Young people as
co-owners —
not as a target group.
On this page you can read how Gildehuizen involves young people in real projects: through Erasmus+ exchanges, Maatschappelijke Diensttijd (the Dutch social service programme), and co-creative approaches in which they decide for themselves what gets built.
Three programmes, one approach.
Whether it is an Erasmus+ exchange or a local MDT project: at Gildehuizen the same principle always applies. Young people are not participants — they are co-organisers. They devise, plan and deliver. They learn by doing, and they measure their impact because it is visible.
Erasmus+: young people meet Europe
Through the European Erasmus+ programme we connect young people with peers from across Europe — for exchanges, learning projects and innovative ways of working they will not find anywhere else.
More than an exchange
For Gildehuizen, Erasmus+ is not an end in itself but a means to let young people experience what European collaboration means in practice. Working together on a project with people who think differently, live differently and have different habits — that changes how you see the world.
Informal learning is central to our projects. Young people learn to communicate across borders, solve problems in a diverse team and take initiative in an unfamiliar setting. Those skills are invaluable — both in the labour market and as a citizen.
We work with European partners in countries such as Belgium, Germany, Poland, Spain and Italy. Our participants do not return with a diploma, but with a network, a story and the confidence that they can make a difference.
— Exchange
International youth encounters
International youth encounters
Groups of young people from 4–8 countries come together for a week of intensive collaboration around a shared theme — from sustainability to democracy and the digital future.
— Training
Training for youth workers
Training for youth workers
Facilitators and coaches from across Europe learn new methods and non-formal education from one another. Gildehuizen is active as both a participant in and an organiser of these tracks.
— Volunteering
European Solidarity Corps
European Solidarity Corps
Young people commit for a longer period to organisations and projects elsewhere in Europe. They gain work experience, learn a new language and become ambassadors for European collaboration.
— Network
Strategic partnerships
Strategic partnerships
With established partners in several European countries, we develop programmes that promote innovative learning and working — and that can scale to other regions.
MDT projects: local impact,
real responsibility
Maatschappelijke Diensttijd (MDT), the Dutch national social service programme, gives young people aged 12 to 30 the chance to actively contribute to society — in a way that fits their interests and talents. Gildehuizen acts as a delivery organisation in Heerlen and Eindhoven.
What sets MDT at Gildehuizen apart is that we take young people seriously as organisers — not as volunteers carrying out tasks others have devised. They help shape the project, make decisions and learn what it means to build something big together.
Working with local partners — scouting, music schools, social entrepreneurs, secondary schools and cultural institutions — ensures the projects take root in the neighbourhood and remain visible for the long term.
Taking initiative
Young people come up with project ideas and present them to partners and the neighbourhood.
Organising
From planning to delivery: young people coordinate and take responsibility.
Collaborating
With diverse partners and peers, they build bridges within society.
Learning from mistakes
Mistakes are part of it. We create room to experiment and learn from experience.
MDT Plus: visible impact
in your own city
MDT Plus goes a step further than regular MDT. Working with social and cultural partners, young people deliver projects that are genuinely visible in Heerlen and Eindhoven.
What makes MDT Plus different?
In MDT Plus, young people are not participants in a programme — they are its owners. Together with facilitators from Gildehuizen and local organisations, they decide which projects are set up, how they are delivered and what the outcome should be for their neighbourhood.
That takes courage. It means sometimes standing in front of a group, defending your plans, convincing others and dealing with disappointments. But it also gives you something you cannot buy anywhere else: the feeling that your work matters.
Gildehuizen supports this process closely, but with a deliberate step back. We coach, we ask questions, we help with obstacles — but we do not take over.
Projects in neighbourhoods such as Heerlerheide, Meezenbroek and Hoensbroek — together with local scouting, cultural centres and social entrepreneurs.
Collaboration with music schools, youth centres and neighbourhood organisations. Connected to the Europe Direct network and the city's learning environment.
From idea to impact in 6 steps
- Young people formulate a project idea that fits their neighbourhood or passion.
- Together with Gildehuizen, the idea is developed into a concrete plan.
- Local partners are found and approached by the young people themselves.
- The project is delivered: an event, campaign, exhibition or service.
- Young people coordinate the logistics and communication independently.
- Evaluation and reflection: what did we learn, what will we do differently?
Equal partners at every stage
The word “equal” sounds simple, but in practice it asks a great deal of facilitators, organisations and partners. It means young people have a real say — not symbolically, not as an add-on, but as a full voice in every decision.
Our approach is based on three decades of experience in informal learning, youth work and international collaboration. In that time we have learned one thing above all: young people do their best work when you treat them the way you treat a colleague — with respect, with room for mistakes, and with the trust that they can do it.
That asks something of us as an organisation. We must be willing to let go, to accept delay when the learning process calls for it, and to celebrate successes without claiming them as our own.
The results speak for themselves: young people who took part in MDT or Erasmus+ through Gildehuizen more often start their own project, more often become active as a volunteer or entrepreneur, and are demonstrably more resilient in the labour market.
“Here they really listen to you. You are not just a participant — you are someone who truly belongs.”MDT Plus participant, Heerlen, 2023
A real say
Young people are involved in designing projects, not just delivering them. Their voice counts in choices about topic, approach and partners.
Room for mistakes
You learn by doing — and sometimes by failing. We create a safe environment in which mistakes are not punished but discussed.
Visible results
Every project must be about something that matters — for the neighbourhood, for a group, for an issue. Young people do not work for a report but for impact.
Talents at the centre
We do not look at what young people cannot yet do, but at what they already bring. Those strengths are the starting point of every track.
Connection across borders
Whether it is neighbourhood boundaries, language barriers or cultural differences — we practise collaboration precisely where it is hard.
Want to get young people involved?
Are you a school, municipality, neighbourhood organisation or entrepreneur looking to involve young people in a project? Or are you a young person who wants to take part? Get in touch — we would be glad to tell you what is possible.