The aim of our intercultural work in 2021 in terms of mutual understanding and getting to know each other was to sensitise the participants as well as the cooperation partners to intercultural and ecological contexts. Climate, climate change and climate protection are not just recent buzzwords in everyday life. These topics are more topical than ever and have received more and more attention around the Fridays for Future movement or The Last Generation, which also offers a special identification opportunity for young people. The effects of climate change are also becoming increasingly visible and tangible for people in Europe. In this context, we see an important function in our work as an extracurricular place of learning in enabling children and young people to better understand the changes caused by climate change. For only when they understand the complexity of the many causes of climate change and the interplay of these in a globalised world and understand the actual consequences, some of which have already occurred, and at the same time are able to discuss and reflect on the overwhelming possibilities for solutions together, can they develop into self-confident and independent people with their own wishes and ideas. Through the scientific approach of our projects, we wanted to sensitise participants to the (bio-) diversity on our planet and also initialise and accompany processes of knowledge and understanding of scientific, technical and social contexts. In the context of the sustainability concept, the focus is also on understanding and trying out democratic processes, which are expressed in living democracy in the projects. In addition, the intercultural encounter enabled the young people to engage directly with each other. In the encounter with the other culture, everyone was able to reflect on their own: who am I - what special features do I bring with me - what is typical for me and my home country - how do I view the world - what can I contribute to improving our (surrounding) world? Answering these questions for oneself and at the same time looking at and discussing them interculturally not only broadened one's horizon, but also gave all participants new perspectives. As a result, one's own actions were seen as less self-evident, because everyone realised that there are alternative ways of acting that work just as well and lead to the same result. Since the participants not only came from different countries, but also had a very heterogeneous level of education, we saw such encounters as fundamental for the democratic and social development of the young people. Active EU citizenship, European awareness, democracy Theoretically addressing the meaning of democracy and its current developments is just as fundamental for us as directly implementing and promoting democratic processes and participation in the projects. At the same time, intercultural encounters can reveal and adopt new perspectives and support an open and tolerant attitude. Environment and climate change At the latest since our participation in the UN Climate Summit in Paris in 2015, the focus of the project work has been specifically on thematic priorities in the area of climate change and sustainability. Thus, the sustainability concept unites the areas of economy, ecology and social issues in its goals in such a way that the respective sub-topics allow for new, topical questions and special perspectives in a complex world that are interesting for the children and young people every year. Youth (participation, youth work, youth policy) Through the democratic approach of the youth meeting and the active engagement with the topic of climate and climate protection, which is so relevant for young people today, it was also possible here to set impulses for the engagement with (youth) political topics and processes. The question of youth participation in the political process was also raised and discussed in a participatory manner.