With this project we wanted to contribute to raising awareness and educating other young people and citizens about living with chronic diseases. Although many of us have same diagnosis, whether it is MS, diabetes or something else, the path we take and how we manage it is different for each of us and that is why it is important that we have a space for sharing our experiences, concerns, coping mechanisms etc. On the other hand, it is important that people know about chronic health conditions but more important is that they know that each person is different and what works for one of us may not work for the other. This was especially important for our colleagues in the project who study medicine because those having any chronic health condition very often emphasised especially this: that doctors and medical personal just “put them into the box”, give general advice and experiment, without approaching them as individuals and taking their individual situations into account. It is a small step, but if this project managed to change views and approach of at least several future doctors, this is already a huge success and positive changes. Except practical side, other crucial aspects we wanted to tackle with this project were emotional and social challenges chronic health conditions bring that can be overwhelming, especially when these conditions are lifelong. This is the aspect that often remains in the background, people are left to find the way to cope and as we had a chance to hear during the youth exchange, most of the countries present do not offer and kind of psychological support, especially not the long term although managing your health 24/7 without the change for a break or putting it “on hold” doesn’t exist. This can lead to anxiety, depression, it is causing additional stress and, in many cases, such as with diabetes for example, a person makes in average 200 more decisions daily compared with the person without the condition, which is draining, exhausting and it is taking focus and energy from other things. Social aspects are also affected, such as taking part in certain activities, need for extensive preparations and planning while travelling… can contribute to isolation and person hesitating to live their life fully, although in some cases that is not even needed. These are just some of the aspects we wanted to provide the space for to be said out loud and to give the chance to the people to see that they are not the only ones struggling. We wanted to her how people struggle, navigate health care systems and finding their own ways to manage their conditions. We also wanted to hear the perspectives of those without any condition or those who have someone close to them living with MS or any other illness, with the focus on long term ones. We were aware that this project will be just a “scratching the surface” moment, which proved correct but we are happy that we started and everyone expressed happiness at the end, with many ideas, motivation and small but powerful community to continue with these kinds of activities. We, as MS organisation and coordinator, also wanted this youth exchange to be a starting point for many more projects like this and a moment to start networking. Objectives of this project were to: - Educate participants and the broader community about Multiple Sclerosis and other chronic illnesses, emphasizing the challenges and needs of those affected - Create safe space for sharing experiences and advices, learning about different health care approaches, managing stress and eating healthy in order to manage the condition well but also to care about your mental health - Create an inclusive environment where individuals with chronic conditions feel understood and supported, while others gain insight into their daily experiences. - Provide tools and resources for managing chronic conditions, including coping mechanisms and support networks, which can enhance participants’ overall well-being. - Build connections between those with chronic illnesses and the wider community, promoting a culture of mutual respect, empathy, and co-living. - Identify factors that prevent participation and mobility of young people with chronic health conditions, analyse what can be done to increase their safety and contribute to breaking barriers to participation in Erasmus+ projects