“Stay With Me” was an intensive, eight-day Erasmus+ training course, held in January 2025 in Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania. It gathered 43 youth workers from 10 countries to explore how youth work can support the rights and inclusion of unaccompanied minors and refugee-background youth.
About the Project
Our vision
The training aimed to empower youth workers to build social youth enterprises rooted in the four key pillars of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: protection, survival, development, and participation.
At its heart, this project was about equipping those who work with vulnerable young people to become agents of inclusion, understanding, and transformation in their communities.
Who Was Involved?
The training welcomed youth workers, NGO staff, trainers, and cultural mediators from:
🇷🇴 Romania | 🇪🇸 Spain | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 🇽🇰 Kosovo | 🇬🇷 Greece | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 🇦🇱 Albania | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
Led by the UIET, and supported by nine dedicated partner organizations, the project combined grassroots knowledge with European cooperation to address the pressing challenges faced by refugee and migrant youth.
Watch the Highlights from “Stay With Me”
This short video captures the essence of our Erasmus+ training course — the people, the energy, and the powerful learning moments that shaped a cross-border community of youth workers. From interactive workshops to cultural connection, discover how we built new pathways for inclusion and child rights advocacy.
Where Learning Becomes Empowerment
These activities were not just exercises — they were transformative experiences. Participants explored how creativity, empathy, and critical thinking can drive social change. By combining emotional engagement with strategic planning, the training created a safe space where ideas grew into real projects, and individuals grew into a team.
Each method sparked collaboration across borders, encouraged deep reflection, and empowered participants to translate theory into action — turning knowledge into real tools for working with vulnerable youth.
Key Learning Pillars of the Training
- Interactive learning sessions on child rights frameworks and youth policy
- Theatre of the Oppressed and creative expression to explore exclusion and participation
- Community needs mapping through the Logical Framework Approach (LFA)
- Cross-cultural workshops on cooperation, identity, and minority representation
- Team-based design of social youth enterprise ideas, focusing on inclusion and empowerment
Quick Facts from “Stay With Me”
Countries represented
Participants from across Europe and neighboring regions came together to learn and collaborate.
Youth workers trained
Professionals working with vulnerable youth, migrants, and minorities.
Days of immersive non-formal learning
From theatre workshops to strategic planning and intercultural nights.
New Erasmus+ project ideas born
Participants left with concrete plans for youth exchanges and follow-ups.
Every single voice mattered. Every experience shaped the result.
Feedback on our programs
Moments That Mattered
From deep conversations to creative workshops, shared meals to snowy walks — these photos capture the energy, connection, and learning that defined the “Stay With Me” Training Course.
Learning in Action:
The training sessions were at the heart of “Stay With Me.” Through non-formal education methods like Theatre of the Oppressed, interactive group work, and creative challenges, participants explored complex topics such as child rights, social inclusion, and minority representation. These photos show moments of focus, reflection, teamwork, and breakthrough — where learning truly came to life.
Visit to Mini Transylvania Park:
Participants explored iconic landmarks of Transylvania in miniature, discovering the region’s rich cultural and architectural heritage in one unique place.
Intercultural Evening:
On one vibrant evening, all participants showcased their countries through traditional food, drinks, music, and stories — creating a colorful and tasty celebration of cultural diversity.
Meeting with the Deputy Mayor:
Participants had the opportunity to discuss child rights and youth inclusion with the Deputy Mayor of Odorheiu Secuiesc — a meaningful dialogue on local realities and policymaking.
Visit to the UIET Office:
During a visit to the host organization’s office, participants learned about UIET’s youth work and also shared presentations about their own NGOs — creating space for exchange and future collaboration.
What Happened Next
Stay with me!
Participants initiated local youth sessions in schools, libraries, and youth centers
Cross-border project ideas were submitted for follow-up Erasmus+ funding
A digital network of professionals was created to support long-term cooperation
Several youth workers began prototyping youth enterprises focused on community integration and educational access
What started as a training became a platform – for action, networking, and lasting change.
Training Methodologies & Learning Outcomes
Throughout the “Stay With Me” training course, participants immersed themselves in dynamic and reflective learning environments. By applying non-formal education tools, creative group methods, and interactive sessions, they explored the realities of children’s rights and youth inclusion across diverse European contexts.
Participants reflected on the key competences of youth work using guided templates and personal insights, fostering self-awareness and peer-to-peer learning.
Through national group work and visual charts, participants examined the situation of children’s rights in their own countries, identifying challenges, root causes, and consequences.
Participants developed “problem trees” to analyze systemic issues affecting children’s development and to visualize how social, cultural, and political factors interconnect.
Every day, participants wrote reflective notes on their learning journey, helping them connect personal insights with broader professional contexts.
With guided reflection questions, participants explored their motivations, challenges, and practical ways of applying what they learned in their daily youth work.
Participants shared emotional and social reflections about the training, highlighting connections, mutual learning, and the sense of community built during the course.
Through case studies, structured reflections, and intercultural dialogue, participants developed core competences in youth work, such as facilitation, community engagement, and social project design. The training empowered them to transform learning into action — and to become agents of change for the rights and well-being of children everywhere.
Through the lens of personal values and mottos, participants explored their own driving principles and how those influence their work with children and youth.
Participants designed and facilitated a workshop on peer pressure, enhancing their ability to create interactive, rights-based learning sessions for youth.
Using metaphors and real-life examples, participants presented their “recipes for success” in youth work — effective methods they’ve used to tackle complex situations with children.
“Stay With Me” was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and coordinated by UIET Association from Romania.
Quick links
Funded by Erasmus+
This project was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The content of this page reflects only the views of the authors, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
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