Greece- For our exchange piece we worked with a Smiling Sketches, which is an organisation based in Athens who had a strong history of arts practice-based work. We had a group of young people in mind who had recently been involved in film making, along with an older group of young people who had missed exchange/travel opportunities due to covid. Both groups had a long history of engagement in the project and the majority had completed several Irish based residential opportunities. There was a dual element in terms of the exchange objectives. We strongly believe in the power of travelling and residentials to strengthen the relationships and learning in youth work for young people. There was also an objective around mentorship where staff were upskilling themselves to make themselves familiar with the Erasmus process including the budgeting, reporting processes etc. Objectives Foster Intercultural Dialogue and Understanding Encourage meaningful exchanges between young people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Promote mutual respect, tolerance, and a shared European identity through shared experiences including participating in drama-based arts practice. Empower Young People Use creative processes to give young participants tools for self-expression, reflection, and social engagement. Encourage young people to explore identity, community, and social issues through formal workshops and informal learning. Develop Key Competences and Skills for Lifelong Learning Enhance soft skills such as communication, teamwork, creativity, and through structured arts workshops and intercultural collaboration. Promote Active Citizenship and Democratic Participation Engage young people in dialogue around current social challenges (e.g. inclusion, sustainability, mental health) through artistic expression. Informal learning through conversations with young people sharing their perspectives with each other to recognise the similarities and differences in their lived experience. Encourage civic engagement by involving participants in co-designing parts of the project. Support Inclusion and Equal Opportunities Ensure participation of young people with fewer opportunities (e.g. economic, geographic, or social barriers) and promote an inclusive environment where every voice is valued. Use accessible games-based arts practices to bridge language and cultural differences. Implementation Activities – please see the attached timetable for the project. The timetable was designed around formal workshops which were drama based, sports based, shared meals, cultural activities, and free time. We worked with a group of 19 young people over the course of the six days. There were seven Irish participants and twelve Greek participants. All participants came from working class backgrounds and areas of economic disadvantage. These young people had shared experiences of facing barriers economically and systematic oppression. Woman By implementing the project, we wanted one of the overall achievements for you people to be that they had the experience to gain new opportunities, meet new people from different backgrounds and cultures. To achieve this, we partnered with 3 other countries, Germany, Spain and Ukraine. We wanted young people to gain an understanding of European identity by taking part in a youth exchange. As the title of project was “Woman” we wanted the young people to feel comfortable with each other to be able to support one another throughout their activity, build relationships and connect with each other to offer support throughout their journey. Another outcome we wanted the young people to achieve by taking part in the activity was to become more culturally aware and to learn new things from other young people and the participating countries. This was made possible by sharing experiences in daily activities, intercultural evenings and the young people building relationships with each other. The objectives we set out for the project were that throughout the activities the young people will learn better and more positive coping mechanisms. That young people over the duration of the project feel respected by everyone involved and that they feel their voices were being heard both within the project and within their communities. They will be provided with new opportunities, and that by taking part in the project the young people’s feeling of self-worth will increase. Staff Mobility Core youth service took part in a staff mobility to Braunschweig, where we met with other local youth services and drug services. Our objectives for this project were to learn about new drug trends, to find new partners for future youth exchanges and for staff to develop a better understanding of substance use and to share experiences with other participating professionals.