Applications open for the ERASMUS+ UPSHIFT Workshop!

UPSHIFT is expanding internationally and will now be implemented in four countries. Yes, you heard it right… Participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Albania will come together in Sarajevo!

Create a team of 4 peers from your city, describe the problem/challenge you would like to solve and apply for a prize of €1,600 for the implementation of your innovative idea.

What is UPSHIFT?

UPSHIFT is a social innovation program that helps young people identify problems in their communities and, through creativity and teamwork, come up with innovative and sustainable solutions. The UPSHIFT workshop is designed for teams of young people who notice an issue in their local community and want to work on solving it. With the support of mentors and trainers, the teams learn how to design solutions and compete for prizes of €1,600 to implement their ideas.

Through the program, students will have the opportunity to gain:

Skills and competencies for development of social innovations
Practical application of skills in the implementation of social innovation
Stronger connection and responsibility towards the local community and citizens
Mentoring and expert support and a budget of €1,600 to implement a social innovation
Experience competing with other teams of young people

If your team is selected, you will attend a five-day workshop where, with the help of mentors and our team, you will develop and refine the solutions to the problems you identified.

What does the program consist of?

PHASE 1: Creating a team, defining a problem/challenge and applying to the open call. (October 2025)

Within this phase, young people form teams with attention to diversity and gender balance, ensuring equal opportunities for girls and boys to participate. The teams work together to identify a real challenge in their community, explore local issues, brainstorm ideas and prepare their application for the open call, where they present their problem and initial ideas for solutions.

PHASE 2: Interviews with teams and selection of 5 teams/finalists per country, based on the application forms received. (October – November 2025)

Based on the submitted applications, we will conduct interviews with 10 short-listed applicant teams to better understand their ideas, motivation and commitment. From all applicants, 5 teams per country are selected as finalists, moving forward to the next stage.

PHASE 3: UpShift Bootcamp for 20 teams/finalists (5 per country) for solution development and selection of teams 8 teams (2 per country) that will receive financial support for implementation of their projects. (10 – 14 NOVEMBER 2025)

The 20 selected teams participate in an intensive Bootcamp designed to help them further develop their ideas using design thinking methodology and innovation tools. During the Bootcamp, they receive mentorship and guidance to shape their solutions into feasible projects. At the end of the Bootcamp, an independent jury will select 8 teams (2 per country) to receive financial and mentoring support for implementation of their innovative solution.

Phase 4: Implementation of 8 social innovation projects in all four countries. (NOVEMBER 2025 – FEBRUARY 2026)

The selected teams receive financial support, tools and ongoing mentorship to implement their solutions in their communities. This stage focuses on putting ideas into practice, creating real social impact and testing innovative approaches to local challenges.

But what is social innovation project?

A Social Innovation project is a project that develops and applies new ideas, methods or models to solve social challenges in more effective, sustainable and inclusive ways. These projects are developed based on the needs of the community, ensuring relevance and ownership, and are designed to be scalable, adaptable and long-lasting, bringing change and real benefits for society. Sustainability and long-term impact are at the core of Social Innovation projects. These projects ensure that their benefits continue to grow, replicate, and inspire further change beyond the project’s lifetime.

Who can apply, when, and where?

The UPSHIFT workshop is open to young people aged 16 to 25 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Albania. It will take place from November 10 to 14, 2025, in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

We are looking for young people who are ready to be innovative, ambitious, and courageous, to identify problems in their surroundings and work together with their team to find sustainable solutions.

You don’t need to already know the solution when applying! It’s enough to recognize a concrete, real problem that you, your friends, school, or community face. At the workshop, we will help you research it, understand it, and come up with ideas that can make a difference.

We will pay special attention to sustainability and innovation, because we want solutions that last and leave a positive impact in the community.

Don’t worry, this is not about “big” problems like unemployment or poverty – we are looking for small, concrete, yet important challenges from your everyday life. These are exactly the kinds of problems that open space for real change and a better quality of life in local communities.

How to apply?

Form a team of four members.
All team members must be between 16 and 25 years old.
When forming teams, please keep in mind the importance of gender diversity.
Complete the application form no later than October 19, 2025 (by 23:59).

The application consists of three parts:

identify a problem from your local community,
describe the problem through a short, real-life story, and
list three causes of the identified problem.

What if… you notice several problems and don’t know which one to apply with?

That’s great! You can simply apply as the same team multiple times, with a description of each problem separately. One team can apply many times, but for each problem you must complete a new application form. Together at the workshop we will look for solutions and learn how to shape them step by step!

APPLICATION DEADLINE for the ERASMUS+ UPSHIFT workshop is October 19, 2025 (23:59)!

If you have any additional questions, contact us on IG @upshift.bosnia.and.herzegovina, or by email at upshift.bih@gmail.com.

If you want to make an impact, learn, and be part of positive change, UPSHIFT is the place for you. Apply and show what your team can achieve!

We look forward to your application!

Applications open for the ERASMUS+ UPSHIFT Workshop!

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