On the occasion of its 35th anniversary, Eurodesk released the results of its Youth Info Survey 2025 at a special event on 9 April. Seven experts joined two panel discussions to explore key findings regarding how young people look for information about mobility programmes, along with their perceptions, experiences, and challenges related to going abroad.
Key findings from the Eurodesk Youth Info Survey 2025
The survey, conducted between October and November 2024 on 36 European countries in 29 languages, gathered 7144 answers from young respondents aged 13-35 years old. The responses revealed the needs and habits of young people in Europe when it comes to youth information, laying the ground for actionable recommendations to improve the way we communicate towards young people.
Analysis by researcher Ondrej Barta revealed that young people are generally very open to the idea of going abroad, but many obstacles prevent them from actually doing it, including not having enough time, lack of information, financial barriers and administrative problems. The survey also looked at their motivations to go abroad, how they find information and the impact of AI. It also looked at the experiences of the 40% who went on a mobility. The analysis also considered the impact on specific groups like non-binary youth, women, young people from rural areas and younger teenagers.
The importance of quality youth information
The first panel was focused on “Learning mobility, youth participation and the role of information”.
Inclusion and diversity are a big priority for all EU youth programmes. According to Karen Vandeweghe, Deputy Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (EAC), it is fundamental to develop information material and provide multilingual support, as Eurodesk is doing, and use social media to reach specific groups. “Youth organisations offer a safe space, especially for minority groups. It’s important to speak to young people and give them a genuine space”, stated Rareș Voicu, European Youth Forum President. On the other hand, Dr Dan Moxon, People Dialogue and Change Director, stressed that “it is so important to have trusted and verified sources of information like Eurodesk” and suggested looking at mobility from a gender perspective, noting that more women expressed interest in mobility.
Miriam Petra Ómarsdóttir Awad, Eurodesk Executive Committee member facilitating the panel with Karen Vandeweghe, Dr Dan Moxon and Rareș Voicu.
Inclusion, mental health and youth information
The second panel was focused on “Inclusion, mental health and youth. “Having data is important to support our work”, said Spyros Papadatos, Rural Youth Europe Secretary General, who also emphasised the value of local information points and partnerships with existing organisations, creating a sustainable ecosystem. For Tony Geudens, Inclusion & Diversity Officer at SALTO Inclusion & Diversity, data helps you know who you want to reach. There has been a lot of progress in Erasmus+, including financial measures, but more flexibility is needed, for instance, with the possibility of adding inclusion top-ups during the project’s implementation.
A significant finding was that non-binary youth were the only subgroup that rated their mobility experience less positively. Bella FitzPatrick, Executive Director of IGLYO (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Intersex Youth & Student Organisation) stated that she was not surprised about this. “In this community, you really want and need to take part in these experiences, maybe to escape the prejudices you face in your local reality.” However, this community is confronted with increasing discrimination throughout the world. Inclusion also means providing better preparation and support for each specific group for what they could face abroad.
Tony Geudens, Spyros Papadatos and Bella FitzPatrick giving their views on inclusion.
What comes next?
Audrey Frith, Eurodesk Director, emphasised the organisation's commitment to reaching young people through local efforts and partnerships. She highlighted the crucial role of youth information in overcoming barriers to participation and the need to directly engage with minority groups to really understand their specific situation and better target our information. “We have a huge responsibility as Eurodesk to reach out. This is what we do with our local multipliers and projects such as the Euroclasses, where we go directly where young people are, in schools and local environments. The good news is that we can count on our partners, at the European, national and local levels, to reach out and engage young people.” She also stressed the need to be vocal about our values and to clearly state that our doors are open to all young people.
Audrey Frith, Eurodesk Director (left) and Ondrej Barta.
You can find all the outcomes of our Youth Info Survey 2025 here.
