On 15 March the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange platform has been officially launched. It will enable youngsters between 18 and 30 from any of the 33 Erasmus+ programme countries and the countries part of the EU Southern Neighbourhood (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia) to be involved in a series of online activities. 

The project is funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), and implemented by a consortium composed of: Search for Common Ground, Anna Lindh Foundation, UNIMED, Sharing Perspectives Foundation, Soliya, UNICollaboration, Kiron Open Higher Education, and Migration Matters.

Users of the platform will have the opportunity to engage with their peers from the other participant countries in different kind of activities: 

• Online Facilitated Dialogue, where youth can engage in critical thinking and exchange ideas on different topics;
• Training to Develop Virtual Exchange Projects, where youth can develop transversal skills and specific competences such as photography or journalism;
• Advocacy Training, where debates about different topics will be moderated by a network of trained facilitators;
• Interactive Open Online Courses, complementing existing MOOCs with virtual exchange. 

The initiative is in line with the recent proposals made by the Commission and with what seems to be part of the future Erasmus+ programme, which is a stronger presence of virtual and blended learning in the mobility experience. 

More information

Photo: Facebook (@ErasmusVirtual)