Frequently Asked Questions: EU Projects

Frequently asked questions about European Projects coordinated by ANKA Youth Association

This guide contains the general conditions for organizing ANKA’s European projects under the Erasmus + program. If the specific conditions (present in the call for participants) of a project differ from them, those will prevail. Enrollment in these projects requires knowledge and acceptance of all these terms and conditions.

Which parties are taking part in an Erasmus + project?

The sending organization, in this case, ANKA. The host organization is the organization that will host the project. Participant, who joins the project. Group leader is a role-specific to the mobility of young people who take over a number of administrative and facilitation responsibilities on behalf of the group.Facilitator / trainer , is a specific role for the mobility of youth workers. They have the role of facilitating educational processes.

Where are calls for participants published?

On the ANKA website, on the Facebook page, on Instagram, and in the ANKA Society. These calls do not have certain rhythmicity, they depend on the partnerships concluded by the organization, but most of the time there are some open calls.

What happens in an Erasmus + mobility project?

Participants from several countries meet in a certain place (project location) and in a residential regime, (they are accommodated together, they serve meals together, etc.) activities on the project theme are carried out. There are two categories of projects ( find out more, page 73 ):

– Mobility/youth exchange aimed mainly at young people aged 18-30. The emphasis is largely on cultural discovery, teamwork, developing tolerance, knowing others and self-knowledge;

– Mobility of youth workers, which in turn can take several forms:

Training course (TC): have as main goal the development of advanced skills among the participants;
Seminar: for those who already have experience in the field for the exchange of good practices;
Study visit: often includes field visits to several objectives in a given area;
Job shadowing: through which one can stand “behind” an experienced youth worker from abroad to “steal the job”;
Contact making event: meant to connect organizations that want to find partners for their projects;

If I am not currently in Turkey, can I sign up for a project?

In order to represent ANKA in a project, you must be resident in TURKEY on the date of departure (respectively to leave Turkey).
Moreover, during the period in which you participate in youth mobility project, you cannot carry out another mobility funded by Erasmus + (eg study mobility, internship, or ESC – EVS).

Can I sign up if I am not a ANKA volunteer?

ANKA volunteers and members of the ANKA Society have priority to participate. However, most projects published on the site are open to everyone. However, if you plan to take part in such projects, we warmly invite you to join the ANKA Society and enjoy all the benefits there for FREE.

What are the criteria for selecting participants?

Of course, they differ from one project to another (see the call for participants), but in general, there is a strong emphasis on motivation. Traveling to another foreign country and visiting is sufficient motivation for a tourist. For a participant in a European project, however, it is sought that the main reason is the relevance of the project theme to the participant’s profile. So, make sure that your application shows that you are the right person in the right place. Most of the time the selection is made exclusively based on the application, but in justified cases, we can also use interviews or telephone / Skype conversations.

How often should I check my email during the selection period?

At least once a day.

When will I be notified if I have been selected?

Usually 2 weeks after the end of the registration. See the call of participants for the exact dates.
According to our procedure, usually, only the selected participants are announced given the high number of projects and the low number of places available for each of them.

Can I reapply if I am rejected?

Yes, the fact that you were rejected for a project means that other candidates were more suitable than you (we also try as much as possible to ensure a gender balance between the number of male and female participants in each project). That doesn’t mean you can’t run again. At ANKA there were people who convinced in the motivational chapter precisely because they really wanted to participate and after two rejected applications, in the third, they were among the first accepted. At ANKA, people rejected on previous calls may have a higher chance of a new project, which don’t hesitate to mention the ANKA projects you have applied for in the past, even without success.

Will I receive an explanation if I am not accepted?

The most likely explanation is that you do not match the participant profile for that project, or that other candidates fit better. For reasons related to the low level of human resources involved in the management of these projects, we will send messages only to accepted candidates. Therefore, the lack of an answer after the end of the evaluation period of the candidates puts you on a waiting list and you will be notified if a place is vacated.

Is there an age limit?

Youth mobility: 13-30 years old (participants) – most projects target 18-25-year-olds; group leaders must be over 18 years old; Mobility of youth workers: there are no age limits (18+).

Do you have to be a student to take part in Erasmus + projects?

Erasmus + projects (youth component) are not related to student status.

Will I be allowed to take permission from school/college during the project?

This is not a matter for ANKA. Most teachers appreciate and encourage students to participate in such activities, but others have a more conservative view. We will provide an invitation letter that will prove your participation in the project. The best option is to talk to your teachers.

Can I join projects with my friends?

If you think this will not affect your behavior during the project, you can. The only thing is to be selected for the project together. These projects include a strong level of closeness between the participants, and if you take part with a very close friend you will most likely isolate yourself a little from the others.

Where do Erasmus + projects take place?

For reasons of low budget, but also to discourage “tourists”, projects often take place in small towns or in rural areas. The exact location is specified in each call.

Who buys the transport tickets and when?

The standard procedure is that of participants to advance the transport expenses to the ANKA accounts, following which ANKA will buy the plane tickets. This assures you that: you will have the necessary documents for reimbursement (invoice, e-ticket, account statement) and avoid the hidden fees of websites and airlines. Tickets are purchased within about 7 days of confirmation of participation (keep this in mind since registration). Also, for those who have not flown, it should be noted that airfare prices are constantly changing depending on the transactions made. There may be cases when the price/flight proposed by ANKA is no longer available until the time of payment, which is why we invite you to hurry with confirmation of payment. After purchasing the plane tickets you will receive by e-mail from ANKA the electronic tickets (you can print them for yourself). At the airport, you show up with your identity card, only you already appear in the database. If you buy your transport tickets on your own, you take the risk of not receiving a refund, especially if the price is higher than the one proposed by ANKA.

How will I get to the project place?

Either you will receive detailed instructions in the project infopack on how to get there (90% of cases), or the organizers will be waiting for you at the destination station.

What conditions will be ensured within the project?

It is the task of the host organization to provide accommodation, 3 meals a day (sometimes two coffee breaks are offered), and the program of activities. All activities included in the program are mandatory and all their costs should be borne by the host organization unless otherwise agreed with the participants. ANKA cannot be held responsible for the quality of accommodation and meals provided as this is not our responsibility. However, if you consider them to be abusive, please contact us during the project to try to take action.

How do I get prepared for the mobility project?

Most likely your project has an infopack where you will find some general directions. At the same time, you can also see from the program of activities: for example, if you see that there will be a debate on the topic “employee vs. entrepreneur ”, but you don’t know exactly what each of these roles entails, you don’t know statistics from Turkey or from the European Union, etc., it would be a good opportunity to get acquainted. In general, in terms of content, it would be good to document the following: clarification of key concepts(If the project is about environmental protection, try to clarify terms such as sustainability, sustainable development, ecosystem, pollution, energy, environmental policy, etc.), statistics, policies, recent research, trends in Turkey and the European Union.

Intercultural evening – what does that mean and how should I be prepared?

It is one of the classic socio-cultural activities of such a program. Find out how this works and what it entails .

Energy – what does that mean and how do I prepare?

There are various games designed to relax the atmosphere among the participants and make them feel as comfortable as possible with each other. It is one of the specific methods of non-formal education, and for those who have not taken part in such activities may seem slightly childish, naive, or outside the comfort zone. Trust me, get in the “game”. Nothing will happen (bad). Yes, there have been cases in which adults aged 50-60 have taken part in such games without too many inhibitions. Enter here if you want to see concrete examples or even to be able to propose one to the group (yes, it is not unusual for someone to propose an energizer in a non-formal project).

What do I need to know about ANKA in order to represent the organization?

On the ANKA website and on the Facebook page you can find out about the specifics of our activities, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Try to set some clear guidelines for what we do. At the same time, we have a dedicated section on the representation part which will be provided to the participants after the selection process.

What obligations do I have during and at the end of European Projects?

Visibility : During the mobility, please send us photos during the activities (preferably group) to post them on the page ( details here ). Evaluation : at the end of the activity you will receive a Mobility Tool + evaluation report that you will have to complete within a week. This is a binding European official document. Dissemination of results: it is a mandatory component when returning to the country and refers to sharing the results of mobility with a wider audience. You can write an article for the ANKA site about how it was, you can share various results through your and ANKA’S social networks (eg a video, a site, a Facebook page, etc.), you can take part in the regular events of the ANKA in which to share your experiences or you can propose an event yourself under the auspices of ANKA. You are your own limit!

Do I need to know English perfectly?

First of all, although it is the most common, not all projects have English as the language of conversation. For youth exchanges, you must know at least English at a conversational level (A2). For the mobility of youth workers, you need to have a much more developed vocabulary to be able to take part in discussions (minimum B1-B2).

Is participation in all activities mandatory?

Yes :). Failure to participate in the activities may result in the payment of compensation (non-reimbursement of transport, payment of accommodation, and meals incurred).

Will I have free time during the project?

It depends on the program and the organizers. Usually, at youth exchanges, there are 3-4 hours of free time per day, and at youth workers’ mobility 1-2 hours. You will most likely need this time to interact informally with other participants, to communicate via email or social media, or to rest. If you want more free time, try to schedule your flight 1-2 days before and / or after the project, during which time you can visit on your own (most projects allow this).

Will the host organization ask me to cover additional costs?

This should not happen. If, however, it happens during the mobility, talk to the organizers and explain that from what you know from ANKA all the activities in the program should be covered in terms of costs by the organizers. If after these “diplomatic” approaches you do not manage to have a chance of success, please contact us, we also have other methods.

How much money should I have in my pocket?

It depends on how many friends you promised them magnets, views and gifts 🙂 As a rule, 50 EUR should be enough as pocket money for a one-week project given that all your expenses are insured (of course, if you will not make excesses!).

How many projects can I participate in?

Good news: no matter how much you want, there is no limit to this. However, at ANKA we try to give a chance to as many young people as possible, so don’t be surprised that after you take part in 2 projects in a year, then your candidacies will be more difficult to accept 🙂

How can I be sure that from the money transferred by me to ANKA will buy me plane tickets and I will not take a stake?

Believe it or not, someone even asked this, so we answer (seriously!): If you take a look at the ANKA website and on the Facebook page you will see that hundreds of young people benefit annually the European mobility opportunities offered by ANKA. Moreover, ANKA regularly organizes such mobilities in Turkey in collaboration with prestigious national and European institutions. Reasons enough to be sure that your money will buy the promised plane tickets and we will not go on holiday to the Caribbean. Lastly, we will have a project participation contract with you on behalf of our NGO.

When is the cost of transport reimbursed and how?

Submission of supporting documents
It is necessary for the host organization to receive all supporting documents from you. Pay close attention to boarding passes, bus tickets, subway tickets, etc. If you lose them, you will not be able to receive a refund. For tickets purchased by ANKA, we will already send the necessary documents (invoices, receipts, electronic tickets, etc.). It is your responsibility to ensure that all supporting documents reach the host organization and that you have made a copy (physical or electronic) before handing them over.

Maximum transport limit (this calculator will be used for distances )

After the presentation of the supporting documents (it is about all the supporting documents), usually, in about 4-6 weeks the payment is made in the ANKA account (there were cases in which there were delays and 3-6 months so be prepared to wait for a little), and then ANKA reimburses participants within a maximum of one week. The refund is usually made in TRY by bank transfer at the bank exchange rate (purchase) on the day of payment. For transfers to accounts opened with other banks than ANKA has, a fee can be charged. Reimbursement can also be made in EUR without commissions in accounts opened in the same bank which ANKA uses.
It is the responsibility of the host organization to make the refund, but ANKA will be with you throughout this process to expedite the process.

What are the contact details of those responsible for mobility projects and why can’t I find a phone number on the site?

If you have already signed up for a project and received a message from us, please always reply by reply. General messages are transmitted through email(info@ankayouthngo.org) We promise to respond very promptly to the relevant messages: please present specifically the problem you are contacting us for, possibly a link to the project you are referring to. There is currently no employee at the organization level for telephone support. For this reason, as well as to be able to ensure the EQYP quality standards, our procedures mainly include e-mail communication, telephone communication being reserved only for emergencies.

What languages do the ANKA team speak?

Most likely, all the people you will have contact with speak Turkish and English, respectively you can address yourself in any of them. More specifically, we recommend that you complete the application in English, following that the messages regarding the preparation, dissemination, and evaluation of the project will be in Turkish.

If I see a project can I tell others?

We at ANKA, passionate about social media, if we see that you share the project on Facebook (eg on groups from college, from the dormitory, from the reading circle, from the corner cafe, etc.), your chances increase dizzying to be accepted because this involvement proves your motivation! There have already been several such cases and when I told them why they were accepted, they came to cry for happiness! Don’t be afraid of competition, you don’t have to 🙂

How can I prove my participation in the project?

At the end of the project, you will receive a certificate of competence with European recognition: Youthpass. It certifies both the participation in the project and the skills acquired. Find out more!