The “Roots of Change” project is being written in response to the decline of biodiversity and the deterioration of natural ecosystems across Europe, a trend confirmed by recent environmental data. According to the European Environment Agency’s 2025 assessments, around 81% of habitats, 39% of bird species, and 62% of non-bird species of EU interest are currently in poor or bad conservation status, demonstrating that biodiversity loss remains a severe and urgent challenge. Forest ecosystems, which are central to Latvia, Estonia and Finland and play an ecological role in Germany and Poland, are increasingly threatened by unsustainable land use, forest degradation, fragmentation and climate-related pressures. In Malta, biodiversity is similarly threatened despite very different ecosystems. Habitat loss, coastal degradation and water scarcity, intensified by high population density and limited land, show that biodiversity decline is a pan-European issue with locally specific challenges. Although forests cover approximately 39% of the total land area of the European Union, studies from recent years highlight a worrying loss of tall, mature forests in northern and eastern Europe, reducing biodiversity value and weakening the ability of forests to act as carbon sinks. The Latvian context reflects these European trends: natural meadows historically among the most species-rich habitats in the region have declined, from roughly 13% of the national territory in the mid-20th century to only about 0.3% today. This constitutes a major loss of habitat diversity and ecological stability. Meanwhile, across our partner countries, urbanisation, pollution, shifts in traditional land management and increasing human pressure continue to reduce natural habitats and disrupt ecosystems. Despite the ecological urgency, young people often lack opportunities to engage practically in biodiversity protection, to understand the pressures facing ecosystems, and to develop the skills needed for ecological action within their communities. Awareness among young Europeans is relatively high, yet the gap between knowledge and action remains substantial, particularly for youth from multicultural, immigrant or socially diverse backgrounds who may have fewer access points to environmental participation. Addressing these issues requires an approach that combines environmental education, youth empowerment and intercultural cooperation. This is precisely what “Roots of Change” aims to provide. Through experiential learning, outdoor activities, intercultural teamwork and community action, the project supports young people in becoming active contributors to environmental protection, while strengthening their sense of European identity, solidarity and shared responsibility for nature. The project pursues several key objectives. 1. Raise awareness and ecological knowledge among youth - help participants understand the critical state of biodiversity in Europe, the importance of forests and natural habitats, and the factors threatening ecosystems. Provide them with updated ecological data, species and habitat knowledge, and understanding of ecosystem services. 2. Build practical skills and capacity for ecological action - through non-formal education: workshops, field visits, biodiversity mapping, habitat assessment, forest-care, citizen science, community clean-ups, and small-scale ecological restoration projects. 3. Foster youth empowerment, participation and active citizenship - encourage young people from different countries and backgrounds to see themselves as agents of positive change, capable of contributing to their communities by caring for nature. Boost leadership, teamwork, project-management, intercultural communication and civic competences. 4. Promote cross-border cooperation and knowledge exchange - bring together participants from different EU countries, enabling sharing of diverse national experiences regarding forests, conservation policies, sustainable land use, and habitat protection, so they can learn from each other and adapt good practices locally. 5. Encourage long-term and sustainable local impact - support participants to design and implement follow-up ecological activities in their home communities (forest protection, biodiversity monitoring, environmental education, habitat restoration) that continue beyond the Youth Exchange. 6. Increase social inclusion and intercultural solidarity through ecology - use a shared cause (biodiversity and ecosystem protection) to unite young native and immigrant youth, building mutual respect, cooperation, and common responsibility for nature, regardless of background. 7. Support broader EU biodiversity and environmental goals - contribute to reversing biodiversity decline, safeguard natural habitats, support sustainable land use, and align with EU directives and the broader goal of preserving Europe’s natural heritage for future generations.