“PartnershipLab” – Erasmus+ Partnership Building Activity 01/09/2026 – 07/09/2026
Kolín, Czech Republic
At the beginning of September 2026, Kolín, Czechia, welcomed youth workers and representatives of educational youth organisations from across Europe for PartnershipLab, an international partnership-building activity focused on one simple but important question: what can we create when we bring different people, experiences, and ideas together?
Unlike a traditional training course, PartnershipLab was not about following a set curriculum or learning one particular topic. Instead, it was about meeting people, exchanging experiences, sharing tools, and discovering possibilities for future cooperation within Erasmus+.
The activity was funded through the Erasmus+ Programme as part of our Erasmus+ Accreditation in the field of Youth.
Starting With People
Good partnerships rarely appear overnight. They grow from conversations, shared interests, trust, and the feeling that there is something worth creating together.
That was one of the main ideas behind PartnershipLab. Participants had the opportunity to introduce their organisations, talk about their work with young people, and discover what others are doing in their communities. Coming from different backgrounds meant that everyone brought something different to the table, while many common interests and challenges quickly became visible.
The activity created space not only to exchange contact details, but to actually get to know potential partners and explore where future cooperation might make sense.
A Toolbox Full of Inspiration
Another important part of PartnershipLab was the exchange of educational methods and non-formal learning tools.
Participants shared games, activities, workshops, and other approaches they use in their everyday youth work. It was a chance to see how different organisations approach learning and engagement, while also collecting ideas that can be adapted and used in other contexts.
Sometimes, the most useful inspiration comes from something simple—a game that gets a group talking, an activity that helps young people reflect, or a workshop method that makes a difficult topic easier to approach. Sharing these practical experiences allowed participants to expand their own educational “toolboxes” and take new ideas home with them.
Learning From What Worked—and What Didn’t
PartnershipLab was also about being honest about the reality of working with young people and running international projects.
Participants exchanged experiences from previous activities, including successful approaches, challenges, unexpected situations, and lessons learned along the way. Sharing not only achievements but also things that could have been done differently made the conversations particularly useful.
There is a lot to learn from other organisations—not just from what went well, but also from the obstacles they encountered and the solutions they found.
From Ideas to Future Projects
Of course, partnership building is also about looking ahead.
Throughout the activity, participants had opportunities to explore shared interests and develop ideas for future Erasmus+ Youth projects. Conversations that started with getting to know each other’s organisations could gradually turn into project concepts, possible activities, and ideas for future cooperation.
The aim was not necessarily to leave Kolín with a finished project application. Instead, PartnershipLab was about creating the foundations for cooperation—finding the right people, identifying common interests, and giving ideas enough space to grow.
More Than Just a Few Days in Kolín
By the end of PartnershipLab, participants had hopefully gained more than a collection of new educational methods or a list of new contacts. They had the opportunity to become part of a wider network of people working towards similar goals in youth work.
The real impact of a partnership-building activity often happens after everyone goes home. A conversation can turn into a project. A shared activity can inspire a new workshop. A new contact can become a long-term partner.
And that is perhaps what PartnershipLab was all about: creating the conditions for these things to happen.
New partnerships start with a simple idea, but they grow through people who are willing to share, listen, and create together.
🌎 Erasmus+ Partnership Building Activity “PartnershipLab” is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme.
