European Federation for Intercultural Learning

13/10/2026

🇭🇺 🚀 Another Y-MED Training for Volunteers completed!
From 9 to 12 October, 17 volunteer youth workers met in Cegléd, Hungary for a Y‑MED capacity-building training strengthening EuroMed youth mobility and intercultural learning.
Over three intensive days, AFS volunteers explored why exchanges between Europe and the South Mediterranean matter, and worked on how to address barriers that still limit participation, including stereotypes and prejudice. The training also included hands-on methodologies on anti-discrimination and power relations, drawing on tools such as Compass and Forum Theatre, plus practice on facilitation, difficult conversations and communicating mobility opportunities with different audiences.
What we worked on:
🎯 Why EuroMed exchanges matter and how to communicate their value.
🎯 Participation barriers and how stereotypes can shape access.
🎯 Anti-discrimination methods and power analysis.
A warm thank you to AFS Hungary for hosting the training 🤝

🔗 Discover Y-MED. The project is made possible thanks to the co-funding of the Erasmus+ programme: https://efil.afs.org/ymed-culture-learning-intercultural-school-europe-mediterranean/


AFS Mezikulturní programy - Czech Republic AFS INTERCULTURA SLOVAKIA AFS Türkiye AFS Egypt ILCS Rabat Intercultura AFS Hungary

12/10/2026

🎉 Happy ! 🇪🇺✨
Today marks the kick-off of the 10th edition of Erasmus Days—a six-day celebration of the transformative power of the Erasmus+ programme for students, educators, and communities across Europe and beyond!

✔️ At EFIL, we celebrate Erasmus+ for making school internationalisation and youth learning mobility a reality for thousands. International exchange builds bridges, unlocks intercultural understanding, and empowers young people to become active global citizens. 🌍🌟

✔️ While Erasmus+ provides vital institutional support, EFIL’s network activities complement this work directly: we equip schools, teachers, and volunteer networks with the tools, training, and intercultural expertise needed to make long-term secondary school mobility accessible, inclusive, and deeply impactful. Together, formal education frameworks and non-formal intercultural learning create a truly connected Europe.

👉 How are you celebrating this week? Let us know in the comments!
Leran more: https://www.erasmusdays.eu/

09/10/2026

📣 Lifelong Learning Week 2026 is just around the corner! This landmark event, organised by Lifelong Learning Platform, brings together education and policy stakeholders to advance key dialogues in the field.
The 16th edition will run from 30 November to 4 December 2026, under the theme “Reimagining validation and recognition: give value to all learners, learning and competences.”
EFIL is proud to contribute with the session “Recognising long-term pupil mobility to foster democratic capacity”, co-organised with Youth For Understanding. Featuring esteemed speakers from academia and European institutions, we will explore the impact of long-term pupil mobility on democratic citizenship, its contribution to basic skills, and why recognition matters.
📅 4 December 2026
⏰ 14:00–15:30
📍 Brussels, Maison de la Francité
🔗 More info & full LLLWeek programme: https://www.lllplatform.eu/lllweek
Are you in Brussels and want to join us? Register now!
https://www.lllplatform.eu/event-details/lllweek-26-long-term-pupil-mobility-a-tool-for-building-democratic-capacity-in-this-changing-world

EFIL and EEE-YFU Short-term mobility is growing, while long-term mobility is lagging behind. Let's recognise longer learning periods abroad needed for building skills for resilient democracies!

08/10/2026

That’s a wrap on the EFIL Volunteer Managers Strategic Meeting 2026 in Coma-ruga, Spain! ✨
Two intensive days of collaboration, co-creation, and strategic planning. Moving beyond traditional formats, this year's meeting served as a practical working space to tackle shared challenges in engaging and retaining motivated volunteers. With 16 EFIL member organisations represented plus AFS Intercultural Programs, the meeting brought together 18 professionals, supported by a 6-person preparatory team. 👥
Things we bring back with us:
💠Good practices across countries to strengthen local volunteer structures and trainer pools.
💠Ideas for volunteer development actions that link national realities with European priorities.
💠Project ideas and partnerships for continued cooperation.
Big thanks to our network staff for joining, contributing to the discussions, and co-creating the next steps for volunteer development. 🤝🧩
This meeting was co-funded by the European Union, and was made possible thanks to the Erasmus+ accreditation of AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V. in the field of youth.

06/10/2026

📣 March for Climate | Brussels | 11.10 🌏
On Sunday 11 October, EFIL’s members in Belgium AFS Low Lands and AFS Belgique-Programmes Interculturels are calling you to join the March for Climate in Brussels. It’s an opportunity to show public support for climate justice and global solidarity, essentials to build a more peaceful, fair and sustainable world. Are you in Brussels and feeling motivated to join forces for the planet?
📍 Meeting point: Avenue Roi Albert II × Rue des Charbonniers, near Brussels North Station.
🕜 Meet from: 13:30.
🚶 March starts: 14:00.
✅ Confirm your participation: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKtRsGGToEXxESdb3gUkX2UuUOyc9hzvP_L2Dos5CpSvp2NQ/viewform
Thank you for helping amplify the message on climate justice and solidarity. 🫂

05/10/2026

Today is World Teachers’ Day 🎉
Teachers make a daily difference in how young people learn, grow and connect with the world. In classrooms, teacher rooms and school communities, educators create the conditions for inclusion, reflection and meaningful learning.
At EFIL, we support educators’ upskilling through opportunities like our upcoming free online course 'Intercultural Classrooms: Assessing Learning Mobility'. 🌏
Subscribe to EFIL’s newsletter for educators 'Open your Classroom to the World' and stay informed on resources and opportunities for teachers: https://afs.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9cd180c6f6a15679678eae864&id=ac4b0d7399

Thank you to all teachers for the commitment, care and professionalism you bring every day. 💙

© Photo by Quilia on Unsplash

23/09/2026

📣 Global Education Week 2026 registrations are open! | 16–22 November | My Voice, Our Action, A Common Future
Do you have a global education-related idea for a workshop, classroom activity or local initiative? This is the moment to shape it and be part of Global Education Week 2026.
Led by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, the initiative is part of iLEGEND III, a joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
This year’s edition highlights critical thinking and engaging with different perspectives to support democratic participation and local action through .
EFIL will participate via the Global Education Network with our activities on peace and citizenship education. 🌐
🔗 Find all the info and discover how to participate: https://www.coe.int/en/web/north-south-centre/-/registration-opens-for-the-global-education-week-2026
Want to know about how EFIL is involved?
🔗 Find it in our webpage: https://efil.afs.org/2026/09/23/the-global-education-week-2026/

22/09/2026

🎉 Good news for alumni of AFS Intercultural Programs! A new official AFS Alumni Community is now live! Sharing this launch as a simple way to strengthen alumni connections across countries and cultures within the big AFS community. 💙
Connect here:
LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/26340000/
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1JBbT9m2qe/
📬 Or sign up for the AFS Global Alumni Newsletter:
https://afs.org/alumni/sign-up/?fbclid=IwcGRvZgFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBBUFJpWFEyZjd3emZjTTl0c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHp7QAz2de-p7CQ-Fsnc6CPcF-P40IUNlSqCr8dh5oNkauF_T4TkVDj2ipcQ4_aem_jBw5LiRY_HpiQZde_pRF7Q

Share your story, memories, emotions and celebrate the life changing experience of high school study abroad with peers from all over the world! 🫂

🌍 There is now an official AFS Global Alumni Community — join us! 🎉

Wherever and whenever you had your AFS experience — there's now one global space for AFS alumni to reconnect, hear about what's happening across the AFS world, and stay part of the AFS story.

💙 Join the community:

🧳 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/26340000/
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1JBbT9m2qe/

📬 Stay in the loop:
Sign up for the AFS Global Alumni Newsletter, for updates, stories, and ways to get involved: https://afs.org/alumni/sign-up/

This doesn't replace your local AFS group, it's a global complement to the connections you already have.

Come say hello, and let us know where and when you did your exchange and what you’ve been up to!

Welcome home, AFSers 💙

21/09/2026

🕊️ International Day of Peace
Peace is everywhere: in how we speak to each other, how we include others, how we choose openness and understanding instead of conflict. That’s why peace education starts early. In the classroom, it can be practised every day through dialogue, active listening and mutual respect.
For educators looking for a practical activity, ETwinning Europe created “Together we grow – a guide to empathy and respect”.
🔗 Find the activity here: https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en/teach/project-kits/etwinning-activity-peace-and-conflict-resolution?pk_campaign=Esep_etwinning_supportive_partners

On the International Day of Peace, we’re reminded that open classrooms and open homes are key spaces for practising empathy and mutual respect. Let’s make them intercultural!

17/09/2026

📣 Have your say on education beyond 2030 🌍
Education decisions taken today will shape what young people experience in school, training and learning for years to come. A global survey is now open to collect ideas on what education should look like after 2030.
UNESCO is inviting young people to take part, ensuring youth perspectives are meaningfully included in defining future priorities.
The survey asks young people to share the changes they want to see in education and learning, and the actions they are ready to take. ⏳ Open until 30 September 2026.
🔗 Find all the info and share the survey: https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/articles/education-beyond-2030-global-youth-and-student-consultations-shape-future-education-agenda