Through this project, we want to strengthen youth participation and democratic competences by creating meaningful encounters between Youth County Councils in Norway and the Espoo Youth Council in Finland. From a youth work perspective, the project is designed to support young people’s personal growth, active citizenship, and intercultural understanding through non-formal learning. The main objectives are: - Strengthen democratic competences: Equip participants with knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage in decision-making processes at local, regional, and national level. - Exchange good practices in youth participation: Learn from different models, such as Espoo’s Round Table of Student Council Boards and Norway’s Youth County Councils, and explore how these structures can be improved. - Promote active citizenship and youth voice: Encourage participants to see themselves as actors who can influence issues such as climate change, youth employment, and safety. - Support non-formal learning and reflection: Use youth work methods such as workshops, role play, peer-to-peer learning, and daily reflection to strengthen transversal skills (communication, teamwork, intercultural competences). - Build intercultural understanding and European cooperation: Foster lasting connections between young people across borders, contributing to European youth solidarity and shared learning. - Develop youth councils as learning arenas: Strengthen the role of Youth County Councils and Espoo Youth Council as platforms for democratic training, peer learning, and meaningful dialogue with decision-makers. In this way, the project combines the personal development of the young participants with structural learning for the youth councils, and contributes to the broader goals of youth work: empowerment, inclusion, and active participation.