The main aim of the project “Routes and roots is to bring young adults from Germany, Russia and Ukraine together and into dialogue. The project will give the participants a chance to broaden their horizons, and develop their social, reflective and intercultural competences. Since the start of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, speechlessness around the issue and the breakdown of communication between parties has been noticeable. While the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, dialogue between Russians and Ukrainians has been made more difficult by infrastructural (Internet censorship, travel bans) and social (rise of nationalism, fake news, …) obstacles, while many Germans have lost track of what is going on in the region. The project wants to turn an eye to the different perceptions of the situation in Ukraine, and create a space for conversation between the three countries in the context of a thematic youth exchange. In concrete terms, the participants will be able to discuss what it means to live as a young person in these countries. How do we define ourselves as a young generation? What divides us? What unites us? In Germany, Russia and in Ukraine, we find an ongoing process of social polarisation, that is often accompanied by radicalisation. Through critical engagement with the theme “Identity”, the participants will become sensitive to the processes of construction of feelings of belonging, and the accompanying notions of inclusion and exclusion. Engagement with “controversial” cultural, historical and political themes will further their intercultural and social competences, and foster greater understanding for different opinions and perspectives. Thanks to a diverse range of non-formal education methods, trips and excursions, a space will be created for the “big debates” surrounding identity, Euromaidan, Crimea, the war in Ukraine, migration and multiculturalism, with a variety of personal, individual perspectives on the issues. We will consistently pursue the aim of motivating participants to realise other similar projects after and as a result of the exchange, allowing them to act as multiplicators in their own countries and communities, engaging themselves for an open, free and democratic civil society. Finally, personal contacts will of course be established, a necessary process in view of a Europe that seems at times to be growing ever further apart, in order to further the overcoming of borders and the foster the desire to remain united despite differences in perspectives, with a view to a lasting bringing together of the three countries.