During our last youth meeting, we informed the participants that we would like to identify topics for further meeting. We therefore asked them to explore which topics, in their minds, would most affect the EU in the coming year. Next, the young people voted on the resulting list of topics. The overwhelming majority of the voters considered the 2019 European elections to be the central topic for 2019. We therefore applied for funding of a youth exchange through Erasmus+, which has since been granted; this youth meeting will take place in April 2019. Another important topic identified by the young people were ecological issues. They discussed about where to put the focus, as several topics were available (water consumption, consumption of rare earths, pollution). The project’s topic "Climate change: no life without soil" covers all these aspects and therefore was approved by the majority of youths. The youth meeting will investigate how climate change impacts the various aspects mentioned above, including what the individual can do to preserve soils. All soils are not equal. The most carbon-rich soils are peatlands, mostly found in northern Europe, the UK and Ireland. Grassland soils also store a lot of carbon per hectare. In contrast, the soil in warm and dry areas in southern Europe contains less carbon. In some parts of Europe, higher temperatures may lead to more vegetation growth and more carbon stored in the soil. However, higher temperatures could also increase decomposition and mineralisation of the organic matter in the soil, reducing organic carbon content. In other areas, the carbon-containing organic matter in stable peatlands is prevented from decomposing due to the low levels of oxygen in the water. If such areas dry out, the organic matter can quickly break down, releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere may cause the microbes in the soil to work faster to break down organic matter, potentially releasing even more carbon dioxide. The release of greenhouse gases from the soil is expected to be particularly substantial in the far north of Europe and Russia, where melting permafrost may release large quantities of methane, a greenhouse gas much more potent than carbon dioxide. It is not yet clear what the overall effect will be, as different regions absorb and emit different levels of greenhouse gases. However, there is a clear risk that a warming climate can lead the soil to release more greenhouse gases, which can further heat the climate in a self-reinforcing spiral. Already during the discussion of possible topics for this youth meeting, it became clear that this is a topic, which moves many young people. One of the young people put it this way: "In 20 years, many of the politicians who make decisions on climate change today are no longer alive - we will be." With this youth meeting, we are aiming to enable youths to independently work out ways in which they can influence current developments. The youths should realize that it is them, who can and must take responsibility for the future now. At the same time, they will be able to discuss aspects of rural development and urbanization, social and environmental responsibility as well as the term "climate change" in order to form a well-founded opinion of their own. The European dimension of this topic is obvious. Against this background, we would like to broach the subjects of: - What does climate change mean for each individual? - Which role does EU policy / national decisions play in climate change action? - Which (possibly competing) interests in agriculture exist within Europe? - What are the socio-political debates in the partner countries regarding climate change? Together with our international partners, we would like young people from the participating project countries to learn, constructively and effectively. The participants will be able to playfully engage in the subject of "climate change” and explore ways of dealing with the above mentioned issues. They should learn what is happening in different European countries, especially in those that are not obviously part of the public discourse and consider together what they can do to get involved.