EQUITY AND INCLUSION ERASMUS+

The Erasmus+ Programme aims at promoting equity and inclusion by facilitating the access to learners with disadvantaged backgrounds and fewer opportunities compared to their peers. These persons have a disadvantage because of personal difficulties or obstacles that limit or prevent them from taking part in transnational projects. The obstacles or difficulties these persons may face are categorised below:

 disability (i.e. participants with special needs): people with mental (intellectual, cognitive, learning), physical, sensory or other disabilities;

 educational difficulties: young people with learning difficulties; early school-leavers; lower qualified persons; young people with poor school performance;

 economic obstacles: people with a low standard of living, low income, dependence on social welfare system; young people in long-term unemployment or poverty; people who are homeless, people in debt or with financial problems;  cultural differences: immigrants or refugees or descendants from immigrant or refugee families; people belonging to a national or ethnic minority; people with linguistic adaptation and cultural inclusion difficulties;

 health problems: people with chronic health problems, severe illnesses or psychiatric conditions;

 social obstacles: people facing discrimination because of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, etc.; people with limited social skills or anti-social or risky behaviours; people in a precarious situation; (ex-)offenders, (ex-)drug or alcohol abusers; young and/or single parents; orphans;

 geographical obstacles: people from remote or rural areas; people living in small islands or peripheral regions; people from urban problem zones; people from less serviced areas (limited public transport, poor facilities).

In the field of youth, an Inclusion and Diversity Strategy has been designed as a common framework to support the participation and inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities in Erasmus+. The Strategy is available on the website of the European Commission