This Partnership Building Activity (PBA) aimed to improve cooperation and build strong and resilient partnerships between Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and municipalities from countries in the south and north of Europe whose target group is youth and core work is fostering youth participation in the frame of the new EU Youth Strategy for 2019-2027 and the Erasmus + / European Solidarity Corps programmes. As a newcomer to these projects, this activity was important for Ölands Folkhögskolas, since it provided the means to identify and build cooperation with and between partners from different countries around Europe doing the same work of fostering and devising ways for youth participation at the local level to be more meaningful and impactful by exploring together the possibilities of the two programmes mentioned. Ölands Folkhögskola asked DYPALL Network to act as a support organization in this application since the goal of DYPALL is to provide capacity-building opportunities for its members and partners to improve the work of CSO and municipalities in order to improve youth participation at local level. The aim of this PBA was to improve solidarity at European level, starting between the different partners' coming from different contexts of Europe. After the Euro crisis, the rift between South and North countries grew to levels unknown before. As a direct response to the lack of solidarity towards refugees and asylum-seekers and between EU countries, as well as the growth of resentment towards EU institutions, the European Commission created, under the framework of the new EU Youth Strategy, the European Solidarity Corps (ESC). The ESC has, as main goal, the promotion of “solidarity as a value [and] to enhance the engagement of young people and organisations in accessible and high-quality solidarity activities as a means to contribute to strengthening cohesion, solidarity, democracy and citizenship in Europe, while also responding to societal challenges and strengthening communities”. Clearly reflecting the priorities set in EU Youth Strategy, particularly in the areas of education and training, participation, social inclusion, youth, employment and entrepreneurship and objectives of Erasmus+ Programme, through this first point of connection and time spent together, we aimed to create a strong base for all the organizations and youth workers present to build cross-countries partnerships in order to make this PBA a "small step for Youth Organizations, but a giant leap for European Union". Hence, to establish a sustainable North-South partnership for youth participation at local level, the partners aimed at organising a Partnership-Building Activity (PBA), bringing together 26 youth workers and local youth policy representatives for 4 days to: - Foster networking and international exchanges between youth organisations and municipalities building trust and create space for project building; - Exchange and promote realities and good practices in terms of Youth Work towards empowerem of youngsters and disseminate the partners' methodology and tools of youth participation at local level; - Enlarge the network of partners and set up concrete follow-up projects to mainstream its methodology and enhance spaces of shared decision-making in youth policy development at local level in the region; - Explore the Erasmus + and ESC programmes, emphasizing new key actions, promoting opportunities for further work and helping participants to navigate the programme; - Empower and develop intercultural and other professional and social competencies of youth workers by delivering and exchanging methods of non-formal education in the concerned fields. Projects between North and South countries are rare, as usually organisations tend to cooperate with partners coming from similar contexts and facing the same challenges. Partners from northern countries might shy away from working with organizations from the south of Europe, and vice-versa due to mutual distrust, greater costs or simply lack of familiarity. A PBA set up between North and South countries had hence the potential to be a greater learning experience due to the differences in work methods, habits, experiences, and needs of youth workers, a potential most of the times untapped in Erasmus + activities. We wanted to break this mutual fear and weariness and provide an opportunity for greater learning with partners from different contexts, with different capacities and challenges, as we believe there is a need in Europe and in Youth organisations to build bridges between southern and northern organisations as these will benefit immensely both parts via the exchange of expertise, good practices and experiences and the establishment of long-lasting, highquality project and partnerships.