Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange celebrates its first anniversary with outstanding participation and high rates of satisfaction. Since its launch in January 2018, the project saw a total of 8,222 youth participants and young professionals from 42 countries, participating in Virtual Exchange activities and online training programmes.

The analysis of  the project's impact reflects a high degree of satisfaction rates, with 87% of young people and 99% of facilitation trainees being satisfied or very satisfied with their experience in general. The data analysed demonstrated that Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange is producing a real-world impact on young people’s attitudes towards others from different cultures and backgrounds, and has enabled participants to build new life and employability skills.

Online exchanges not only helped young people increase their self-esteem, curiosity, and awareness about stereotypes/biases, but also gave them the chance to develop cross-communication and digital competencies. A large majority of participants (71%) built positive and meaningful relationships with peers from different countries/regions through Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange activities, while 91% reported that participating in the project had a positive impact on their ability to work in a culturally diverse place.

To find out more about the 2018 participation figures and discover participants’ experiences, read the Impact Page. Educators, youth workers, policy-makers and researchers interested in a more in-depth analysis of Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange’s contribution to the development of tangible skills and positive attitudinal changes will find more information on the project’s Brochure.