Connecting for Neurodivergent Youth

In the Connecting for Neurodivergent Youth activity, you will connect with like-minded organisations, share experiences, and develop future Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps -projects.

This Partnership Building activity (PBA) is for you, if you and your organization: 

• work with neurodivergent young people (age 13-30 years old) 
• want to create more inclusive opportunities with them;
• are looking for international partners for future Erasmus+ & European Solidarity Corps - projects in the field of youth - previous experience on the programmes is not required; 
• want to exchange experiences, challenges, and good practices in working with neurodivergent youth;
• you are minimum 18 years old
• you are able to communicate fluently in English - the working language of the activity

The intention of this activity is to bring together organisations that work directly with neurodivergent young people — including, but not limited to, those with Autism, ADHD, High Intellectual Potential, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, or Dyscalculia. This activity is not training on neurodiversity.

In this PBA you will:

• exchange methods, tools, and tips, challenges and experiences in supporting neurodivergent young people to participate in international projects and contexts;
• explore how to promote and adapt participation of young neurodivergent people in the design of European and international projects;
• reflect on what makes a quality and trustworthy partnership, and how each organisation contributes to effective collaboration;
• build and strengthen European partnerships between organisations working directly with neurodivergent youth;
• receive relevant information on Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps projects and special support for involving neurodivergent youth;
• create concrete project ideas and action plans for future Erasmus+ cooperation after the activity;
• get support from facilitators and Erasmus+ National Agency officers

Venue and the programme

This activity will take place in Hotelli Nuuksio, Espoo

This activity has two steps, and you should be able to participate in both:

1) On-line Kick-off meeting will be held on April 8th at 2-3pm CET. 

2) The activity is on 20.-24.5.2026 in Espoo, Finland.

• 20 April (Mon): Arrival
• 21-23 April (Tue–Thu): Full programme with expert inputs, interactive workshops and peer learning
• 24 April (Fri): Departure

You can find the draft programme attached. Please note, that it is not the final version, we will also adapt it based on your individual needs. 

Safety, accessibility and sustainability

In this event, we follow the principles of a safe space. We strive to ensure that everyone is met as their own self and that no one has to fear discrimination or harassment. We expect you to respect the same principle.

Our activities are accessible to people with different abilities. If you need an accessible room, an accessible transport, to bring a personal assistant with you or other kind of support, we will provide it for you. Please tell us about your individual needs beforehand, so we can support you in your participation.

We take sustainability in consideration wherever we can. Since most of the participants have to fly over the sea to Finland, we encourage you to travel on land within Finland. We also encourage you to contact your own National Agency to find out how they support low emission travelling to activities abroad.

We provide plant-based meals, or use locally grown and produced foods, as much as possible. We also respect the diets and food allergies of all participants.

The Strategic Partnership on Inclusion (SPI)

The activity is part of the Strategic Partnership on Inclusion (SPI) “Health issues and disabilities" -strand. For detailed information please view: www.salto-youth.net/rc/inclusion/inclusionfornas/spinclusion 

Unless specified otherwise, the hosting NA or SALTO of this offer will organise the accommodation and covers the costs for accommodation and food.

Eastern Partnership countries, Erasmus+ Youth Programme countries, Southern Mediterranean countries, Western Balkan countries

English

This project is financed by the participating National Agencies (NAs) of the Erasmus+ Youth in Action Programme. The participation fee varies from country to country. Please contact your National Agency or SALTO Resource Centre (SALTO) to learn more about the participation fee for participants from your country.

Please contact your NA or SALTO in order to know whether they would support your travel costs. If yes, after being selected, get in touch with your NA or SALTO again to learn more about the overall procedure to arrange the booking of your travel tickets and the reimbursement of your travel expenses.