The Focus Groups organized within the framework of the EYES – Empowering Youth: Erasmus Plus Virtual Exchange for Active Citizenship and Social Inclusion project are designed to gather meaningful insights from the core target groups of the project. These groups will play a key role in shaping the learning content, methodologies, and virtual platform activities to ensure that all tools and strategies are relevant, inclusive, and youth-centered.
Participants in the Focus Groups should come from one of the eight partner countries:
Spain 🇪🇸 , Italy 🇮🇹 , Greece 🇬🇷 , Turkey 🇹🇷 , Ghana 🇬🇭 , Cameroon 🇨🇲 , Nigeria 🇳🇬 , or Gabon 🇬🇦.

The two primary categories of focus group participants are:

1️⃣ Youth Workers and Educators (18+)

Professionals who work directly with young people in both formal and non-formal educational settings, especially those who:
Support youth engagement, civic participation, or community action.
Have experience in organizing workshops, exchanges, or digital learning spaces.
Work with young people from vulnerable or disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g. unemployed youth, migrants, minorities, NEETs).
Are interested in adopting or improving virtual exchange methods and inclusive digital practices.
May have limited access to digital tools or training, especially in rural or underserved areas.

The focus group will explore their:

• Current capacity to implement virtual exchanges.
• Gaps in knowledge, digital skills, and facilitation methods.
• Needs regarding mental health awareness and inclusion in youth work.
• Suggestions to improve online engagement with young people.

2️⃣ Young People (Aged 18–30)

Participants who belong to the project’s final beneficiaries and represent diverse socioeconomic, geographic, and cultural contexts, particularly:
Youth facing exclusion, unemployment, or limited access to mobility opportunities.
Young people with migration backgrounds, from rural areas, or belonging to ethnic minorities.
Youth with limited access to European programs, global learning, or civic education.
Young leaders, activists, or volunteers interested in making a social impact locally and globally.

The focus group will aim to understand:

• Their challenges in engaging with civic life or expressing themselves in online spaces.
• Their access to digital learning and safe online environments.
• Their interest in global topics such as social justice, inclusion, and sustainable development.
• What type of content, tools, and formats they would like to see on the EYES platform.

🗳️ Partner Agreement and Minimum Participation

Following a partner vote and collective decision during the project coordination meeting, it was agreed that:
Each partner organization will invite at least 5 members of their staff (youth workers or educators) + 1 facilitator to attend the Focus Group, so a total of 6 people per partner.
In addition to these 6, any other interested youth worker or young person may also be invited, with no upper limit, as long as they meet the target profile criteria.
The consortium has committed to ensuring a minimum total of 48 participants connected online, representing diverse voices from across all partner countries.