International Youth Exchange

Berlin is a city where people from many nations are at home. That is why intercultural competence is an important factor for democratic coexistence.

International youth work makes an important contribution here. It contributes to an understanding with other countries and to promoting tolerance and understanding towards other cultures and towards strangers. By participating in international youth exchanges, children and young people can gain experience with their contemporaries in other countries and with foreign guests at home.

They will learn to better reflect on their social and personal situation in life and to reduce their own prejudices. Exchanges between young people from different countries and cultures convey knowledge about language, history, social conditions and cultural customs, so that the everyday life of people living in foreign countries can be experienced.

International youth exchanges have a long tradition in extracurricular youth education. They are a suitable instrument to take into account the expectations of mobility and international experience with which young people are confronted. Disadvantaged young people should in particular have the same opportunities to take part in international youth exchanges.

Berlin functions as a central agency for the youth organisations and the federal government. A current focus is on the European context. In addition, there are city partnerships between Berlin and Paris and Berlin and Moscow. Various types of youth exchanges also take place as part of these city partnerships.

There are a variety of funding opportunities:

• from funds of the Federal Child and Youth Plan (KJP)
• from funds of the German-Polish Youth Office (DPJW)
• from funds of the Franco-German youth organization (DFJW)
• from funds of the German-Russian Youth Exchange Foundation
• from funds of the EU Erasmus+ funding programme
• from funds of the Coordination Centre for German-Israeli Youth Exchange
• from funds of the Coordination Centre for German-Czech Youth Exchange

European Union

• Erasmus+ Youth in Action
• EU Youth Strategie in Berlin and Brandenburg
• Europe Consulting Berlin

France

• German-French Youth Organisation
  (DFJW)
• Centre Français de Berlin

Israel

• German Israeli Youth Exchange

Poland

• German Polish Youth Organisation
  (DPJW)

Russia

• German Russian Youth Exchange
• German Russian Exchange e.V.
• German Russian City Partnership Berlin-Moskow

Czech Republic

• Coordination Centre German Czech Youth Exchange