“Totem R.I.S.E.” is a concrete follow-up of the youth exchange “EuRoB.I.N. Food” which took place in Amsterdam in 2018. During the project, a deep spiritual connection with food was experienced by the participants, and with it, a powerful connection with different kind of rituals, religious or cultural values. As food was considered a fundamental element of each culture, some of the participants started to research more about it, realizing that most of the typical dishes or traditions regarding food, are actually originally or at least still alive, mostly in the rural areas. More so, according to Eurostat, around 28% of EU population is living in rural areas, while one of each 5 is facing the risk of poverty and social exclusion. This is the main reason that more and more young people are literally abandoning their villages, in search of better economical, educational or social opportunities, leaving behind empty houses and fields, while local cultures and traditions that were passed from generation to generation, are getting lost. And with it, is getting weakened the culture at national level and the cultural identity. The Native American communities will be the thematic of this proposed application. It stands for the colonization of the "modern" people that basically annihilated the entire Native American population and their cultures, as apparently the globalization nowadays is doing with the rural areas. Besides the collective level and the tendency of cultures vanishing, is losing among young people also the community sense, the spirit of sharing, of collaboration, taking care of each other and nature and spiritual values in general. The opportunities in urban area are mainly based on material values, on competition, where the general chaos and stress is pushing young people towards selfish attitudes, individualism, separation, exclusion, discrimination and small or large scale conflicts. This youth exchange is aiming to reconnect young people with their cultural roots and their emotions, in order to reach a sense of cultural identity, based on solidarity and peaceful values. The title “Totem R.I.S.E (Rural Introspection & Spiritual Evolution) is also meant to briefly describe the project’s objectives: @To set a safe platform inspired by the community values of Native Americans people, in which during 8 activity days, 30 participants from 5 different countries will create their own definition of culture, identity and cultural identity, reflected in a common Totem which will be inaugurated in a public event @To explore through non-formal methods, practical workshops and intercultutural dialogue, local cultures, traditions and rituals and the influence of globalization on them, in the RURAL backgrounds, based on participants’ exchange of experiences and knowledge @To empower the participants with guidance and tools for a meaningful INTROSPECTION linked to their cultural roots, emotional well-being and empathy, towards a consolidated sense of self respect, respect for the others and their cultures and respect for nature @To develop soft skills and approach the use of the Youthpass Certificate in an interactive way, by challenging the participants to get out of their comfort zone, enhancing their active participation, sharing ideas and turn them into reality with provided working and reflection materials and support, in order to reach a higher SPIRITUAL point at the individual and group levels @To inspire the participants for being better version of themselves, accepting cultural diversity and their own abilities and disabilities, as a starting point for a collective EVOLUTION, in which economical, social and ecological perspectives will point at inclusion, active citizenship and growth