Our hands-on methodology · Erasmus+ & European Solidarity Corps
Drones as an educational tool.
A small caged drone — or a free simulator on a laptop the school already owns — turns flight into one of the most engaging teaching tools we know. Participants build, wire, repair, tune and pilot: digital skills, engineering and teamwork wrapped in something that feels like play. This is how our method works, and how to bring it into a project or take part yourself.
Erasmus+ KA1 Youth 2023-1-EL02-KA150-YOU-000188397·
ESC Quality Label 2023-1-EL02-ESC50-QLA-000195138·
OID E10172681·
PIC 909448430
One controller. Every programme.
Screen-first, safe, inclusive — and it fits everywhere.
The reason the same activity works for a school class, an adult group, a vocational mobility or an international youth exchange comes down to a few simple numbers.
The method
From a screen to the sky — and a transferable skill set.
Participants run a complete, real cycle with their own hands — fly the simulator, build and wire, tune, fly the mission, review, repair — and where it fits, compete as a team. Because the loop from crash to fix to re-flight takes minutes, not weeks, a group closes many full cycles inside a single workshop or mobility, learning from every one. It is learning by doing, with a result you can watch fly.
A method built on recognised standards — not rules we invented. Drone soccer is FAI class F9A, and our full drone-sport ecosystem lives on our Sport page.
Why a drone teaches so much
A near-perfect learning tool, in four parts.
Free simulators run on the PCs a school already has, and one real controller flies the simulator and binds to real drones later. A group can train — and even compete online — before owning any aircraft.
The anchor discipline, drone soccer, is caged and indoor — collisions are the point of the game, not a hazard. No pilot licence, no airspace permit: a gym or large classroom is enough.
Participants build, wire, repair and tune their drones like a pit crew, then pilot them as a team. Applied physics, electronics and digital skills — absorbed through play, not slides.
A screen-first entry costs almost nothing and asks for no athletic prerequisites, so young people with fewer opportunities can join — and win — on genuinely equal footing.
The skills participants can gain
Mapped to the EU competence frameworks evaluators actually use.
This is what makes drones fundable, not just fun: a single project develops competences across the frameworks behind the whole Erasmus+ agenda — and speaks directly to the programme’s digital-transformation and inclusion priorities.
Operate real hardware and software end to end — simulator settings, firmware and radio binding, batteries and flight data — then create and share content about what you fly, responsibly and safely.
Building, wiring, repairing and tuning a small drone is applied physics, electronics and maths — the EU key competence in science, technology and engineering, learned like a pit crew.
Learners can plan a club or a tournament end to end — budget the equipment tiers, assign the roles, promote the event and run it — turning an idea into action under real constraints.
Crash, diagnose, repair, re-fly. The short loop builds frustration tolerance and calm under pressure; flying as a team of three builds communication, trust and shared responsibility.
Outcomes describe what participants can gain, and depend on how the activity is run. EVEC hosts and facilitates as a partner NGO — activities lead to a certificate of participation / Youthpass-style recognition of non-formal learning, not a formal qualification, and not a drone pilot licence or certificate of competency. Any flying of real drones follows a simulator-first, safety-first approach — indoors with caged or ducted drones wherever possible — and always within EU (EASA) and national drone rules.
Where it’s heading
The method, wired into a real initiative.
A youth drone-sport ecosystem, built from Athens
Drones are already part of our STEM toolkit — and we’re now launching a youth drone-sport ecosystem: simulator-first training any school can start, safe indoor drone-soccer clubs on the FAI F9A rulebook, and a planned path toward cross-border competition, with the first European Drone Soccer Championship set for 2026. We’re building it with partners — not claiming leagues we haven’t started.
For institutions & partners
Bring the method into an Erasmus+ project.
You bring the learners and the theme; we bring tested hosting in Athens and the screen-to-sky method. Here are example projects across the Erasmus+ fields to spark ideas — when one fits, start the conversation through our Erasmus+ hub.
Squad in a Week
Young people from two countries train on simulators at home, then meet for one short mobility to build their drones and fly their first caged team matches.
The zero-travel league
Partner schools each stand up a simulator-first drone club on existing PCs and meet in online matches — then co-write the shared classroom playbook.
Late take-off
Digital confidence for adult learners through simulator flying, drone-building basics and the rules of the sky — proof it’s never too late to learn tech.
The repair bench
Hands-on electronics for an incoming VET group — soldering, wiring, diagnostics and tuning on real small drones. Skills that transfer far beyond the hobby.
Drone soccer, properly
Start a caged, indoor drone-soccer club on the FAI F9A rulebook — the anchor of the youth drone-sport ecosystem we’re building from Athens.
Engagement partner
EVEC as your consortium’s non-research delivery partner — turning drone and digital research into hands-on demonstration and public engagement in Athens.
For people
Or get your own hands on the sticks.
Not an organisation? You can still work with drones directly — as an intern, a local or online volunteer, or a fully EU-funded ESC volunteer. Every route ends with a certificate of participation and a reference. Find the one that fits through our Get Involved hub.
Flight-club assistant
Help run simulator sessions and STEM workshops for Athens youth — set up the kit, coach first flights, keep the fleet flying — and leave with a portfolio.
The ground crew
Help set up nets and gates, charge and label batteries, marshal matches and welcome newcomers at our Athens youth sessions. No experience needed; flexible and unpaid.
Mission control
No drone needed — help from anywhere: how-to guides, translations and subtitles, match graphics and the social channel.
An ESC year in Athens
2–12 EU-funded months helping run our youth activities, with drones in the STEM toolkit — accommodation, food, ~€420/mo, travel, insurance and a mentor covered.
Simulator-first
Four levels, one pathway — from a laptop to the podium.
We don’t start with expensive racing drones. We start on a screen, move into a safe indoor team sport, and let the talented few climb toward competition — every level built on recognised international standards.
Simulators
Free simulators on the PCs you already have, plus a few real controllers. Train pilots and run zero-travel online matches against partner groups.
Tiny-whoop, indoors
Palm-sized ducted drones flown safely indoors — the gateway from the screen to real FPV flying, with all-in-one starter kits for a class.
Drone soccer
Caged, indoor, full-contact team sport for a school gym — collisions are the game, not the hazard. Played to the FAI class F9A rulebook.
FPV racing & freestyle
The competitive flagship — goggles-on racing through gates (FAI F9U / MultiGP) for the few who climb the whole ladder.
Spend on controllers first — they’re the durable asset participants keep, and they carry across every level. Equipment figures are indicative; we cost each setup with you against current EU prices.
Let’s take off
Three doors into a drones project.
Co-design a funded Erasmus+ project, take part yourself, or bring EVEC into a Horizon Europe consortium. Pick your door — each page has the full details and the way to reach us.
For organisations
Erasmus+ partnerships
Co-design a funded project in Youth, School, Adult, VET or Sport, with EVEC as your Athens host and coordinator.
Explore Erasmus+ →
For individuals
Get Involved
Join hands-on as an intern, a local or online volunteer, or a fully funded ESC volunteer.
Find your way in →
For research consortia
Horizon Europe
Add EVEC as your non-research dissemination, communication and engagement partner on a Horizon Europe proposal.
Partner on Horizon →
Keep exploring
Two ways forward
Erasmus+ partnerships
Every Key Action and field we partner on — start a project with us.
Go to the hub →
Get Involved
Internship, volunteering or a funded ESC placement — find your way in.
Go to the hub →
EVEC drone sport
The full ecosystem we’re building: drone soccer, the funding routes and the partner plan.
Go to the page →
