Preparation and duties


We emphasize that the projects we organize are not like vacations or excursions, but educational programs. If you are selected, you have to participate in the official program and follow the instructions of the hosting organization. If you would not participate in the activities during the project or would have inappropriate behavior, it may result in termination of cooperation and non-participation in any other projects in the future. In addition, the hosting organization has the right to refuse to reimburse your travel costs. Of course, if you have an important work to do or a skype interview during the project, explain the situation to the organizers and they will certainly not have a problem with your absence for a while, but you cannot disappear from the program whenever you want.

Okrem toho, mládežnícka výmena sa od vyučovania v škole líši tým, že aj samotní účastníci sú zapojení do procesu vzdelávania. Pred niektorými výmenami sú preto účastníci požiadaní aby pripravili nejaký workshop, prezentáciu či teambuildingovú aktivitu. Nie je sa však čoho obávať, je to taktiež proces vďaka ktorému sa mnoho naučíte a nikdy nejde o úlohu pre jednotlivca ale celú skupinu. Taktiež v každej skupine je skúsenejší líder ktorý sa už v minulosti zúčastnil na podobnej výmene, vie ako to funguje a vie tak účastníkom vysvetliť a pomôcť ako takúto úlohu dobre splniť. Samozrejme aj my vždy v takýchto prípadoch ak je to nutné pomáhame.

The preparation process is partly different for each project and we always inform the participants about it. However, before each project, participants should prepare a presentation about Slovakia, that is organized during the intercultural evenings. It should not be a formal presentation and its form depends on the agreement between the participants. Before leaving Slovakia, you should think about what you will need for a presentation and what you would like to tell participants from other countries about Slovakia, how best to present us and maybe convince them to come and visit you 🙂 Usually participants bring different sweets , drinks or in case of a not too long journey, also food - cheese, sausages, bryndza, etc. In addition, sometimes the participants also bring costumes and dance some of our folk dance or teach the participants to dance it as well; sometimes they show a traditional Slovak Easter traditions :), sometimes they prepare a quiz with various interesting facts about Slovakia, they show some nice video. The options are various and depends only on the agreement of the participants how to present Slovakia in the best possible way.

In addition, youth exchange differs from education in school also in the way that the participants themselves are involved in the learning process. Therefore, before some projects, participants are asked to prepare some workshop, presentation or teambuilding activity. However, there is nothing to worry about, it is also a process through which you learn a lot and it is never a task for the individual, but for the whole group. Also, in each group, there is a more experienced leader who has participated in a similar project in the past, knows how it works, can explain it to others and help them to fulfill such a task well. Of course, we always help in such cases, if necessary too.

- clothing - Participants often ask if they should wear elegant clothes during the project. It is usually not necessary. You can pack standard clothes you wear to school or work (jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, sandals etc.). During the projects, various games, simulations, group assignments take place, all led by non-formal education - in interactive and fun way. If you would like to see some photos from the projects and how the others are dressed, here: https: //www.adelslovakia. org / projects / gallery or even more pictures on our social media. Of course, what clothes to bring also depends on the country you travel to, check also the weather forecast. Also in the infopack that you get for a specific project is written what is good to bring - for example - a towel, slippers for showers, swimsuit, sport clothes.

- of course the things you normally use and need - cosmetics, medicines, etc. .

- the above mentioned things for an intercultural evening

- ID card is enough when you travel to countries within the EU, a passport is required for most of the non-EU countries except Balkans

- money - many times, especially parents of younger participants ask how much money they need. There is no clear answer to this question and it depends on the way you travel and your financial situation. It also depends on the specific project and where you travel. Usually bus / train tickets are bought in advance, but some can only be bought on the spot - for example from the airport to the hotel and back. The infopack always states how much such a trip will cost. Sometimes participants travel from Slovakia by rented minibus, then there are no travel costs, because the driver will take the participants directly to the hotel. There is always accommodation, food, drinks, some refreshments during the day provided so you will not be hungry or thirsty. However, the same is cooked / ordered in advance for everyone (only for vegetarians or those who have some allergies or other intolerances are different meals). Its similar to camps, school trips, etc. so nothing unusual. However, this way of eating does not always suit the participants or the food might not be enough for somebody, so of course it is good to have some cash to buy more food, sweets or souvenirs.

Before traveling, participants must apply for a European Health Insurance Card if they do not have it already. Card is free of charge and can be arranged online on the website of your health insurance company. You will also need the card for other trips abroad. In addition, we recommend that you arrange also commercial travel insurance, as the European Health Insurance Card does not guarantee reimbursement of all costs if you would need to get a medical care. Travel insurance is not reimbursed from the grant, but we recommend that you arrange it before the trip, because no one ever knows what may happen. It can also be arranged online and purchased even the day before leaving for the project. Many insurance companies also provide discounts for ISIC card holders, so a week of insurance usually costs around 7 euros. If you travel more often, it is good to arrange a travel insurance for a whole year, that costs around 20-30 euros, depending on the insurance company.

Of course, we always ask whether the selected participants need it, but if you need it earlier, write to us and it will be sent to you. In addition, at the end of the project, each participant will receive an official certificate - Youthpass, which you can also show at school as proof of your participation. However, there is no obligation for the teachers or director to release you, although in most cases is all right, as the teachers know that this is an interesting opportunity to learn outside of school. We know from experience that the participants were not given permission, especially if they already had many missed days or the graduation or other important exam was approaching. Also, you can't expect to get permission to participate several times a year, it's just an occasional absence.

Yes, you can find the presentation here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_8C997w3Ew7o5hatnngtfmKnhSYHo4XT?usp=sharing

If you have any questions, send us an email and we will explain you anything

- check carefully your ticket and departure times ... if you miss the flight it's not like a missed bus or train, there is always not next one or is full and of course the biggest problem is buying new ticket

- online check-in - it is necessary to do it especially during the flights with low-cost companies with which participants travel quite often. In case you do not have an online check-in in a printed or electronic boarding pass, you would have to pay extra money at the airport. More information here: http://www.vzlietni.sk/online-check-in/

- baggage size - depends on the specific ticket. Sometimes participants travel only with the hand luggage - https://www.letenky.sk/aktuality/prirucna-batozina-co -do-it-pack sometimes with a big suitcase. It's important to be careful, because if you come to the airport with more luggage than you bought, you'll have to pay some money again.

- arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before departure

Unfortunately, this happens occasionally; flights are postponed; the participant missed the bus, etc. In that case, call us so we can advise you what to do and start solving the problem immediately.

We don't want to scare you, most of the projects run smoothly and participants return home with a lot of new knowledge, experience and memories, but there are a few exceptions, so we want to prepare participants for such an occassion.

The basis for solving any problem is communication, and every single problem can be solved this way. At least until now it has worked like that in case participants did not remain silent. First of all, during almost all projects are organized "reflection groups", which usually take place every night, where participants in smaller groups discuss how they liked the day, what they learned, but also what they would like to change or add etc. Always say your opinion, since those projects also differ from most of the schools, as we pay attention to feedback, satisfaction and benefits for participants. If the required change does not happen, contact your leader and if that does not help, contact us directly. We can solve many issues remotely as a partner organization of the project. We also regularly communicate with the participants during the project to make sure that everything is going well, so please provide us with regular feedback.

As for logistics, please note that you can't expect a 5-star hotel. The type of accommodation depends on the place and country where the project takes place. For example, if the project takes place in the capital or in another popular touristic place, where prices are higher, then the quality of accommodation is lower and is usually provided in hostels where the room is shared by 4-8 participants of the same sex. In the case of projects implemented in smaller cities or in the countryside, accommodation is, for example, in 2-4 bed rooms, although this is not the rule and depends on the possibilities and finances. Information about accommodation is often shared in the call or then in the info pack.

<p style = "text-align: justify;"> It depends on whether it is a youth exchange or training. After the training, each participant fills in a report, which is generated and sent directly by the European Commission. At the end of the exchange, this message is filled in only by the group leader. In addition, in order to be able to best assess the benefits and satisfaction of participants in our projects and know in the future with which organizations it is appropriate to continue cooperation and with which not, each participant is therefore required to fill out a questionnaire sent to you after the project. </ P><p style = "text-align: justify;"> In addition, since our goal is to inform as many young people as possible about these projects, we regularly publish photos from the project and participants should write a short article about how was it. We publish them afterwards here : http://www.adelslovakia.org/clanky/pribehy-ucastnikov </p><p style = "text-align: justify;"> However, other activities are also welcome, such as making video or organizing a short workshop / discussion in front of your classmates, the school, in the city. We will be very happy and we will certainly take such activity into account when selecting for other projects and, if necessary, we will send you a presentation or other promotional materials. </ P>

Generally about our projects


The projects we offer are for young people who want to learn or experience something new, meet young people from different countries, improve their English. There is a certain age limit for each project; most projects are for young people from the age of 18, but we have sometimes offers also for young people from the age of 13 (in that case we require parents to sign a consent to participate). For each project, we publish for whom the project is primarily intended and who can apply. At least a slightly advanced knowledge of English is required.

All projects are conducted in the form of non-formal education. This means that there is no teacher or professor on the project and the participants only listen passively, but it is focused on the active involvement of the participants in the educational process. Each project has a specific topic and they are really diverse, for example: sport, healthy lifestyle, business development, environmental protection, project management, active participation, human rights, marketing etc. There are really countless of topics. During the project, participants focus on the topic through various workshops, discussions, excursions, role-plays, group assignments under the supervision of a facilitator, trainer or leaders. If you want to know even more what is being done during the project, check some articles from the participants themselves here – https://www.adelslovakia.org/en/news/stories-of-participants/

Youth Exchanges are open to all young people who are interested in the topic and would like to know more about it. At the same time, youth exchanges are focused on intercultural learning, understanding, learning about new cultures, countries and breaking down prejudices, so they are ideal for those who have no international experience and at the same time we try to give such young people the opportunity to participate in exchanges. The age of the participants varies and depends on the specific exchange - sometimes the exchanges for participants are from 18 years, sometimes from 15 years.

If you are over 18 and have some previous work or volunteer experience and would like to deepen your knowledge of a certain topic and share your experience with others, trainings are for you! Training topics are various, for example: project management, marketing, new methods of education, business development and many others. If e.g. the topic of the training is education, training is intended primarily for youth leaders and youth workers – those who work either full-time or as volunteers in youth organizations, or in other way work with children or young people (as animators in camps, teachers in primary, secondary, language schools, as doctoral students, etc.). ). Thus, its expected, that participants have already some knowledge about the topic and would like to deepen knowledge through training or share their knowledge and experience with people with a similar profile. If the topics are e.g. business development or project management, the training can be attended by those who are interested in starting a business or otherwise want to use the acquired knowledge in their work.

The European Solidarity Corps is a program for young people aged between 18-30 and lasts longer (1-12 months). Program takes place in various European countries and sometimes outside of the Europe too. This program is for those who would like to help those who need it, to do something beneficial and meaningful, to contribute to solution of a certain problem, but at the same time to gain new experiences. More information here: < span style = "color: # 0000ff;"> https://www.adelslovakia.org/en/opportunities/volunteering-programs-abroad

All opportunities are regularly published on our website. In the menu section, go to Projects and select the one you're interested in. Opportunities are also published on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ADELSlovakia or instagram - https: // www .instagram.com / adelslovakia /

Almost all our projects are co-funded by the European Union,Erasmus + program or Europe for Citizens program. The EU supports such youth exchanges, trainings and volunteering programs in the same way as it supports and gives students a grant to go abroad for a semester. In principle it is similar, as the EU wants young people to improve their English, learn something new,get know new cultures and become "Europeans". There is only a fee between 10-50 euros, depending on the project in order to cover costs not covered by the grant (sometimes requested directly by the host organization and sometimes by us in order to cover the administrative tasks related with sending and preparation of the participants (office, post or phone costs, promotion, etc.) and to ensure sustainability, quality but also the development of other interesting projects and activities). However, some projects are completely for free in order to allow all young people, even from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, to participate in such projects.

Although our projects are financially supported by EU grants, in the case of travel costs it still works by the procedure, that participants buy the tickets in advance (or in some cases parents) and after the project, the travel costs are reimbursed. This procedure actually guarantee your participation in the project. It could happen, and it happened that, when organization buys tickets and eventually the participant will not participate, the organization will lose hundreds of euros, since the EU grant covers travel costs only for those who participate in the project. Therefore, after returning back to Slovakia, the hosting organization usually require sending all boarding passes and bus / train tickets by post - and after, money are sent to your bank account. As you may have noticed, in the last 7 years, around 3,000 young people have taken part in our projects and their travel costs have still been reimbursed, so there is nothing to worry about. There is always a limit (e.g. 80, 170, 275 or 360 euros based on the distance) what means that this is the maximum possible amount that will be reimbursed to participants. You can usually fit within these limits, so eventually travel will not cost you anything.Travel costs are reimbursed directly by the hosting organization that received the grant to organize the project, not our organization. There is no exact date until when exactly travel costs will be reimbursed, depends on each organization. It takes usually between 2 weeks and 3 months after the end of the exchange. Some organizations, such as ours, if we host exchanges in Slovakia, we reimburse travel costs to participants within 2 weeks of delivery of all tickets. However, for some organizations, the process takes longer, also because the European Commission provide organizations at the beginning with 80% of the grant to cover accommodation, meals, program for participants. After the end of the project, sending the final report, photos, attendance list, etc. the organization receives the remaining 20%, from which the organizations reimburse the travel costs.

Before traveling, participants must apply for a European Health Insurance Card if they do not have it already. Card is free of charge and can be arranged online on the website of your health insurance company. You will also need the card for other trips abroad. In addition, we recommend that you arrange also commercial travel insurance, as the European Health Insurance Card does not guarantee reimbursement of all costs if you would need to get a medical care. Travel insurance is not reimbursed from the grant, but we recommend that you arrange it before the trip, because no one ever knows what may happen. It can also be arranged online and purchased even the day before leaving for the project. Many insurance companies also provide discounts for ISIC card holders, so a week of insurance usually costs around 7 euros. If you travel more often, it is good to arrange a travel insurance for a whole year, that costs around 20-30 euros, depending on the insurance company.

Your English does not have to be perfect, but it is important that you understand at least most of what is said during the project, otherwise of course your participation would not be beneficial for you at all. However, during the youth exchanges, usually no one speaks English perfectly or in a very complicated way, therefore when you learned English at school, you will get into it quickly and after a few days you can see improvements. Here you can read and try a few tips on how to improve English before participation in a project: https://www.adelslovakia.org/rozne/rady- how-to-improve-in-english

It depends on the country where the project is implemented. You dont need a passport if you travel to the countries of the European Union, the Balkans and some others (you can see the full list on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here: http://www.minv.sk/? administrative-fees However, most of our projects are implemented in countries where a passport is not required, we used to have only few projects in Turkey per year or one or two projects around the world.

There is no official restriction, as in case of study mobilities and traineeships within the Erasmus+ program. However, as already mentioned in "who can participate" section, we giver priority, especially in the case of youth exchanges, to young people who have not participated in a similar project in the past or have no or small international experience in order to provide them with the opportunity to to get new intercultural experiences, knowledge and contacts.

No, you have to travel from the country that you represent - Slovakia.

No - it is not possible due to the ban of the double funding. This is a rule of the European Commission that finances Erasmus + projects. However, you can apply for our projects after you return back to Slovakia.

Yes, of course, we would like to come. However, earlier you invite us, the more likely it is that one of us will be able to come.

Yes, we will contact everyone, both selected and unselected participants. We work hard to get back to you as soon as possible, and you should usually receive a response within a week after submitting your application.

Transport and reimbursement of the travel costs 


We always create a facebook group or other discussion forum after all selected participants confirm their participation. Thus, participants can agree on the most suitable way of transport but also prepare and solve all organizational and logistical issues.

1. choose a suitable flight / bus / train - ADEL mobility coordinator always look at the cheapest and most suitable travel options and suggest you the date and time to travel, but participants can also agree on another connection that suits them better. Unless otherwise specified in the info pack, that is always sent to the selected participants, in addition to the official project dates, you can arrive to the country with a maximum difference of 2 days. For example, 2 days before the start of the project, leave 2 days after the project or 1 day before the project and stay 1 day longer after the project. If you would stay more than 2 days more, the host organization might not reimburse your travel costs. It is important to mention that food and accommodation during these "extra" days are not covered by the host organization neither by ADEL and must be paid by the participants themselves. Participants use this opportunity if they want to see the city or its surroundings more, meet friends, do shopping, etc. Unless otherwise specified in the info pack, the first and last day of the project are usually for travel. For example, the project starts on 1 October, you should arrive at the venue on 1 October, in the afternoon or evening. If the project ends on October 10, you can leave on October 10 in the morning. For each project there is a maximum limit for travel costs determined by the European Commission based on the distance from Slovakia (it is either 80, 170, 275 or 360 euros). This limit is published for each project and can not be raised. Travel costs will always be reimbursed up to a given amount, therefore we always try to find a connection that would be up to the amount of the limit and participants do not have to pay anything for travel costs from their own. For each project it is possible to "fit" to that limit and find good and cheap connection.

2. before purchasing a ticket, it is necessary to send a printscreen of the flight proposal or train or bus connection to the created facebook group or to the email apply@adelslovakia.org (in case selected flight is different from the one proposed by ADEL mobility coordinator)

3. wait for response and approval from us. Once its approved, you can purchase a ticket or airline ticket, preferably via this link: http: / /www.kiwi.com/deep?affilid=adel . If you have never bought a ticket before, write to us and we will help you with that. After you get your ticket on your email, send it to us at apply@adelslovakia.org

5. 5. in the case of travel by plane, it is necessary to make an online check-in and print out the boarding passes the day before departure, preferably twice (this is always reminded later before departure by ADEL mobility coordinator too)

It doesn't matter, you can travel by bus or train from Slovakia to one of the near airports - whether Vienna, Budapest, Brno, Prague, Katowice, Krakow, if the flight is cheaper than from Slovak airports.

Sometimes it's possible, but only if it's a cheaper, significantly faster and environmentally friendly solution. Of course, this is also only possible if more than one or two participants travel by car.

Unfortunately not, all participants must start their journey in Slovakia and also return to Slovakia

No - it is not possible due to the ban of the double funding. This is a rule of the European Commission that finances Erasmus + projects. However, you can apply for our projects after you return back to Slovakia.

We have experience from previous projects and many participants that participants tend to cancel their participation many times, almost without reason, even a few weeks or even days before the project, what cause us many problems. Each project must involve a certain number of people from each country and, in addition, accommodation and meals are booked in advance for a certain number of people and their cancellation is not the easiest or free of charge. Although there are several times more applicants than places for each project, if we let someone know that he has not been selected, they make other plans. Therefore, if you want to cancel your participation after paying the fee and you want your fee to be refunded, we ask you for help in finding a replacement. If you find a suitable participant, the fee will simply be returned to you by a new participant, if you do not find a replacement, the fee will remain with us as a "credit" and you will be able to use it for any other project within the next 12 months. If you will not find any interested project, the fee will be refunded after that time. If you cancel your participation less than a week before the start of the project and you do not find a replacement, the fee will be used to cover the costs caused by the cancellation of participation, as the chances to find a replacement is also very low from our side.

If you have already purchased a ticket and want / have to cancel your participation for some serious reason, you can of course do so, but there is a problem with cancellation of the ticket. It depends on the airline; some tickets can be canceled but they will return only part of the money and you will unfortunately have to pay for the part that they will not return. According to the rules of the Erasmus + program, travel costs can only be reimbursed to those who participate in the project. Therefore, if you cancel your participation, you are not entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses.

You can do that, but those costs will not be reimbursed. In the infopack, you can always find the information how to get from the airport to the venue, and in some cases the participants are picked up by the organizers from the airport.

- first of all, we remind you to be careful and keep all travel tickets - for bus / train to the airport, boarding passes from the plane, etc. Please make sure, that you also take a picture of them by phone just in case of loose. - after returning home from the project, it is necessary to send the originals of all travel tickets to the address of the host organization and in the case of flight also boarding passes (scans or photos sent electronically are not enough, again this is a European Commission rule). The exact address will be announced to you by the hosting organization during the project or sent by email after the end of the project. You can send tickets individually or you can agree with the other participants from Slovakia and only one of you will send it for the whole group. If you only have electronic tickets, e.g. if you have done an online check-in, have boarding passes also in electronic form and someone has brought you to the airport or you have lost your ticket, then just send such tickets to the email of the host organization. The host organization will then reimburse the travel costs up to the maximum limit on travel costs published in the call.

- travel costs are not reimbursed by us, but by the host organization that received the grant to organize the project and to reimburse travel costs. Sometimes they will send money to our account after the end of the project and we will then forward them to you or they send it directly to the participants' bank accounts

- there is no exact rule and a condition how long travel costs must be reimbursed, therefore the time period varies from project to project. Some organizations, such as ours, if we host exchanges in Slovakia, we reimburse travel costs to participants within 2 weeks of delivery of all tickets. However, for some organizations, the process takes longer, also because the European Commission initially provides organizations with 80% of the grant to cover accommodation, meals and program for participants. After the end of the project, sending the final report, photos, attendance list, etc. the organization receives the remaining 20% from which the organizations reimburse travel costs. It takes approximately 2 months to reimburse travel expenses, but they are always reimbursed.