The Democracy Camp project featured two intercultural exchanges on democracy, sustainability, inclusion and Europe. In the third edition, the project's main objectives were to enhance the political participation of young individuals by exploring opportunities and tools for promoting sustainability, inclusion and the future of Europe in youth-led activities: - Preparatory meeting: A 4-day meeting of 31 young individuals and facilitators to increase the youth-lead character of the activities. While the programme for the main exchange "Democracy Camp" had been developed by a young team and volunteers, we increased the relevance of our activities for the target group of young people from 9 Erasmus+ countries and Switzerland by offering training on democracy and youth participation, a learning space on democracy at the world’s largest conference on direct and participatory democracy, the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy in Bucharest, and incorporating youth's suggestions into the programme for the main Camp. - Democracy Camp: The exchange brought together 59 young people under 26 and facilitators from 9 Erasmus+ countries and Switzerland (counted and budgeted separately). The activity fostered networking among youth from various EU member states. Participants identified democratic best practices for sustainability, broadened their understanding of political levels, inclusive participation and the EU, and engaged in knowledge transfer on skills for effective participation, including fundraising and public speaking. Learning about the development of democracy in a post-communist country also raised awareness on Europe's current challenges. After the Camp, participants updated the Youth Democracy Handbook developed in the previous year. The Handbook includes an overview of promising forms of youth participation, provides information on stakeholders in decision-making and political levels and collects recommendations for improved youth participation for Europe. Interested participants co-authored the texts and upgraded the Handbook design in working groups. All participants were invited to share the names/contact details of decision-makers they deem relevant for youth participation, sustainability, inclusion and the future of Europe. At the end of the project, the team shared the Handbook with these stakeholders and all Members of European Parliament, enabling them to align policy initiatives with the needs of young individuals. Project partners also disseminated the results, contributing to a positive narrative about democracy. Amidst concerns of societal division and threats to democracy, the Camp highlighted successful applications of direct and participatory democracy, especially in environmental protection, the EU and inclusion. The goal was to counter potential disenchantment with politics by supporting participants in familisarising themselves with their often unknown avenues of participation. The activities emphasised the emergence of new and promising forms of political participation across Europe, specifically tailored to young people. The exchanges served as a platform, enabling young people to share ideas, pick up best practices, and contribute to shaping sustainability, Europe and inclusive societies. The Democracy Camp complemented existing intercultural and democracy programmes by focusing on best practices of youth participation for sustainability, inclusion and Europe, driven by young people for young people in a multilateral exchange. The third edition continued the promising establishment of a long-term exchange platform, building on the results created by young people in the 2022 and 2023 Camps. The outcomes included intercultural learning, networking among young people from different European countries, identification of best-practice examples, bottom-up knowledge gain with expert support, transfer of knowledge on successful projects, and the promotion of a culture of discussion and understanding of democracy among young people. As planned, the Democracy Camp project contributed especially to the European Youth Goals: - #1 Connecting EU with Youth - #3 Inclusive societies - #9 Spaces and Participation for All - #10 A sustainable, green Europe As participants stated an increased interest in media literacy and critical thinking during the preparatory exchange, the Camp featured activities on these issues thereby also fostering the European Youth Goal #4 Information & Constructive Dialogue.