Youth exchanges and international internships

Youth exchanges and international internships

International youth exchanges are short-term projects for young people aged 18 to 35 years from different countries. These projects can be at least between two countries, but usually 4 countries and more take part.

Young people gather in one of the countries in order to discuss some topics: issues of ecology, equity, tolerance, inclusion, youth employment and any other relevant to young people. Usually, youth exchange projects consist of workshops, master-classes, trainings and other activities of informal education. Young people make presentations about the situation in their home countries, exchange opinions and experience. Also, participants may create physical outputs to express their vision of a topic in a creative way – through concert performances for the local audience, photos, videos, forum theater, etc.

The educational process in youth exchanges is based on the principles of non-formal and informal education, that gives participants the opportunity to obtain important skills and personal growth, creates preconditions for social integration and active citizenship, and, therefore, improves the employability of young people. Trainings are usually based on active participation, are completely voluntary, and, therefore, intend to meet the needs of young people, their aspirations and interests. Acting as a source of additional knowledge and motivation to education, youth exchanges are especially useful for people with disabilities.

Internships are the official programs that give the opportunity to work-out on practice the existing knowledge and / or get new ones. Moreover, practice obtained abroad always makes a good impression on employers. The internship can be a part of educational process required for each student. Also, this is a unique opportunity for already employed people, who aim to gain a foothold in a certain area, improve acquired skills and gain new. For the employer, the employment of a person who has successfully passed the internship is a reliable way to get a skilled worker.

The choice of countries and areas is huge. Internship provides valuable knowledge about foreign models of organization of a working process, which could be extremely useful for career development in a home country.

International internships are:

• the acquisition of practical skills and knowledge on foreign models of the working process
• immersion in the culture of a country and in its daily life
• increasing the level of knowledge of a foreign language
• enrichment of vocabulary in professional field
• programs that are available all year round
• big choise of countries and organizations
• internships are paid.

Practical experience abroad is also a form of self-realization, that helps to gain confidence in self-abilities and in future.

RUNY provides comprehensive organizational support to young people who have the desire to participate in internships and exchanges abroad and get valuable impetus for self-improvement.