The Next EUth – Youth Exchange was designed to respond to a clear need identified within European youth work practice: the difficulty of maintaining young people’s engagement in democratic life after electoral moments, particularly in the post–European Elections 2024 period. In many contexts, young people participate sporadically through voting but do not perceive themselves as active and continuous actors in democratic processes. From a youth work perspective, this reality often results from the lack of accessible, participatory and meaningful spaces where young people can understand, experience and exercise European citizenship in a concrete way. The overall objective of the project is to empower young people as active, critical and informed citizens, strengthening their connection to the European Union and to their local communities. To achieve this, Next EUth creates an educational environment based on non-formal education, where young people are protagonists of their own learning processes and agents of change, in line with the principles of European youth work. One of the core objectives is to promote active citizenship and democratic participation beyond voting. Through youth work methodologies such as simulations of the European Parliament, structured dialogues with decision-makers, role plays and creative democracy labs, participants will be able to understand and experience decision-making, debate and negotiation processes. This experiential approach allows young people to develop key competences such as critical thinking, effective communication, cooperation, negotiation, civic responsibility and informed decision-making. Another fundamental objective is to increase young people’s knowledge of the European Union, its institutions, values, policies and programmes. Many young people remain unaware of opportunities such as Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps or DiscoverEU, as well as of the impact of EU policies in areas such as youth, employment, sustainability, social inclusion and digital transition. The project aims to address this gap through interactive quizzes, thematic workshops and contact with experts, using participatory methods and accessible language. Strengthening European identity and the sense of belonging is another key objective. Through intercultural youth work, Next EUth creates spaces for reflection where young people are encouraged to question what it means to be a European citizen and to relate EU values — democracy, solidarity, diversity, inclusion and fundamental rights — to their local realities. Activities such as My Europe, Our Europe and the celebration of Europe Day further reinforce this identity dimension. A cross-cutting objective of the project is to ensure the effective inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. Through specific measures of preparation, mentoring and follow-up, Next EUth guarantees the equitable participation of young people from rural areas, vulnerable backgrounds or facing other barriers. This approach strengthens youth work practices based on equity, active listening and methodological adaptation. At a methodological level, the project aims to enhance the quality and innovation of youth work, applying approaches such as World Café, Design Thinking, gamification and simulations. The creation of the EUth Media Hub Junior will allow young people to use digital communication as a tool for active citizenship, producing videos, podcasts and digital campaigns, while strengthening media literacy and ethical, responsible communication skills. From a community perspective, Next EUth seeks to connect youth work with local communities. The organisation of the Next EUth Fair, open to the local community, will enable the presentation of project results to schools, associations, municipalities and citizens, demonstrating the concrete impact of youth work. Local follow-up actions will ensure the multiplication of learning outcomes. Finally, the project aims to ensure sustainability and continuity, empowering young people as multipliers and strengthening cooperation between partner organisations. The methodologies tested will be integrated into future Erasmus+ projects, consolidating quality practices within European youth work.