With our project theme: Breaking the Silence/Youth Participation, we have picked up on a need tendency of young people. Again and again young people approach us as youth workers and ask: How can I participate and where? How can I actively implement ideas concerning my everyday life? In the course of the project, there was the possibility - within the workshop offers after an initial brainstorming - to approach these questions. Then - in an internationally mixed context - strategies for action for concrete situations - from the reality of the participants' lives (in family, school, education, community, political environment) - were developed together. Besides the practical learning/achievement of individual learning goals of the participants in the workshops with non-formal methods, an interest in different living conditions of young people and their national characteristics was also awakened through the discussion of our participation topic. Commonalities were discovered. The goal of improving language skills was achieved. During the 10 days of the youth exchange, the participating young people learned to show something of themselves, to open up. Favoured by an atmosphere of good togetherness and trust in the large group, they were able to compare themselves and then expand their own boundaries. They could be sure that they were well supported, that they were "seen" in their learning process; by their personal mentors, their group leaders, by us as a team. They can acquire knowledge and skills in using communicative processes in groups, family and conflict situations and improve their foreign language skills. Other needs were taken into account, such as the motivation to actively develop their own initiatives, the support of professional development through the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, the development of personal responsibility and the attainment of greater self-esteem. All these were our project goals and they were achieved. Through the strengthening of the participants' personalities in the course of the project - through recognition on the "hero wall", being seen and heard in/before the large group - their social skills, their ability to work in a team and also - for some - their courage improved a little. Especially the latter was the aim of our project. Our project enriched the youth workers involved as well as our regional and international partners. Through active participation and job shadowing, they were able to improve their competences in terms of concrete knowledge/motivation and above all in terms of: support for change processes of young people, and thus also expand their professional and organisational profiles. Through our follow-up measures adapted to regional needs, new organisations were won for international contexts and integrated into the European network - an important goal for the practice of our regional youth work here in rural areas.