Platforma Integracji Młodzieży (Platform for Youth Integration) is a non-governmental non-profit organization based in Krakow, founded in November 2018. We are a foundation supporting local children, youth and intergenerational dialogue. Our goal is to develop civil society by promoting education, self-awareness, participation in democratic processes, knowledge on fundamental legal, economic and cultural heritage issues. We want integration to be the main feature of our activities, understood both locally as equalizing opportunities regardless of age, social or material status, but also understood in the European dimension, focusing on tolerance, mobility and seeking better solutions for common Europe. We want to supplement the existing system of formal education in our region by various non-formal and informal educational activities, based on both fundraising and subsidies from local government and national as well as EU funds. The basic area of our activity is the city Kraków and Ruczaj – city’s district with the character of the «big slab» housing estate, part of District VIII Dębniki, located approximately 4 km southwest of the center of Krakow. We are active in Erasmus+ since 2019.

Our Project is a response to the diseases of civilization affecting a growing group of young people, and especially their prevention. In the past, problems such as diabetes, hypertension, anxiety disorders, depression, obesity, insomnia and many more affected especially the elderly, “in the prime of age”. Today, these diseases are beginning to affect more and more often young people and even children. Together with our colleagues from partner organisations, we have defined similar trends in social media and similar problems among young people – increasing incidence of civilization diseases (including a large part of us, participants), leading a very “unhealthy” lifestyle, increasing susceptibility to addiction. Thanks to our actions, we want first of all to draw attention to civilization diseases that young people are suffering from more and more, so as to show that they are not problems of people over 60 years of age, but a real problem of teenagers and young adults. To do this, we want to make a short video showing these diseases of civilization, along with the real people who suffer from them and their short history. Secondly, by focusing on the topic of healthy lifestyle, we want to show them as a preventive element in the development and avoidance of civilization diseases to develop ie, create a bank of ideas and tips on healthy lifestyle (mental health, diet, exercise, interpersonal contacts) in the form of an Instagram account where we will publish them. Thanks to the project and its topics, we will be both more aware of the existing diseases of civilization as well as the role of a healthy lifestyle in their prevention.

This project will consist of three basic parts:
– The preparatory period from 1st September 2023,
– Implementation (APV in Kraków on 14-15 October, youth exchange in Kraków and Poronin, Poland on 09-16 November)
– dissemination of the project results to the end of its duration (end of December).

Here is a brief agenda of the exchange:

Day 1: Travel day – arrival to Kraków anytime, hostel accommodation in the centre, free time Day 2: Free time in Kraków, Polish participants join, 16:00 bus transfer to Poronin (we rent a bus for everyone), welcome dinner, introduction, integration evening;
Day 3: Getting to know each other, our organizations and Erasmus+, 8 key competences, team-building workshops, presentations on civilization diseases, 2 national evenings;
Day 4: workshops on healthy lifestyle in sport and healthy diet, 2 national evenings;
Day 5: educational trip to Zakopane and Tatra mountains national park, (additionally paid visit to thermal water aquapark for interested, cost about 15-20 EUR/person)
Day 6: making dissemination results (working on social campaign, videos, publication, Instagram, etc), Polish national evening;
Day 7: finalizing and presenting results, promotional activities, evaluation, youthpass ceremony, farewell party;
Day 8: Departures after breakfast (flights from Kraków possible only in the afternoon!)

There is no participation fee! All programme costs are covered by organisers. There is no budget for any Covid-related costs, like tests or vacines. You might want to have some cash to buy a a souvenir, local beer or sightseeing outside of schedule. Participants are obliged to have their free European Health Insurance cards – just in case they need free medical help in Poland. The participants are also themselves responsible to get a travel insurance and any medicines they might need. We provide accident insurance. Organisers follow all sanitary instructions and obligations given by local and national authorities.

Transportation costs of all participants will be covered by project budget up to Erasmus+ limits of transportation costs for particular partner countries (look below). Participants will have to buy their tickets from home to Kraków, Poland. We will pay up to limits of transportation costs per country by 1 bank transfer to sending NGO only after you present all return tickets and boarding passes, after dissemination activities are completed and group leader survey received. Please plan your travel in advance and inform us. Please consult with us before purchasing your tickets! Please consult us if you need to use other transport than bus, train, plane! Please provide us with travel plan and preferences of participants at latest 4 weeks prior to the exchange so we can discuss these during APV. Total of 2 extra days in Poland are allowed. Extra days (accommodation, meals) need to be paid by participants.

Limits of transportation costs for partner countries (per person) are:
Spain – 360 euro / person

We provide a common transport (rented bus) from Kraków to Poronin and return. Please keep 20 euro from your travel budget or be expected to pay this amount.

Please communicate actively when scheduling your travel.

As most of you know Kraków is UNESCO city full of history and monuments, also cultural and party life. Nearby you also have unique places like Auschwitz-Birkenau Former German Nazi concentration camp, Wieliczka salt mine, Energylandia amusement park, etc. We strongly recommend that you use the free time in Kraków to explore these or even arrive a day before or stay a day after the exchange to explore more.

Exchange venue in Poronin: Villa Austryjok http://austryjok.pl

Participants will share 3 or 4 people rooms, all with private bathroom and TV. We will have a separate party hut to make disco, barbeque party, etc. 5min walk from our venue there is a shop where you can buy most of things you might need, you can pay with card or polish currency. There is no money exchange in a walking distance so better to exchange currency while in Kraków (but not in the airport where rates are bad). We will serve 3 tasty meals per day, with polish typical cuisine lunch usually. Coffee, tea, water available all day. Please inform us max. 2 weeks prior to exchange if you have any dietary needs (vegetarians, allergies, etc.) so we can prepare it with the villa kitchen. You need to bring your own cosmetics and towel. It is important to take appropriate clothes and shoes, comfortable for workshops and staying indoors but also good shoes, sport dress and something against rain and colder weather outdoors. Please have on your mind that we will go for a mountain walk and have some activities outside. There are hand sanitisers at guesthouse entries, the house is only for our group, the staff obey all sanitary rules, masks are not obligatory but you might want to use them during travel.

Small amounts of traditional food and drink to share for national evenings. It would be nice to prepare some interesting presentations of your country, city, region. Try to be original, tell us something which we can’t find in the internet ☺ Each group should have at least one laptop, cameras are welcome, cables for uploading, etc. Please gather some information about hate, such problems of internet, tolerance in your country, etc.