Firstly, apologies if this isn't the right place -
I saw on some of the previous Erasmus+ threads that some posters mentioned the European Solidarity Corps programme, and that their children had really enjoyed their experiences on it, so I thought it might be a good place to post.
Although the UK is joining Erasmus+ again from 2027, nothing has yet been said about rejoining the European Solidarity Corps, which is a similar EU programme that non-EU countries can take part in, but for volunteering rather than study, and open to any young person from the participating countries between the ages of 18-30 (and up to 35 for humanitarian projects). It offers funded opportunities for young people to undertake 12 week to 1 year volunteer placements abroad, or to set up a project addressing social issues in their own local community (so here in the UK). Those going abroad receive funding which covers their visa, transport, accomodation, insurance and living costs, so having the opportunity to combine the ESC with the proposed Youth Experience Scheme visa could make participation in the latter scheme accessible to a much greater range of young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A petition has now been set up to support getting this on the agenda for the next UK-EU summit - if you'd like to support this you can access, sign and share it using the link here: https://c.org/hTbJCw8sWp