The economic crisis of 2008 has put into discussion the world’s economic system as we know it. The unprecedented financial failure has shown the weaknesses of the creation of wealth through fictitious financial channels based upon an unstable individual approach. To respond to the crisis, several important companies, among which also for example PayPal, have stated the importance of a cooperative business approach to create real economic wealth and collaborate among business to trigger development processes. The loss of jobs derived from the crisis has increased criminality everywhere in the world, as people have engaged in socially detrimental activities that can provide short-term income. We feel the need of showing, through best practices, how it is possible to engage in development, in a cooperative way based on the knowledge of the available resources and sustainably generating income while allowing for the development of personal competences and the overall area. This is a primary need in nowadays societies, as a way of opposing to vicious exploitation cycles. Following also the “Resolution of the Council of the European Union and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on a framework for European cooperation in the youth field: The European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027”, we recognise the need to support young people in taking control of their lives, providing them with tools that can allow them to create solidarity networks for mutual support. MEDITATE combines the expertise of 5 partners who have complementary expertise within the same field and who have decided to join forces to support young people with difficult backgrounds to acquire solid tools to become not only able to take ownership of their future, overcoming obstacles and barriers, but also to bring a positive change to the communities they belong to. With our comprehensive approach we have built a project that aims at using the Mediterranean Diet as the practical example of how culture is created by the encounter of different ethnicities and a scapegoat to talk about how important it is to preserve natural resources and engage in sustainable economic activities to make communities thrive. Leveraging on each of the partners' specific expertise we want to: 1. trigger innovation in young people; 2. foster a bottom-up approach that is culturally inclusive and respectful; 3. stimulate the critical and responsible use of technologies as a tool for comprehensive development; 4. raise awareness about the importance and the effects that a sustainable approach to economic growth has on people, communities, regions and entire states; 5. stimulate the curiosity necessary to proactively engage in lifelong learning programmes for the development of personal capabilities; 6. dismantle the idea that socio-economic obstacles cannot be overcome, by showing how cooperative relations and solidarity bonds can be used to support one another and exit together the vicious cycle of underdevelopment. Our project involved a total of 18 young people from rural areas of the partner countries. Through an 8 days intensive mobility, they explored new ways of approaching nature, they were exposed to intercultural communication and the understood how the importance of preserving the environment for future generations to thrive and cultures to flourish. MEDITATE wanted to be a window on Europe for those who did not think they would ever have the chance to one. It, however, managed to do more and, by involving in every step of the projects the participants who took full ownership of each activity, MEDITATE managed to create self awareness and teach them how to take ownership of their future and their capabilities. Through the dissemination phase, we aimed at involving institutions in the project. Although we acknowledge the importance of entrepreneurship, we are also aware that institutions are the only ones with the means to amplify grassroot actions. Also, we are aware that most institutions are not aware of the support made available by the European Union and we wanted for our experience to be an input for others to aply to EU programmes to receive support and foster innovative networking activities to support the local development of rural areas that it, at the same time, sustainable and able to valorise each area's special environment.