The Youth International Programs Agency (JSPA) invites young people of Latvia who are 18 years old to participate in the European Union (EU) initiative «DiscoverEU» and get a unique experience – traveling around Europe by train for free in order to get to know its diversity, cultural heritage and broaden your horizons.
You can apply for the spring round of 2024 from April 16 to 30 at 13.00 Latvian time on the European Youth portal. 35,500 young people from Europe will be able to receive a travel card, including 152 young people from Latvia.
This year, applications for the “DiscoverEU” initiative take place during the European Youth Week, the guiding motive of which is “Youth Vision”, inviting young people to be civically active, participate in the European Parliament elections and use the opportunities of the European Union – “DiscoverEU” is one of them.
“In general, recalling the experience and the emotions associated with the time spent on the trip, I conclude and once again admit to myself that this project is a great opportunity to test your emotional resilience, find out how good a planner – both financially and time – you are, get to know cultures of other countries, prove to yourself and others that you can be independent, meet new people and (..) taste interesting and some even strange national dishes, spend great time with yourself, which allows you to organize your thoughts and plans for the future (..). » Paula Molodavchenko, who used the opportunity to travel to six countries in six days – Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Lithuania – tells about her experience.
«DiscoverEU» is an initiative of the «Erasmus+» program, which gives young EU citizens 18 years of age the opportunity to travel around Europe for free in order to discover and get to know Europe, its rich cultural heritage and history, as well as broaden their horizons and gain unforgettable experiences. The selected young people receive a travel card, with which they are invited to travel mainly in a more environmentally friendly way – by train. However, taking into account considerations related to the surrounding environment, time and distance, the initiative offers the possibility to use other forms of transport as well (for example, bus, ferry, in exceptional cases also airplane).
To be able to apply for the initiative, a young person must:
- must be born between July 1, 2005 (inclusive) and June 30, 2006 (inclusive);
- must be a citizen or permanent resident of one of the EU member states, including their overseas countries and territories (AZT), or a third country associated with the “Erasmus+” program (Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia or Turkey);
- you will have to answer quiz questions (if you do not apply as a group member);
- the online application form must correctly indicate the identity card (ID card), passport or residence permit number.
Young people who will be among the successful candidates will be able to go on a 1-30 day trip between July 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025 – individually or in a group of up to five young people who also meet the criteria of DiscoverEU. To travel together, the other members of the group must provide the group leader’s application code when submitting the application. Young people who have obtained a travel card will be able to create their own or choose one of the routes prepared by DiscoverEU – the New European Bauhaus, cultural, digital or green route.
In the initiative, young people apply for paid travel tickets, while other expenses (accommodation, meals, as well as insurance) must be covered by the participants themselves. To help save on travel expenses, selected participants will also receive a European Youth Card (EYCA), which acts as a discount card in more than 30 European countries. With it, you can get thousands of discount opportunities for transport, accommodation, food, visits to cultural and sports events, as well as sightseeing and other activities. Initiative participants with disabilities or health problems that make travel difficult will have the opportunity to receive additional support.
“Erasmus+” national agencies, including JSPA, will hold informational events for young people who have obtained a ticket before leaving. They provide the most important information related to the initiative and travel.
Travel cards of the DiscoverEU initiative are awarded based on the proportion of the population of the member states compared to the total population of the EU, as well as looking at the number of correct answers to the quiz questions filled in the application form. In total, since 2018, when the “DiscoverEU” initiative was organized for the first time, more than one million young people from all over the EU have applied for 248,000 travel cards, including 6,420 young people from Latvia, of whom 1,049 have obtained this unique travel opportunity.
Agency for International Youth Programs
Last year, the association “Balozu pasts” applied for the competition, getting the opportunity to provide 50 young people from Talsa with a free trip to Europe.
2024-04-19 06:25:32