The project “Stages of Belonging: Community Theatre for Connection and Inclusion” is built on the simple but powerful idea that theatre can be more than a performance, it can be a shared process where young people explore, express, and reshape their place in society. In a time when many young people across Europe feel isolated, divided by cultural differences, or disconnected from their communities, this project will create a creative space where voices are heard equally, stories are valued, and belonging is built together on stage. The need for such a project is visible in many youth realities today. In Germany and across Europe, young people report increasing levels of loneliness, anxiety, and social exclusion. Recent European youth surveys highlight that more than one in three young people feel their voice is not listened to in society, and nearly half struggle to find safe spaces where they can express themselves freely. At the same time, communities face polarization, mistrust between groups, and a decline in meaningful social interaction. Theatre, when used as a community tool rather than an elite art form, directly responds to this need. It offers a non-formal, creative, and inclusive environment where young people can step into each other’s stories, learn empathy, and discover new ways to connect. The project will aim to demonstrate how community theatre can transform challenges of exclusion and disconnection into opportunities for understanding and participation. By bringing together 48 young people from Germany, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, and Turkey, the exchange will create an international stage where different cultural perspectives meet. Participants will not just learn theatre techniques but also explore how these methods can be used to tackle real social questions: belonging, prejudice, inclusion, and identity. In practice, this means that after the project, young people will be able to organise workshops, small performances, or creative campaigns in their communities, multiplying the impact of the exchange. They will gain concrete skills in facilitation, creativity, and group work, but they will also experience something deeper: the feeling of belonging to a group, of being accepted for who they are, and of being able to contribute to something larger than themselves. The overall project objectives: Engage young people in reflecting on their personal experiences of identity, belonging, and exclusion through creative theatre methods. Experiment with non-formal theatre techniques such as improvisation, storytelling, role-play, and movement to explore connection and empathy. Improve participants’ social and emotional competences, including teamwork, self-expression, intercultural dialogue, and empathy. Support participants in gaining creative skills (public speaking, stage presence, group facilitation, collaborative problem-solving) that they can use in future projects and daily life. Compare and exchange diverse cultural narratives, learning from peers about how belonging is shaped across different societies. Develop a collective result: a co-created theatre performance and a short methodological guide for using theatre in youth work. Empower participants to act as multipliers, bringing back inclusive theatre practices and awareness-raising activities to their own communities. Strengthen young people’s knowledge about Erasmus+ opportunities and how European programmes can support their personal and professional growth.