Erasmus+ Training Course for Youth Workers
AirplaneMode
Switch off the noise. Step into nature.
Outdoor education to help young people ease climate and tech/AI anxiety.
Karpero, Greece· 5–12 July 2026
Hosted by Verde · Funded by the European Union
About
About Airplane Mode
Today's young people are the most connected generation in history — and often the most anxious. Many carry a quiet, constant dread about the future of the planet, alongside a restless exhaustion from lives lived through screens and increasingly shaped by AI. Airplane Mode invites them to switch off the signal — and look up.
Airplane Mode is a training course taking place from 5–12 July 2026 in Karpero, Greece, bringing together youth workers from across Europe to discover how outdoor education can help young people step away from their screens, ease climate and tech anxiety, and rebuild a grounded, hopeful relationship with the natural world.
Climate anxiety and digital overwhelm are rising fast among young people — and youth workers are often the first trusted adults they turn to. Yet few feel equipped to address either. Nature is one of the most powerful antidotes to both: time outdoors lowers stress, restores attention, and turns climate fear into a sense of connection, agency, and care.
Over seven days of camping, hiking, and hands-on outdoor learning, this course equips youth workers to guide young people from screen fatigue and climate dread toward calm, confidence, and a living bond with nature.
The essentials
At a glance
Venue
Karpero, Grevena — Greece
Dates
5–12 July 2026 (5 & 12 July are travel days)
Who
Youth workers (18+), 5 per country
Countries
Greece, Turkey, Spain, Lithuania, Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia (+ more TBC)
Accommodation
Camping (tents provided; bring your own sleeping bag and mat for hygiene reasons)
Meals
Three meals a day in a local tavern — fully covered
Travel
Green travel mostly, reimbursed within per-country limits
Activities
Led by experienced trainers and facilitators
Outcomes
What you'll gain
Seven days, six concrete competencies you take home to your community.
Build outdoor education competencies
Equip youth workers with practical, nature-based methods — experiential learning, hiking, camping, and outdoor reflection — to design and lead sessions that bring young people closer to the natural world.
Turn climate anxiety into agency
Give youth workers tools to help young people name and process eco-anxiety, moving them from fear and helplessness toward hope, connection, and meaningful environmental action.
Ease tech and AI anxiety
Support youth workers in helping young people manage screen overwhelm, digital fatigue, and unease about the growing presence of AI — promoting healthy digital habits and the value of offline, present-moment time in nature.
Strengthen wellbeing through nature
Use the natural setting to lower stress, restore focus, and nurture mental and emotional wellbeing, showing how regular contact with nature builds resilience.
Foster intercultural cooperation
Promote collaboration, friendship, and solidarity among youth workers from different countries through shared outdoor experiences and cultural exchange.
Empower youth workers as multipliers
Develop participants' facilitation, project, and leadership skills so they can carry outdoor education and wellbeing initiatives back to their own communities.
You
Who can apply
If you work with young people and feel called to bring more nature, calm, and care into that work — this is for you.
- Youth workers, trainers, educators & volunteers aged 18+
- No outdoor-education experience needed
- Motivation and openness to learning in nature
- We prioritise inclusion and welcome participants with fewer opportunities
- Gender balance ensured
- Working language: English
The week
A week in nature
Camping under the stars
Hiking in the Pindos mountains
A swim in the river/waterfall
Hands-on outdoor workshops
A digital-detox challenge
Intercultural cultural night
Place
Venue & how to get there
Karpero is a mountain village in the Grevena region of Western Macedonia, Greece, surrounded by the Pindos range, forests and rivers — an ideal setting for immersive outdoor learning.
Arrival
Plan to arrive in Thessaloniki on 5 July 2026. The team arranges a group bus transfer to Karpero.
Return
Return group transfer to Thessaloniki on 12 July 2026.
Transfer contribution
A €74 per-person contribution for the round-trip group bus is deducted from your travel budget.
Getting here
Travel & reimbursement
Erasmus+ reimburses 100% of travel within a per-country limit, for environmentally friendly transport — bus, train, or ferry. Air travel is not reimbursed, except for countries where green travel is listed as optional.
Keep all original tickets, and get pre-approval from the organisers before booking.
Travel budget — green travel (per person, round trip)
| Country | Max per person | Green travel |
|---|---|---|
| Greece | € 285 | Required |
| Serbia | € 285 | Required |
| Croatia | € 417 | Required |
| Romania | € 417 | Required |
| North Macedonia | € 285 | Required |
| Bulgaria | € 285 | Required |
| Turkey | € 417 | Required |
| Lithuania | € 309 | Optional |
| Spain | € 395 | Optional |
| Cyprus | € 309 | Optional |
| Sweden | € 309 | Optional |
- Sleeping bag + sleeping mat
- Outdoor clothes & sturdy shoes
- Warm layers for the night
- Swimsuit & towel
- Reusable water bottle
- Personal medication
- Toiletries
- Health insurance valid in Greece (mandatory)
- Your national flag + a traditional snack for the cultural night
- A power bank
- Good energy ✨
Questions
Frequently asked
No. We welcome anyone curious about nature-based youth work. The programme is designed for beginners and experienced facilitators alike.
Camping in tents at a campsite in Karpero, surrounded by mountains and forest. Toilets and showers are on site. Three meals per day are prepared and served in a local tavern.
Book green travel (bus, train, ferry) with pre-approval from the organisers. Keep all original tickets. After the course, you submit your receipts and Erasmus+ reimburses 100% up to your country's limit.
There is signal, but we encourage everyone to embrace the spirit of the course and put their phone on… airplane mode. A digital-detox challenge is part of the programme.
An evening where every country shares food, music, and small traditions from home — bring a traditional snack and your flag.
Ready to switch to Airplane Mode?
Applications are reviewed together with our partner organisations. Spots are limited.
Application deadline: [DATE]