Young people from all over the world are invited to take part in the International Youth Meeting in Dachau. This unique opportunity brings together participants to share experiences, build friendships, and engage in meaningful cultural exchange. Apply now and be part of this unforgettable experience!

International Youth Meeting Dachau 2026

What: 44th International Youth Meeting Dachau
When: July 25th – August 7th, 2026
Where: Max Mannheimer Haus, Roßwachtstraße 15, 85221 Dachau
Early bird option: 240,- € (until April 15th)
Regular fee: 290,- €
Late registration fee: 320,- € (starting July 1st)
Erasmusplus partner fee*: 120,- Euro (for participants coming from sending institutions)
Age: 16 – 26 years
Language: English

*For organizations from EU-member states and associated states:
We are accredited by Erasmusplus for cooperations with organizations or informal groups from EU-member states and associated states.
If you are interested in working with us as sending institution and sending us a group of up to eight participants, please contact anja.schuller-mueller@kjr-dachau.de.

For locals only: People living in or near Dachau have the opportunity to participate without accommodation and/or for only one of the two weeks.

Please note, that places are limited. If you need a visa, application is possible until May 30th, otherwise until July 15th, 2026.

APPLY NOW

In the past decades, participants and teamers from about 60 countries joined IYM Dachau: Albania / Algeria / Argentina / Armenia / Austria / Azerbaijan / Belarus / Bulgaria / Canada / China / Columbia / Costa Rica / Croatia / Cypris / Czech Republic / Denmark / El Salvador / Estland / Finland / France / Georgia / Germany / Great Britain / Greece / Hungary / Iceland / India / Indonesia / Iran / Ireland / Israel / Italy / Japan / Kosovo / Latvia / Mexico / Netherlands / Palestine / Peru / Philippines / Poland / Rumania / Russia / Serbia / Sierra Leone / South Korea / Spain / Switzerland / Taiwan / Turkey / Uganda / Ukraine / United States of America / Venezuela / Vietnam / Zimbabwe

Erasmusplus

We are accredited by Erasmusplus for cooperations with organizations or informal groups from EU-member states and associated states. If you are interested in working with us as sending institution and sending us a group of up to eight participants, please contact  anja.schuller-mueller@kjr-dachau.de.

Basic information

We are accredited by Erasmusplus. Under certain circumstances we can refund the travel expenses for participants from the EU. If you are part of an organization or an informal group which is certified by Erasmusplus, please contact anja.schuller-mueller@kjr-dachau.de.

Who can be supported?

We can support participants who are sent as a group from an organization that is registered by Erasmus and informal groups.

Who counts as a group according to Erasmusplus?

An organization which is registered by Erasmusplus can send a group of at least five people, four as participants and one (over 18 years old) as accompanying person.

Four individuals from one country can register themselves as informal group. Then they receive the same status as an official organization.

What can be supported via Erasmusplus?

If you come as participant from a registered organization or as part of an informal group, we can refund travel expenses according to the rules of Erasmusplus.

How much does Erasmusplus pay for travel expanses?

Contribution to the travel costs of participants, including group leaders, accompanying persons and facilitators, from their place of origin to the venue of the activity and return. Below 500 km, participants will, as a general rule, travel with low-emissions means of transport. Over 500 KM, participants are strongly encouraged to use a combination of different modes of transport to make their travel more sustainable.

Travel distance Green travel Non-Green travel
10 – 99 km 56 € 28 €
100 – 499 km 285 € 211 €
500 – 1999 km 417 € 309 €
2000 – 2999 km 535 € 395 €
3000 – 3999 km 785 € 580 €
4000 – 7999 km 1188 € 1188 €
8000 km and more 1735 € 1735 €

How do I measure the distance between my home and IYM Dachau?

For measuring the distance, you must use the official distance calculator supported by the European Commission: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/distance-calculator. The address of the Max Mannheimer House is Roßwachtstraße 15, 85221 Dachau.

Glossary Erasmusplus

Accompanying person A person who accompanies participants (learners, staff, young people or youth workers) in a mobility activity in order to ensure their safety, provide support and assistance, as well as assist with the participant’s effective learning during the mobility experience. In individual activities, an accompanying person may accompany participants with fewer opportunities or minors and youngsters with little experience outside their own country. In case of group activities in the field of education and training, qualified education staff must accompany the group to facilitate the learning process.

 
Group leader In youth mobility projects, a group leader is an adult of at least 18 years old who joins the young people participating in a Youth Exchange or DiscoverEU Inclusion Action in order to ensure their effective learning (Youthpass), protection and safety.

 
Informal group of young people A group of at least four young people (13-30 years old) which does not have legal personality under the applicable national law, provided that their group representative has the legal capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf. In case of a group which has minors, one of the members of the group who is at least 18-years old assumes the role of representative and takes responsibility on behalf of the group. The group needs to be registered and validated in the Organisation Registration

System (ORS)521. For registration purposes, the formation of the group needs to be evidenced by a registration form signed between the group members. The signatures on the registration form may have to be officially authenticated, if required by the granting authority, to ensure legal certainty. Existing groups which are already registered in ORS also need to upload the signed registration form in their ORS profile to be eligible to apply as an informal group of young people for actions under the Call 2026 and onwards. The form can be downloaded from the Organisation Registration System (ORS) as “Informal Group of Young People – Registration Form”.

 
Receiving organization A participating organisation receiving participants and organising activities of an Erasmus+ project.

 
Sending organization A participating organisation sending one or more participants to an activity of an Erasmus+ project.

 
For full glossary visit https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms (03.12.2025)

 

FAQ: Frequently asked questions

Find answers to the most common questions about IYM Dachau. From application details to daily schedules, this section provides all the information you need to prepare for the IYM Dachau. If your question isn’t covered here, feel free to reach out to us directly!

When can I take part in IYM Dachau?

If you are between 16 and 26 years, you can apply. Unfortunately, interested teenagers who only turn 16 during the youth meeting aren’t able to take part for legal reasons.

I am interested in the topics of IYM Dachau, but don't know much about the history of National Socialism. Can I still take part?

Previous knowledge is not necessarily required, but we do encourage you to read up a little on the subject. That way you’ll be able to engage more actively in the program and especially the discussions.

Language skills

Adequate language skills in English (Minimum B1) are essential for partaking in IYM Dachau so you can all interact with each other. Please note, that the whole program takes place in English!

What's the program of IYM Dachau?

During IYM Dachau we have workshops, guided tours, eyewitness talks, excursions and movie screenings and fun time acitivities like karaoke, pub quiz, Bavarian dance night or our IYM festival with a stage program by our participants. You’ll find the last schedule here: https://www.iym-dachau.com/#downloads. Additionally, you can get impressions from our previous youth meetings on our website: https://www.iym-dachau.com/insights or on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iym_dachau_team/#.

How are the accommodations during IYM Dachau?

IYM Dachau takes place at the Max Mannheimer Haus, which holds a youth hostel and one of our partner organizations, the Max Mannheimer Study Center.

https://www.jugendherberge.de/en/youth-hostels/dachau/

Participants share four-bedrooms divided by gender. We mix the rooms with participants from four different countries each, but we make sure the age distribution is similar in each room. Teamers, project management and some of the guests during IYM also stay at the hostel for the whole time.

Is it possible to combine private trips with my participation in IYM Dachau?

During the two weeks of IYM Dachau it is not allowed to skip the obligatory program which includes meal times. You can do private trips before or after the youth meeting or you can use the spare time slots in the program which are highligted in bright green in our schedule.

What if I have any special needs?

Should you have any special needs, please contact anja.schuller-mueller@kjr-dachau.de, so we can figure out all options together.

What do I have to be aware of if I'm under 18?

Participants under 18 are under the supervision of the team of IYM Dachau. They also must abide to German Youth law. In order for you to take part we need your legal guardian’s signature. You can download the form within the application form. Please print it out, have it completed and signed by your parents. After you have scanned it in PDF format, please upload it during the online application. You find further information in our Handout German Youth Law here: https://www.iym-dachau.com/#downloads.

Why do I need to write a motivational letter?

Your motivational letter is important for you and for us. Answering our questions helps you to check if the topics of our program really suit you. For us it is important to make sure, that you are comfortable dealing with topics like National Socialism or the history of the concentration camps for two weeks and that you are open to meet people from the whole world. Your letter also to helps us shaping the program according to the overall interests and preknowledge of all participants. Therefore, it is really important that you write your motivational letter as concrete and personal as possible. If it’s just some AI-generated general application, we can’t accept you as a participant.

What happens after I apply online?

After sending your application form you’ll get an automatic response. Within a few days you get your confirmation of application by the project management. If your motivational letter is too general without concrete and personal examples, you’ll get some follow-up questions, so please don’t use AI. After you paid your fee, you’ll receive your official confirmation of participation. Please do not send us any payment receipts, you’ll get a reply after the fee has been credited on our account. If you need a visa, you’ll receive the respective letters for your and the embassy by e-mail. Additionally, we’ll send the visa letter to the embassy by mail.

When do I have to pay the participation fee?

You are required to transfer their fee prior to IYM Dachau within four weeks after you got the confirmation of application, where you can find all the payment details. Please always remember to write you full name under ‚subject‘. If the transaction fee is exceptionally high, please contact our office.

Is there an option to pay a reduced participation fee?

Every year, we offer an early bird option, you’ll find the exact prices and conditions here: https://www.iym-dachau.com/participate. In general, we can’t grant individual participants a reduction. However, we have financial sponsors who support travel expenses of participants from some non-European countries. If you are interested in that, please contact anja.schuller-mueller@kjr-dachau.de.

Additionally, we have the Max Mannheimer Scholarship which includes travel expenses and the participation fee, but we can only offer it to one or two people each year and depending on our fundings. For more information read https://www.iym-dachau.com/scholarship.

Which payment methods can I use?

You can only pay the participation fee via bank transfer. Due to data privacy regulations, we can’t offer other options like PayPal. It is not possible to pay the fee in cash after your arrival in Dachau. In the past, too many participants didn’t bring enough money or no money at all, which is why we cancelled that option.

What do I need to do if I need a visa?

First, you must send all necessary information asked in the application form. After we receive the payment of your participation fee, we’ll send you the visa letters for you and the respective embassy via e-mail. Additionally, the letter for the embassy will be send to them via mail. With these letters you must register at the embassy to make an appointment. Please make sure to get an appointment as soon as possible, because the whole process sometimes takes longer than expected.

How can I withdraw my registration?

You have to notify Anja Schuller-Müller via anja.schuller-mueller@kjr-dachau.de that you want to declare your withdrawal. Conditions on refunds of your participation fee are stated on your application form. For IYM Dachau 2026 it is free of charge to cancel before June 30th, after July 1st, the fees will be retained in case of cancellation.

I can't get hold of anyone at the IYM office!

The most promising way to get hold of us is by sending us an e-mail. We are working part time. Therefore, the IYM office is neither occupied all day long nor every day of the week. Usually, our project manager Anja Schuller-Müller works from Monday to Wednesday. So don’t worry, should it take some days to get a reply to your email.

Anja: anja.schuller-mueller@kjr-dachau.de
Karla: karla.steeb@kjr-dachau.de