Types of project

Three types of project can be funded through Teams up! They are:

  1. development-related, extracurricular youth-group exchanges,
  2. accompanying projects to improve the quality of the youth exchange and strengthen structures or project partners and
  3. pilot projects of special relevance to international development-related youth work.
Photo of a youth group in front of an old building. They are holding a banner showing the sustainable development goals.
Strengthening global partnerships

Development-related youth-group exchanges

Teams up! focuses on development-related exchange between youth groups from Germany and countries of the African continent. Over a period of one to two years, the groups involved in the exchange collaborate on a project dealing with one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. During this period, the groups visit each other in their home countries. Educators prepare the participants for the visits and do follow-up work with them. These activities are supplemented by online collaboration phases.

Examples include women’s football teams working together on gender equality, scout groups collaborating on upcycling projects as part of environmental education measures and drama groups putting on performances dealing with global inequalities and human rights.

Visits can also take place in a virtual format. In cases where in-person visits cannot take place due, for example, to security alerts or pandemics, exchanges can be conducted on a completely virtual basis in consultation with Engagement Global.

Requirements

  • Participants must be between 16 and 30 years of age.
  • They must be permanently resident in one of the partner countries involved or in Germany.
  • The visiting groups consist of a minimum of five and maximum of ten people per country plus the group leaders.
  • The visits last at least 14 and no more than 30 days, not including arrival/departure.
  • Exceptions can be made with regard to age and group size but the reasons must be explained and approval given.

Accompanying projects and activities

Funding for accompanying projects is provided with the aim of improving Teams up! and strengthening project partners and structures.

The target groups are organisations in the fields of youth work, youth education and development cooperation. They can apply for funding as independent projects or as activities undertaken within an exchange project.

In particular, funding is available for the following:

  • Activities to improve the quality of projects conducted through Teams up!
  • Activities to promote international cooperation and networking between the project partners and between the stakeholders in the Teams up! programme.
  • Knowledge-multiplier training for the German implementing organisation’s and the project partners’ staff on projects funded under the programme, with a particular focus on the topics of “partnership” and “a more nuanced view of Germany/Africa”.
  • Production of materials dealing with quality assurance and evolution of methods and strategies for international youth exchange (programmes) in line with the aims of Teams up!
  • Projects that help boost interest in international youth exchanges between German and African partners.
  • Projects that help access new target groups that have previously had little or no involvement in development-related voluntary service and exchange programmes.

Funding is not available for the administrative application process or the production of proof-of-use documents for projects, nor for trips required to prepare for youth-exchange projects.

Pilot projects

Pilot projects are projects that pursue new approaches that are of special relevance to international development-related youth work (development, testing, assessment and further development of methods and strategies, establishment of structures such as networks or joint projects) and can be used by other organisations too. No age or group-size restrictions apply to pilot projects.