This Key Action 1 project is part of the five-year programme "Generation Europe – The Academy". This project operates on two interrelated levels. On the one hand, the programme aims to improve the structures of (international) youth work in Europe and to enable synergy effects between local and international youth work. In addition, the programme aims to involve young people with fewer opportunities at local and European level and to initiate various learning opportunities for them by linking local and European levels of action. In this way, the programme aims to develop an active democratic awareness among young people, promote their self-image as active European citizens and encourage them to become involved in civil society and human rights. The educational concept of the programme can be described in three steps: "act locally – connect european – think globally". This suggests that the intertwining of local action with a European dimension enables perspectives on global social dimensions and interrelationships. In the current funding period, the programme includes a total of fourteen German, one Estonian, four Spanish, one Finnish, one French, two Greek, one Lithuanian, four Polish, two Portuguese, two Romanian, two Swedish and one Ukrainian organisations. The programme is aimed at young people aged between 14 and 27. The age range is determined by the different funding conditions of the various funding bodies. Overall, the programme can be divided into a preparation phase (2021), an implementation phase (2022-2025) and an evaluation phase (2025). The project is mainly implemented in trilateral partnerships. Annual youth encounters are linked to local activities throughout the year. With regard to the other programme level mentioned – strengthening the field of action in a European context – a youth work symposium was held (A33) to bring young people, youth workers, politicians and academics together in dialogue. Based on findings from the sociology of education, it is evident that young people with fewer opportunities show less civic engagement, sometimes label themselves as "apolitical" and are less responsive to politics. The implementation of the programme will create opportunities for participation and enable participants to develop a democratic European consciousness. Cooperation with youth centres and other local actors who already work with the target group will ensure that the target group can be reached. In addition to the youth participation project, the project also includes a network of former participants in mobility activities, known as the Ambassador Network. The aim of this network is to empower participants to take responsibility for the civil society themselves and to develop skills in this area. Ultimately, the above-mentioned processes aim to lobby for international youth work in line with the Bonn Process in order to improve the conditions for youth work at various levels.