What makes an Erasmus+ experience truly meaningful? Living abroad is only the beginning. Real mobility also means discovering the rhythms of a city, understanding its culture and building connections with the people who live there.
This is the ambition behind DIVE IN – Promoting Local Integration of Erasmus+ Participants, a European cooperation project designed to help international participants move beyond the “Erasmus bubble” and become more actively involved in their host communities.
The project brings together four organisations from across Europe: Easy Job Bridge in Malta, Erasmus Valencia International Center in Spain, garagErasmus in Belgium and Lula Consulting in Italy. Together, they are developing practical resources and local activities that promote intercultural dialogue, active citizenship and a stronger sense of European belonging.

The journey begins in Malta

The partnership met for the first time in Malta on 20–21 January 2026. Hosted by project coordinator Easy Job Bridge, the kick-off meeting gave partners the opportunity to establish a shared working approach, define the first deadlines and agree on the roadmap for the months ahead.

Beyond the planning sessions, the meeting helped create the collaborative spirit that will guide the project throughout its implementation: four organisations, four national perspectives and one common goal of making European mobility more inclusive and connected to local life.

A second milestone in Brussels

Six months later, on 14 July 2026, the partners gathered again in Brussels for the project’s second transnational meeting, hosted by garagErasmus.

This time, the focus shifted from planning to progress. Partners reviewed the results of local surveys conducted with Erasmus+ participants and local communities, advanced the development of the DIVE IN City Manuals, discussed future workshops and presented the first version of the project website.

The surveys are helping the partnership understand how Erasmus+ participants experience their host cities, what challenges they encounter and what kind of practical information can support deeper local integration. These insights will inform the creation of user-friendly guides for Valletta, Valencia, Brussels and Rome, covering everyday life, neighbourhoods, local habits, mobility, social spaces and cultural etiquette.

DIVE IN is now entering a new phase, turning the ideas shared in Malta and the progress reviewed in Brussels into concrete tools and experiences. Through cooperation across borders, the project aims to show that mobility can be much more than travelling to another country: it can become an opportunity to participate, connect and feel part of a shared European community.

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