The issues and needs that we want to address with this project are the conservation of peat lands for biodiversity and climate protection as well as special species protection measures such as bird and bat boxes and teaching and supporting youth in their political engagement and (legal) activism. The basic motivations and needs gave a wing to us to apply for this project are our passion for conservation nature and different cultures, interest in biodiversity, climate protection and political youth engagement, desire to create cross-cultural understanding, interest in gaining practical skills, will to make a change in locals and sense of adventure because we want to experience something new and different, and see this project as a great opportunity to do so while also making a positive impact. Our partner organization from Germany came up with the idea of this project. By renaturation of peat lands and special species protection we support EU values and values of the Erasmus+ program and help to preserve this important habitat and contribute to conservation efforts in the area and in the partner countries. In addition to this, the project also aims to promote cultural understanding and appreciation. Our participants will have the opportunity to learn about eacht others cultures and home countries as well as their measures and politics on environmental conservation. The general needs to implement our youth exchange: We’re deeply committed to preserving peat land in Brandenburg and supporting bird and bat population in Brandenburg for biodiversity and climate protection We also deeply want to support young people from Europe to become active in politics or political decisions as they wish. We want to enable them to political engagement and (legal) activism as fits their needs, wishes and prefered topics We believe that by bringing together young people from different European countries to work on a common goal, we can foster greater understanding and cooperation between cultures. We’re interested in gaining hands-on experience in conservation, habitat restoration and see this project as an opportunity to do so. We feel a sense of responsibility to do our part in protecting the environment and preserving natural heritage, and this project is a way to take action on those values. We want to contribute to a cause that is important to us, as our youth exchange will be an opportunity to make a difference in the world. The objectives of the youth exchange are: To do renaturation of a peat land in Brandenburg that has been dried out several years ago and thus lost its value for biodiversity and also stopped being a carbon-sink. Thus, we want to restore the former peat land habitat We want to support bat and bird populations in the surrounding area by installing bird boxes and bat boxes where living and nesting habitats are very limited We want to enable youth in political engagement and support them to find their means and ways of engaging in politics and/or legal activism To provide training to participants on peat land and similar wetlandnest conservation and special species protection techniques To promote cultural understanding and appreciation through activities such as visits to historical sites and interactions with local people To raise awareness about peatland conservation and the importance of preserving such habitats and carbon-sink among participants and the local community To meet the local decision makers and encouraging nature conservation policies To foster cross-cultural understanding and cooperation among participants from different European countries To provide an opportunity for participants to gain practical skills in conservation, habitat restoration, and species protection techniques To promote sustainable practices and environmental stewardship among participants and the local community To work with local organizations and stakeholders to develop a long-term plan for the peat land conservation in the Brandenburg area To create a network of youth committed to conservation of a habitat and cultural preservation, and to promote the results of the project to a larger audience To establish a monitoring and evaluation system for the peat land habitat during the project, in order to track habitat development after the restauration/wetting it again We believe in that our exchange project would be a valuable and unique opportunity for our participants to learn about and contribute to conservation efforts while also learning about biodiversity, climate protection and political engagement. Moreover, it will have a great potential to make a positive impact on the peatland habitat and connected species, on carbon storage in the area and the local community.