Location: Szeged, Hungary
Main field of work: Youth
Description: Between 2001 and 2006 we have worked as an informal group. From 2006 we have established YOPA for providing possibilities for young people (aged between 13 and 30) and people who directly work with young people in our Region as youth workers, teachers, social workers, psychologist, etc. being involved into European youth work in order to improve local youth work. To become more professional youth workers by using and improving non – formal education in Hungary. To provide the opportunity for young people with fewer opportunities e.g. rural youth, Roma young people, neurodivergent young people, socially disadvantaged young people to participate youth exchanges and initiate and run solidarity projects.
Our mission is to coach NGOs, local youth councils, local councils in South Plain region in Hungary in order to be able to participate in European youth projects and initiate and run youth exchanges and trainings by themselves in order to give opportunities for their target groups as young people to become active citizens locally and feeling to be European citizens.
Our main themes we deal with:
Competence development through non – formal education especially through ETS Youth workers’ competence model and 8 key competences
Cultural events, cultural diversity, intercultural communication
Active participation of young people
Practicing citizenship locally and European level
Working with minorities in Hungary and supporting Hungarian minority living in our neighbouring countries
Providing equal opportunities
Human Rights
Gender equality and equity
Social rights
Environment protection
Mental health
Local voluntary activities
Non-formal learning, experiential learning, social and self-directed learning
Mindfulness
Rural development
Inclusion
Youth council
We have an Erasmus+ accreditation between 2024 and 2028.
We have been involved into Capacity building in the field of youth projects since 2008 and thanks to these projects we have partnerships from Costa Rica, VietNam, El Salvador, Ecuador, Cabo Verde, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and India.
We have been involved in several Erasmus+ KA2 in the field of youth, adult, school.
Some of the outcomes we have:
KA210 Local European Citizens:
https://localeuropeancitizens.eu/progetto-articolo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
KA220 NFL in the run:
YOPA is member of the Platform Network (https://www.platform-network.com/)
Main activities: Local youth work, European youth work, supporting youth council, voluntary youth projects, inclusion projects, Erasmus+ youth exchanges especially with minors, Erasmus+ Youth workers' mobility projects e.g. training for youth workers, Partnership Building Activities, Erasmus+ Participation activities (KA154), Capacity building projects in the field of youth, KA210 Small-scale partnership in the field of youth, ADU, School, KA220 Cooperation Partnership in the field of Youth, ADU, School, European Youth Together.
Type/Age group: 1. Youth practicioners above 18 e.g. youth workers, youth leaders, teachers, social workers, migration officers, psichologists, etc.
Interests: Arts, Democracy, Digital, Diversity, Drama & Dance, Education, Employment, Environment, Health, Heritage, Human Rights, Inclusion, Leadership, Media, Music, Peace, Sport, Training, Volunteering, Youth Work
Examples of recent projects:
1)KA210 “Learn to live”
September 2026– December 2027
Our project strengthens inclusive youth work and competences of disadvantaged youth through innovative non-formal learning methods.
• Train 9 youth workers (HU, IT, SI) in self-directed, cooperative and mindfulness-based learning.
• Co-create 3 OERs: methodological toolkit, 30 game cards, 3 podcasts.
• Pilot the methods with 90 young people aged 14–25 with fewer opportunities.
• Improve wellbeing, teamwork, initiative and employability competences through transnational youth work cooperation.
During 16 months (2026–2027) our partnership implements 8 activities (A1–A8).
• Kick-off & evaluation meetings ensuring coordination.
• Development of training methodology (A3) integrating self-directed learning, cooperative learning and mindfulness.
• Creation of 30 game cards + 3 podcasts (A2).
• 5-day Training of Trainers in Italy for 9 youth workers (A4).
• 3 pilot phases with 90 young people in HU, IT, SI.
• Dissemination through final conference and Erasmus+ platforms.
Our project will produce practical and transferable youth work results.
• 3 OER outputs: methodological toolkit (40–50 pages), 30 game cards, 3 podcasts.
• 9 youth workers apply new inclusive learning methods locally.
• 90 disadvantaged young people strengthen teamwork, self-confidence and problem-solving skills.
• 45 stakeholders and 150 online users access the tools, increasing recognition and sustainability of inclusive youth work methods.
2)KA220 Guide+ Competence & Support for Group Leaders
Improve quality, safety and inclusion in Erasmus+ youth exchanges with minors by creating a shared competence framework and curriculum, a multilingual self-assessment tool and safeguarding toolkit, training at least 75 group leaders in 5 countries with measurable competence gains (pre/post assessment + SAOT), and producing a Policy Paper proposing minimum safeguarding standards and recognition of group leader responsibilities.
Conduct transnational research and 5 national consultations; co-create a competence framework and curriculum; deliver a 6-day Training of Trainers and 5 national training cycles (75 participants); develop, test and refine an online and multilingual SAOT and safeguarding toolkit; pilot them in 5 KA150/KA152 youth exchanges; consult stakeholders and disseminate via an Online Hub and OER platforms.
Outputs include a transnational needs analysis, competence framework, curriculum, multilingual SAOT (6 languages), safeguarding toolkit, piloting evidence, Online Hub and Policy Paper. Outcomes include at least 75 trained group leaders of Erasmus+ youth exchanges with minors especially with fewer opportunities with measured competence gains, validated minimum safeguarding standards, and uptake by youth organisations, municipalities and schools through OER publication and targeted dissemination.
3)Youth exchange series on Cultural adventures in rural areas
This Erasmus+ KA152 Mobility of Young People project will bring together 32 participants aged 13–17
from Finland, Italy, Spain, and Hungary. The project consists of two youth exchanges in the summer of 2026:
Szeged, Hungary: 18 – 25 June 2026
Puumala, Finland: 5 – 12 August 2026
The programme includes activities that encourage young people to adopt healthy everyday habits that strengthen their physical, mental, and social well-being.
Through international cooperation, participants will put into practice skills learned at school, such as English language, while engaging in non-formal learning methods. Working together also helps young people develop the competences and attitudes needed to cooperate with peers from different cultural backgrounds.
These youth exchanges include a wide variety of activities that support young people’s well-being and healthy lifestyles. The programme features for example:
- games and team-building activities
- sports and physical exercise
- creative workshops, such as dance, theatre, and other forms of self-expression
- cultural evenings, where participants present their home country’s culture to others
- visits to local schools, giving local youth an opportunity to experience the international atmosphere
- outdoor excursions, including hiking in nature, learning about responsibility, and experiencing nature’s therapeutic effects.
