Even though social inclusion of young people is a contemporary concern in policy discourses, it has been argued that the term "social inclusion" is defined by adults and imposed on young people and there is little understanding of what social inclusion means to young people themselves. Considering that social inclusion is one of the most crucial topics in today’s world, we came up with the idea of using folktales of different countries to return to our origins and discover what lessons can be learned from them. To do this, BRIDGE focuses on the question: How can folktales can help young people to understand and promote social inclusion by exploring the values, lessons and perspectives they convey? Firstly, we want to support our claim that social inclusion among young people is a critical issue in today's world with references we recognize that identifying needs correctly is the key to our project's success: • In 2023, approximately 94.6 million individuals in the EU, accounting for 21% of the population, were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. • A significant proportion of young Europeans remain at risk of social exclusion. In 2023, 24.8% of children under 18 in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. • The status of being 'Not in Employment, Education, or Training' (NEET) is one of the indicators of social exclusion. Currently, about 14 million Europeans aged 15-29 fall into this category. These statistics underscore the critical importance of addressing social inclusion within the EU, particularly among its younger population. Societies are becoming more diverse in various dimensions (cultures, abilities, social groups, sexual orientations, political views, education, literacy levels, etc). This growing diversity necessitates for all of us, and especially youth, the development of skills to manage and embrace it. Our project acknowledges, embraces and celebrates diversity and aims to transform differences into valuable learning opportunities instead of sources of prejudice and negative competition. We would like to present the problems, needs, aims and objectives we have identified based on our PCM analyses (such as the needs, current state and target analyses), the issues our partner organizations faces and their needs as well as the needs of the young people in their communities. So, we ensured the needs we identified corresponds to real-world challenges, which is confirmed by the key resources like the EU 2021-2027 Program Guide, the EU Inclusion and Diversity Strategy and by all of our partner organizations and the youth in their communities. Main Problem and Need: • The lack of awareness about social inclusion among young people. Specific Problems and Needs: • The lack of sufficient spaces where young people can receive necessary education on social inclusion. • The limited representation of marginalized groups in youth-focused media and educational materials. • The presence of social polarization perceptions among young people. • The lack of role models who stand out with inclusive attitudes. The main problem we identified is a root cause of different real-world problems. For example, many young people experience exclusion and discrimination due to the general lack of social inclusion awareness among their young peers. This exclusion often leads to long-term negative effects such as social isolation, reduced self-esteem and limited opportunities for personal and professional growth. So: Aim: • To increase awareness about social inclusion among young people. Objectives: • To provide a space for young people to learn about social inclusion through non-formal education within our youth exchange project. • To enhance visibility of marginalized groups in youth-focused media and educational materials. • To address social polarization perceptions among young people. • To explore examples of individuals or become the examples themselves who stand out with their inclusive attitudes. Tool: Folktales and Storytelling Our activity is designed to achieve our project's aim by addressing its objectives. Using storytelling through folktales as a tool to raise awareness on social inclusion will be highly effective for a young exchange project as folktales are deeply embedded in cultural traditions, makes complex social issues more relatable and understandable and will allow young people from different backgrounds to connect through shared cultural narratives. Using folktales as a tool to bring young people together and raise awareness about social inclusion also aligns with the objectives of the program, particularly those of youth exchanges. Lastly, we would like to highlight that we have previously applied for this project and have carefully considered all the feedback provided in the evaluation report. We have taken every suggestion into account and have worked to improve all aspects that were identified as improvable in our previous application.