Annual Report – 2025
In 2025, ARYAS focused on continuity and scale. We combined international learning mobility with long-term project development, while also investing in youth-led local initiatives. Our work followed a simple logic: support young people and youth workers to gain competencies through European projects, turn learning into practical resources, and keep impact visible in the local community.
2025 in numbers
CONNECTING PEOPLE AND PROJECTS
Key figures that summarise our work in international projects, partnerships, and youth participation.
Young People involved in International Programs
Youth Workers Empowered Through Training Programs
International Projects implemented as coordinators and partners
Countries Connected Across Projects
International organisations involved in our projects
Key highlights of 2025
In 2025, ARYAS linked learning mobility with practical follow-up, creating continuity between European projects and local action.
International mobility
Supported participation in 14 Erasmus+ mobilities as a sending organisation (7 Youth Exchanges and 7 Training Courses) hosted in Croatia, Greece, Türkiye, Italy, and Bulgaria and coordinated two international Training Courses — Take the ECO Side and Nature Logbook — bringing together partner organisations to work on practical methods, shared standards, and transferable outputs that could be used beyond the projects themselves.
Greencademy completed and scaled
Finalised KA210 “Greencademy” by completing the research, testing, and dissemination cycle, and secured follow-up funding through a KA220 project (24 months, €250,000 lump sum) to scale the approach into a stronger European model focused on alliances, mentoring, and structured dialogue.
SEED2STEM continued
We continued work on SEED2STEM with a focus on learning tools, contributing to the development of the AGRO STEM interactive pathway and supporting progress toward testing and dissemination of the educational components.
Long-term positioning
ARYAS joined a consortium of nine organisations that obtained an Erasmus+ Youth FPA 2026–2027, strengthening long-term cooperation and planning. We also represented the organisation at the RAY LEARN Conference in Budapest, where beneficiary organisations and researchers discussed preliminary findings on organisational learning and strategic development, with full results expected in 2026.
Coordinated Projects and Key Contributions
In 2025, ARYAS NGO coordinated several impactful Erasmus+ projects and played a significant role as a partner in others. While we highlight the projects we coordinated or had a notable contribution to, our involvement extended across numerous KA1 initiatives, reflecting our dedication to empowering youth and fostering sustainability through collaboration and education.
SEED2STEM – Cooperation partnerships in youth
During 2025, ARYAS continued its involvement in SEED2STEM, focusing on the development of practical learning components linked to the AGRO STEM interactive pathway. The project progressed through development and preparation for testing phases, maintaining a clear connection between digital learning, STEM-based methods, and real-life learning environments. ARYAS contributed to content development, testing preparation, and the adaptation of learning tools for youth work contexts.
Greencademy – Small Scale Partnership in Youth
In 2025, the Greencademy project reached its final phase. The project focused on equipping youth workers with skills and tools related to the green transition, particularly in areas connected to sustainability, agroecology, and environmental responsibility. ARYAS contributed to research activities, local testing, and the consolidation of project outputs, supporting the development of practical resources for youth organisations. The completion of Greencademy also laid the groundwork for further development, leading to the approval of a follow-up KA220 project, designed to scale the approach and strengthen cooperation through alliances, mentoring programmes, and structured dialogue.
Take the ECO Side – Training Course
Take the ECO Side was designed to strengthen the capacity of youth workers to address sustainability topics in a realistic, structured, and engaging way. The programme responded to a clear need identified in practice: young people often feel overwhelmed by environmental information, while youth workers lack consistent tools that connect climate knowledge with participation, motivation, and concrete action. The training course brought together partner organisations from multiple countries and created a working space focused on professional exchange, applied learning, and the development of methods that can be transferred to local youth work settings. The sessions were built around thematic workshops, group tasks and facilitated discussions, allowing participants to test ideas, compare approaches, and adjust their practice based on peer feedback.
NATURE LOGBOOK – Training Course
ARYAS coordinated the international training course Nature Logbook, focused on developing practical approaches for reconnecting young people with nature and strengthening environmental awareness through structured, experience-based learning. The course was designed to support youth workers in turning nature-related topics into concrete educational processes, rather than one-off activities. The programme combined workshops, hands-on tasks, reflection sessions, and peer learning, with a strong focus on method design and transferability. Participants explored how to structure learning activities that build observation skills, environmental responsibility, and team-based learning, while remaining accessible for different youth groups and local realities.
Development of Educational Resources
In 2025, ARYAS developed and consolidated several educational resources designed for practical use in youth work, training activities, and local initiatives.
Looking ahead to 2026
In 2026, ARYAS will enter a new strategic phase, guided by a stronger focus on meaning, values, and human responsibility. While climate change remains a central priority, our approach will move beyond information and awareness toward questions of why people act, what motivates action, and how values shape decisions.
Our strategy will be called “Best Eco, Umberto Eco”, placing a greater emphasis on sense-making in youth work. Our activities will increasingly focus on how young people understand the world they live in, how they position themselves within it, and how values influence long-term engagement with environmental and social issues.
At the same time, the growing presence of artificial intelligence in education, youth work, and daily life requires deeper reflection. In this context, ARYAS will explore questions related to human agency, critical thinking, ethics, and the role of humanity in a technology-driven and climate change environment.
Through future projects and partnerships, ARYAS will work more deliberately on creating spaces where young people and youth workers can reflect on meaning, values, and action, linking climate responsibility with a broader understanding of what it means to act as humans in complex, rapidly changing societies.
Alongside European cooperation, ARYAS will place stronger emphasis on local initiatives that are sustainable over time. We will focus on projects that grow from real community needs and that can continue beyond a single funding cycle. In this direction, we have already secured funding for a small, but meaningful Solidarity Project, “Dacă e marți, e bridge”, aimed at revitalising the Bridge Club in Curtea de Argeș through regular intergenerational activities. This initiative reflects our intention to support local projects with clear purpose, continuity, and long-term relevance.
Through this combined focus on values, humanity, climate responsibility, and sustainable local action, ARYAS aims to strengthen both its European role and its roots in the local community in 2026 and beyond.