Participants of this youth exchange were characterized as an emotionally vulnerable group with fewer opportunities compared to their peers. They faced greater challenges in their lives on personal and/or professional levels. In this Youth Exchange, participants were among people who all had a stutter, and just because of this, stuttering was not an issue anymore. This helped them open up, show more of themselves than in their daily lives, find their needs and values, and experience a growth in self-esteem. Based on our experience from previous Youth Exchanges, they easily connected with stuttering peers from other countries and learned about each other’s cultures. This led to new friendships and improvements in their social lives (‘social inclusion’) and self-esteem, which lasted even years after the exchange. In previous years, participants also increased their chances of employment in the labor market and took many initiatives to be more active in society at local, national, and international levels. In this project, which was carried out in close cooperation between young persons who stutter, their stuttering organizations, and group leaders, we invited everyone to ‘Take your next step’ and to step out of their comfort zones to try out new things and activities. Therefore, we included different activities that were exciting but that participants might not usually do easily. During the week, they created a movie together with a self-written script and engaged in various public speaking activities that were usually quite frightening. The Youth Exchange reinforced the belief that accomplishments—even in the field of communication—were possible despite stuttering, by demonstrating how much participants could achieve. The program also included daily meditation sessions and collaborative food preparation. It created opportunities for participants to meet and connect with different young people from more than six countries. This project helped to enrich and connect with others who stutter, where stuttering was no longer an issue. The aim was to establish a platform for young people who stutter to collaborate. While the immediate goal was the exchange itself, the broader vision encompassed uncovering fresh avenues and building international and intercultural networks for future projects as well. The group was strongly motivated to organize the event together. This project sought to connect YPWS, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment that mitigated feelings of isolation and promoted deeper connections, learning, and growth. While ‘stuttering’ was frequently referenced in this application, the project's emphasis was not on stuttering. Paradoxically, uniting YPWS often shifted the focus away from stuttering. The common experience was that being together with other PWS meant there was less focus on stuttering, which allowed for more room for connections, learning, and development. The original objectives of this project included: -Connecting YPWS, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment that mitigated feelings of isolation, and promoting deeper connections, learning, and growth, while providing an opportunity to ‘Take a next step.’ -Creating a safe space where participants were not distinguished by their speech. Here, stuttering was the bond, ensuring no participant felt restricted. This environment presented unique chances for connection, learning, and growth. -Enhancing participants' confidence to speak as they wished and their skills to connect with other young people irrespective of their speech patterns. -Providing learning opportunities for practicing foreign languages and customs, not only in social settings but also in semi-professional settings, when taking part in meetings regarding organizational tasks. -Enhancing intercultural learning by creating an open space for intercultural dialogue. -Increasing awareness of being a European citizen by getting to know people from other parts of Europe and building long-lasting connections and friendships. -Enhancing opportunities for local (stuttering) organizations to get involved in international partnerships and learn from each other. -Increasing knowledge of the Erasmus+ Program and its Key Actions among participants and partner organizations.