to work inclusively with diverse groups.
o Encourage cross-cultural learning experiences among participants.

7. Disseminating Knowledge and Expanding Impact
o Share project results, including the toolkit, across the YMCA network and European youth
NGOs.
o Organize roundtable discussions and dissemination events in Thessaloniki, Brussels, Finland, Romania, Greece, and Lebanon to reach a broad audience.

8. Supporting Ukrainian Refugees and Other Vulnerable Youth

o Develop tailored support mechanisms for Ukrainian refugees and marginalized youth by
equipping youth workers with innovative tools and inclusive methods.

Expected Results
 Increased competencies for 24 youth workers and volunteers in supporting vulnerable youth.
 Strengthened cross-border collaboration and best practice sharing among participating YMCA
organizations.
 Development of an interactive digital toolkit to enhance the quality of youth work across multiple
countries.
 Improved support mechanisms for Ukrainian refugees and other marginalized youth.
 Enhanced cultural sensitivity and inclusion in youth work practices.
 Widespread dissemination of project learnings and best practices within the YMCA movement and
European youth organizations.

The project is coordinated by YMCA Finland, with key partners including:
 YMCA Romania
 YMCA Thessaloniki (Greece)
 YMCA Lebanon