Call for Youth Exchange Folklore Futures
6 – 14 October 2025 (including travel days)
Palermo | Italy
About the project
ExChange 2025 “Folklore Futures” is a youth exchange involving 24 participants from Italy, Spain, Greece, and the Czech Republic, aiming to enhance the cultural, popular, and folkloric identities of rural areas as a lever for sustainable social and economic development in marginalized and stigmatized territories. The project will help young people concretely understand how local traditions, artisanal crafts, and community practices can become solid foundations for economic and social initiatives. Through the conversion of cultural heritage into sustainable business models, storytelling, and site visits, participants will analyze real examples of responsible tourism based on local traditions, social enterprises reviving ancient crafts, and community projects that strengthen the sense of belonging and counter forced migration and depopulation from inland areas. During the week, participants will deepen their understanding of social entrepreneurship applied to folkloric and local cultural heritage. Through practical workshops, case studies, and co-design labs, they will explore how traditions, crafts, popular festivals, stories, and cultural practices can become the heart of new economic activities capable of generating employment and strengthening social cohesion. The project will provide concrete tools to design and develop social enterprises that not only enhance folklore but use it as a pretext to regenerate marginalized territories. Participants will learn to design initiatives integrating environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and innovation, such as experiential tourism based on local traditions or the creation of artisan producer networks with social aims. “Folklore Futures” contributes to Youth Goal no. 6 – Youth in Rural Areas, promoting young people’s direct engagement in regenerating their communities through respect for and valorization of cultural heritage. Participants will develop:
Involved countries
Italy, Spain, Greece, and the Czech Republic
The venue & accomodation
Accommodation
In Palermo accommodation will be in “Hostel Via Zara“, located in via Zara, 5. It’s in the city center, very close to stations, bus stops, shops, monuments, theaters, historical markets and other points of interest. Hostel’s Website HERE.
Participants will be hosted in double/triple/quadruple (up to 6 beds) bedrooms (single beds) with a shared bathroom. Blankets and sheets will be provided, altogether towels and hairdryers, but please remember to bring your own soap/shampoo. Breakfast will be consumed at the hostel, lunch and dinner in a restaurant or in the hostel in case of take away food.
Facilities for Activities
Activities will be held inside the workshop spaces of the BOOQ, a cooperative space managed by an association who works in the historical center of the city. Depending on weather, activities will also take place in outdoor green spaces in the center of Palermo.
Weather
In October Palermo has an average temperature between 15 and 30 degrees with a low chance of rain, but we recommend you bring a raincoat in case.
The eligible participants
There will be 5 participants per country + 1 group leader.
The participants:
- are aged 18 – 30 years old (group leader 18+ years old)
- have at least basic level of English
- are able to demonstrate their motivation and interest in the project
Financial conditions
Accommodation, food and all materials at the project will be covered by the Erasmus+ programme. The travel costs for the Czech participants will be covered within the limit of 309 EUR.
Plase note that in case you are selected for the project, you will be asked to pay a membership fee of 900 CZK (or 35 EUR for payments from abroad) – we will use this contribution to cover the compensation for the trip coordinator, the costs of materials and preparation, and the complete support of the participants before, during and after the trip. Instructions for paying the membership fee will be sent to you by e-mail, along with instructions to confirm participation and other steps.
The membership fee also ensures your membership in the Youth Progress organization, free entry to all local activities and is paid annually – if you decide to go on another project with us this calendar year, you will not have to pay it again.
Your participation in the project is fully financed by the ERASMUS+ program. However, the program does not reimburse us, the sending organization, so thank you for helping us continue to provide these great opportunities to young people. 
* In case of cancellation of participation by the participant, the contribution is non-refundable.
** In case of cancellation of the project by the organizers or due to force majeure, the contribution will be refunded to the participant’s account.
*** The membership fee may be waived in exceptional cases, e.g. if the participant faces a financial disadvantage, which will be evaluated individually by the sending organization.