PATHS – Personalized Approach to Territorial Life and
Career Support
Project Code: DRP0301100
Duration: 36 months
Programme: Interreg Danube Region Programme
Total Budget: €2,516,726
Interreg Danube Funds: €2,013,381
Empowering Youth. Strengthening Communities.
The PATHS project tackles shared regional challenges by introducing a comprehensive,
personalized approach to career guidance and life planning for young people, particularly
those living in rural and disadvantaged areas. The project addresses critical gaps in
support services, helping to reduce school dropouts, reverse rural depopulation, and
improve lifelong learning opportunities.
In many rural areas, limited access to career services, especially for youth from low-income
families, increases the risk of educational and social disengagement. The PATHS project
provides a solution by designing Life Path Support Services (LPSS) that are accessible at
the municipal level and tailored to the real needs of young people.
Partner Countries and Organizations
The PATHS project brings together 13 partners from 9 countries, working collaboratively to
design and implement effective, community-based career support services:
● Hungary – PTE (Baranya), CDDA (Tolna)
● Slovakia – ADEL Slovakia, EUBA (both in Bratislavský kraj)
● Romania – HCC (Harghita)
● Austria – IPC (Wien)
● Slovenia – DCNM (Jugovzhodna Slovenija), Academia d.o.o. (Podravska)
● Bulgaria – BATTI (Varna)
● Bosnia and Herzegovina – CCITR (Republika Srpska)
● Czech Republic – DEX IC (Liberecký kraj), CpKP (Moravskoslezský kraj)
● Croatia – IRTR (Grad Zagreb)
The Lead Partner is Universtiy of Pécs - one of the most famous, prestigious institutions
having a leading role in Southern Transdanubian region.
What PATHS Will Achieve
● Create and implement local LPSS Centres, independent of school systems.
● Provide rural youth (ages 12–18) with equitable access to career guidance,
mentoring, and work placements.
● Launch the "I Own the Path" youth camps to help participants explore interests
and career directions.
● Train mentors (teachers, coaches, parents, professionals) to support young people
in their career journeys.
● Pilot and refine a transnational LPSS model to be scaled and sustained post-
project.
Sustainable Impact Across the Danube Region
The project aligns with the 2024 Danube Region Strategy priority of making rural settlements
more attractive and liveable for young people. PATHS will deliver a tested LPSS model that
is sustained locally by trained mentors. It will also establish a Danube Region LPSS Network
that coordinates strategy, methodology, and policy integration. Long-term structures such as
the Career Guidance Expert and Methodology Team (CG ECMT) and Intersectoral Working
Groups (IWG) will operate as Sectoral Learning Dialogues (SLDs). Additionally, the project
will produce policy recommendations aimed at institutionalizing mentor training and
supporting lifelong learning systems.
Social Innovation Through Local Roots
PATHS presents a socially innovative model that connects career services directly with rural
community settings. It increases the availability of local support for disadvantaged youth and
promotes cross-sector collaboration between municipalities, schools, businesses, and
NGOs. By empowering young people to envision their future in their home regions, the
project actively combats brain drain.
The PATHS project is building lasting pathways for youth across the Danube Region
— from rural challenge to community-driven opportunity.
For more details, visit the Project Website or contact one of our project partners.