"Level UP for Community" Youth Exchange
In October 2024, a group of Maltese youths joined counterparts from Sweden and Spain for a week-long youth exchange in Malaga. The following article describes how it went, from their perspective:
Let’s be real. This is how some of us feel. If you’re young in Malta, you know the routine.
Same places. Same activities. Same “options” every weekend. And after a while, it feels like… there’s nothing new to do here.
So we asked: What can we do about it?
From “we’re bored” to “let’s make an Erasmus+ project”
We sat down with Projekta Malta, shared all our thoughts about the endless loop, and together we decided to do something about it.
The result? Level Up – a youth exchange designed by us, not just for us.
The goal? Shake up the usual scene, bring in youth from different countries, and spend a week trying out creative, fun, and completely different activities… while secretly picking up skills we’ll actually use in life.
What went down at Level Up Youth Exchange
Three groups of teens from Malta, Spain, and Sweden met up in Málaga, Spain.
We:
- Talked about youth activities in Spain, Sweden, and Malta
- Learned how to figure out the real root of a problem
- Came up with ideas to solve it
- Learned how to pitch it to Erasmus+ for new projects
It didn’t feel like school. It felt like games, challenges, and creative sessions that somehow made you forget you were “learning”.
What we learned
(maybe even without realising it)
- Confidence (yes, even talking in front of a group)
- Teamwork (working with total strangers… who became friends)
- Public speaking (but disguised as fun presentations)
- Defended your ideas (through a debate)
“I usually hate politics, but the debate activity was so much fun. I ended up defending a position I totally disagree with in real life – and it actually opened my mind. I started to understand how other people think, even if I don’t agree with them. It challenged me in a good way.”
Why this youth exchange felt different
Because it wasn’t just “a project we joined”. It was OUR project.
The idea came from us. The programme was shaped by what we actually wanted.
Each country shared activities they’re working on back home. We were surprised to see how involved young people are in other communities and it made us realise how much is missing in Malta.
Here, if you don’t belong to a specific group, there aren’t many one-off activities where you can just show up and try something new.
Tools That Helped Ideas Turn Into Action
It was an immersive week filled with hands-on workshops, meaningful dialogue, and the kind of creative collaboration that made it hard to believe we’d only just met.
Throughout the intensive programme, we used engaging learning tools – both practical and visual – which were shaped by real-time feedback from participants. These open-source resources are now freely available for anyone to download and use:
Set the tone, your way. This activity helped the group decide what kind of energy they wanted to bring – and what they expected from each other. No rules from above, just shared values built by the group.
How much say do young people actually have? This simple but eye-opening tool helped participants reflect on their role in schools, clubs, and daily life — and where they’d like to climb higher.
Download Instructions Download Ladder of Participation Resource
Big issues can feel too big. This activity helped break things down and uncover opportunities — not just problems. It got everyone thinking creatively about change.
Download Instructions Download Problem & Opportunity Tree Resource
Got an idea? This helped turn it into a plan. From first steps to long-term goals, participants mapped out how they could make a difference in their own communities.
The whole group was given a variety of words and was asked to capture them through photos. It was fascinating to see how differently everyone interpreted the same words. The photos they shared showed just how personal – and powerful – those meanings can be.
Download Instructions Download Social Scavenger Hunt Resource
In international teams, participants created short videos about their journey through the week. They shared skills – all while having fun. It was a creative, team-based way to look back at the experience and capture moments that mattered.
What happens next
This youth exchange gave us tools to create more projects for ourselves and our community.
Projekta helped us shape our wild ideas (sometimes tone them down a bit) and introduced us to Erasmus+ opportunities we didn’t even know existed.
It feels good to know we can do something, even at our age. We felt heard. We made new friends from Spain and Sweden and it’s been almost one year and we are still in touch!
Our advice?
If you ever see a workshop, event, or info session about Erasmus+, GO! It will open your eyes to opportunities you didn’t even know were real.
Level UP on Spanish TV!
We were pleasantly surprised to discover that our Level Up Erasmus project would be featured on Spanish television!
The segment showcased the amazing opportunities that the Erasmus program provides for young people. It also highlighted the various activities within the Level Up project, demonstrating how youth work can help strengthen and uplift local communities.
To enable English subtitles: Click the ⚙️ settings icon → Subtitles → Auto-translate → English
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