The project ROOTS – Reflecting On Our Tomorrow’s Stories was born from a process of consultation and co-design carried out with the young people of the partner organisations, who clearly expressed the need for safe and creative spaces in which to reflect on their roots, interact with peers from different European countries, and collectively imagine new perspectives for the future. The context in which the young people involved live is marked by common challenges: economic and job insecurity, environmental crisis, social and cultural polarisation, lack of safe spaces for self-expression, and difficulties in imagining sustainable futures. Despite their differences, young people share the need for opportunities to express themselves freely, tools to strengthen their identity and sense of belonging, occasions to develop creativity and imagination as resources of resilience, and opportunities to actively participate in social and cultural life and leave a visible mark in their communities. They often feel excluded from decision-making processes or deprived of opportunities to contribute concretely to their communities. For this reason, they call for experiences in which creativity becomes not only personal expression, but also a tool to collectively imagine new visions of the future – a positive and sustainable future in an era marked by economic precariousness, environmental crises and social tensions. ROOTS aims to respond to these needs by placing visual arts and creative writing at the centre, as languages capable of breaking down barriers, stimulating reflection and building intercultural bridges. Painting, drawing, sculpture, photography and installations, intertwined with storytelling and narrative writing activities, will become the tools through which young people will explore their roots and transform personal experiences into collective works. The youth exchange will thus provide a space where young people can express themselves artistically and recognise themselves as protagonists capable of generating dialogue, change and new perspectives. The general objective of the project is to promote the personal, social and cultural growth of young people through an intercultural experience based on art, creativity and active citizenship. The aim is to offer participants a safe and stimulating context in which they can explore their roots, imagine sustainable futures and share their visions, thereby strengthening trust, competences and participation. The specific objectives are: - to stimulate young people’s ability to reflect on their identity and recognise the value of personal and cultural roots; - to develop artistic and creative skills through the use of visual arts and writing as non-formal educational tools; - to promote intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding, valuing diversity as a resource; - to encourage active citizenship and participation, enabling young people to leave a visible mark in the host communities and in the partner territories; - to strengthen participants’ confidence, self-esteem and motivation, in particular those coming from fewer-opportunity backgrounds; - to disseminate at local and European level narratives and works that contribute to imagining more inclusive, sustainable and supportive futures.