With this project, we aimed to strengthen our capacity to work with young people with fewer opportunities by improving inclusion, diversity, and participation in youth work. First, we wanted to exchange expertise between the two partner organisations and learn from each other’s approaches. The focus was on developing and applying creative and participatory methods that support young people—especially migrants and refugees—in becoming more active, self-confident, and engaged in society. Second, we aimed to document the knowledge gained during the exchange and make it usable for a wider group of professionals. This included developing a joint position paper and collecting practical methods that can be applied in youth work. Third, we wanted to ensure that the results are accessible beyond the project by publishing them in an open digital format, allowing continuous use by professionals and the general public. Finally, we aimed to strengthen our cooperation at the European level, build experience in transnational projects, and prepare for future collaboration within the Erasmus+ programme.
We applied for this project in order to professionalise, to improve the quality and to innovate our work. In time of growing far-right voices in our societies in Germany, Italy and whole Europe, we consciously wanted to take time to exchange ideas with like-minded partners, to inspire and strengthen each other to gain new inspiration and joy for our work and, as a result, greater motivation. Our need was to reflect on and further develop our methods, particularly in addressing discrimination, social exclusion, and the growing insecurity among young people. At the same time, there was a strong need to empower them to become active, self-determined, and engaged at both local and European levels. The project also addressed the need to expand our approaches by integrating more creative and practical methods, such as art, community-based work, to better respond to the realities and interests of young people. In addition, we saw a clear need to move beyond local work and engage in transnational cooperation. The challenges faced by our target groups are not local but shared across Europe. Finally, the project responded to the need for sustainable development of our organisations in terms of access to European funding opportunities.