The second edition of the Eurodesk survey shows trends and preferences of how young people find, engage with and perceive youth information about mobility opportunities. The report focuses on understanding young people’s preferences and identifying what stakeholders in the field of learning mobility can do to better reach out to youth.
Many European frameworks for learning mobility opportunities are being re-designed for the years after 2020. Strategies are being made and the field of learning mobility is trying to understand how to best reach out, be inclusive and ensure impact. We know from the previous Eurodesk survey that learning mobility has a positive effect on personal development, on employment and building a sense of European identity. However, unfortunately, not everyone is aware of these kinds of opportunities (23,9% of non-mobile respondents) and not everyone can afford to participate (59,8%).
The survey shows that a significant number of respondents (38%) perceive that the level of access to youth information about mobility is either limited or non-existent in their own country. When searching for information the majority had to search through several websites to find what they were looking for (69,8%), more than half felt lost and struggled to find the information they needed (56,5%), and only 64,7% found the information inspiring.
Having access to free and reliable sources of information, at European, the national and local level is crucial. The information has to be more coherent, youth-friendly and personalised. This requires youth workers to be properly trained and for different services to work hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, today access remains very unequal. More investments are needed in youth information services, making sure they have the human and financial resources to reach out to all young people.
- Audrey Frith, Director at Eurodesk Brussels Link
Read the research report and the recommendations here.
About the Eurodesk Survey
The Eurodesk Survey is a project of Eurodesk. It is an online European-wide survey, carried out and published by Eurodesk Brussels Link. The 2019 edition reached 3495 respondents residing in 53 countries in Europe and beyond, and targeting people from 15 to over 30 years old. The survey aims to gather the experiences of mobile and non-mobile youth and young adults, researching different aspects related to access to information and learning mobility.
