The project, essentially serving as an international testing ground, ran in parallel with our KA154 project, sharing a similar concept in terms of activities and objectives, but featuring international diversity in its target group. Our expertise focuses on supporting the autism spectrum and promoting inclusion, so we designed this project as a step-by-step process of gradual development and learning, operating in a professionally familiar field but with no prior experience in international collaboration. The specific goal of the project was to create an inclusive social learning environment where young people with mild autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and neurotypical young people could work together, experience each other’s strengths and the benefits of cooperation, while practicing active citizenship through various topics. The main goal—namely, youth collaboration—structured the joint work around three key themes (exclusion, bullying / climate change / artificial intelligence and the resulting changes in the labor market). In addition to reducing prejudice, the collaboration helped participants overcome stigmas and foster a more tolerant, empathetic relationship; it also outlined possible future social interactions in which the division of labor is not based on prejudice, but in which even the “oddballs” marginalized by discrimination are given a role—perhaps even a prominent, highlighted one. The project was developed based on the participants’ needs, as identified by a needs assessment survey. We formulated the project’s objectives in accordance with the SMART criteria. SHORT-TERM GOALS: * To provide a space and opportunity for fostering inclusion and raising awareness of societal, social, and personal differences, where participants can understand each other’s differences with tolerance and empathy, reduce their prejudices and anxieties, overcome stigmas associated with difference, and discover the benefits of diversity. * Creating an inclusive learning environment that is consistent with the non-formal and informal methods of youth work, while also providing young people with opportunities for civic engagement through its themes and forums. * Raising current European issues that concern young people and strengthening European community awareness. MEDIUM-TERM OBJECTIVES: * Familiarizing participants with cooperative techniques and the project method. Applying informal and non-formal methods, moving away from standard approaches to knowledge acquisition. Building the skills of young people—including those with Asperger’s syndrome who face initial challenges—to enable them to actively participate in European democratic life. * Supporting peer learning and providing opportunities to experience teamwork and effective collaboration in an inclusive international environment among young people with very different backgrounds. * Developing young people’s social capital in relation to their peers, to young people who are different from them, to local communities, and professionals. GENERAL STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES: * Building a social model that is inclusive and recognizes and values the contributions of all, fostering this mindset, and widely disseminating its message and experiences. Reducing prejudice and stigma, and increasing knowledge about autism. *Supporting young people in developing methods of self-improvement so that they can reflect on and shape their personal life paths, find paths that align with their self-image and talents, and thereby participate as conscious and active citizens in building the society of the future. * Raising young people’s awareness of shared European values and fundamental rights, and contributing to the European integration process. The project’s content and themes progressed from experiencing and identifying abuse and exclusion to mental health preservation techniques and opportunities for community engagement. In addition to inclusion, another key goal and focus was for young people to learn and try out as many self-protection and self-empowerment techniques as possible. Our aim was to equip them with a broad range of tools for everyday life that would support them in coping with abuse and exclusion. We wished the participants in the project to collaborate closely with one another, which worked out perfectly with certain partners, but fell short in the case of some countries. Additionally, two partners withdrew before the project was implemented. Overall, I see that the cooperation among the young people participating in the exchange was a complete success, both in terms of the information they acquired and its integration. Shared thinking and interactions strengthened national and international cooperation and fostered team spirit and a sense of belonging to a single (European) community.