At Jugendzentrum Perg, we were already deeply in love with Erasmus+ long before Europe Goes Local (EGL) entered the scene. We sent young people abroad, hosted international groups, and occasionally tried to explain to confused parents why their child suddenly had friends in five different countries.
Then EGL happened.
Suddenly, what we were doing wasn’t just “those EU projects” anymore — it became real youth work in the eyes of the municipality. A magical moment occurred when a city council member joined an EGL conference and discovered: “Oh… this is actually serious. And useful. And young people like it.” We’re still recovering from that breakthrough.
Around the same time, we also got to know the European Charter on Local Youth Work. At first, we thought: “Nice document.” Then we realized: “Wait… we’re actually doing most of this already!” So now we proudly say we follow the Charter—which sounds very professional, even if in practice it still involves table football, late-night discussions, and spontaneous ideas that somehow turn into international projects.
Today, Erasmus+ in Perg has reached a new level:
· Young people don’t ask if there will be a project, but when the next one starts
· Parents don’t ask “Why abroad?” but “Which country this time?”
· And we are dangerously close to needing a waiting list
Youth exchange in Morocco by Jugendzentrum Perg/held and carried out by Jugendzentrum Perg, Austria
We travel across Europe… and sometimes even to very “rural” places (at least from a Perg perspective) like Morocco—where our young people suddenly become experts in non-formal learning, intercultural dialogue, and participatory methods… usually while wearing local costumes and smiling for photos that will later confuse everyone back home.
Thanks to EGL, our work didn’t just grow—it became visible, recognized, and (almost) impossible to ignore. What started as motivated project work is now something like a local tradition—with a European Charter in our pocket, just in case anyone asks how professional we actually are.
In short: We used to do Erasmus+. Now, Perg expects Erasmus+.
And honestly… we’re not complaining.
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Jugendzentrum Perg is a youth center located in Upper Austria. The organization is a member of bOJA (Professional open youth work network in Austria) and POYWE ( Professional open youth work in Europe). We are thankful to Karin Peham-Strauß, Head of the youth center in Perg, and the whole team for this very special summary of their experience with the EGL network project.
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