The project “A.C.T.I.O.N! – Acquisition of Competences to Improve Opportunities Now!” is going to take place in the small rural village of Brtonigla, in Istria region (Croatia) where the head office of LDA is located, Brtonigla. Because of the particular ethnic structure of Verteneglio, the NGO Local Democracy Agency (LDA) was founded in 1996 to support multiculturality and cohabitation of all different ethnic groups historically living on these lands as a way to reinforce either the local democracy or the institutions of the local autonomies.With the recent entrance of Croatia in the EU family, today this rural society it requires more than ever improvement in specific areas, such as respect of EU's democratic values and is committed to promoting them. By taking in consideration that today we are living in an extremely changing society, we need more than ever to sensitise local communities to respect other cultures and grow up in a mutual respect of others. Taking in consideration all those facts, the presence of international volunteers in a small rural area such as Brtonigla become essential to increase the awareness of the local population about European values, cultural understanding and understanding of global issues.Besides, the project “A.C.T.I.O.N! – Acquisition of Competences to Improve Opportunities Now!” aims to improve young people's entry into the labour market through integrated action such as improve their key competences and skills, with particular regard to their contribution to a cohesive society. By taking part in the project activities volunteers will promote the participation in democratic life in Europe, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity, in particular through the implementation of activities on local level. Special moments during the project implementation will be dedicated to increase foreign language competences of the volunteers and to the promotion of the European Voluntary Service and the Erasmus+ programme among Croatian youth, especially those living and acting in rural/isolated areas. Furthermore, activities will be organised in order to promote multilingualism (as main characteristic of the Istria region, where LDA is located) and the learning of different foreign languages as is one of the cornerstones of the European project and a powerful symbol of the EU's aspiration to be united in diversity.The project will involve 4 volunteers from Czech republic, Germany, Italy and FYR of Macedonia. The service will take place in Brtonigla and surroundings from September 2016 until July 2017. The countries have been selected on purpose, to include young people from both European Member states and non EU Countries. LDA places importance on gender balance, therefore two female and two male volunteers will be selected. The volunteers are not expected to have previous similar experience, but it is important that they are motivated and interested in the project activities, and be between the age of 18 and 30.Through the implementation of the project, volunteers will be able to choose their activities, based on their interests and needs. They will be able to work in the LDA office and assist in the project preparation and organization, do general administrative work, prepare and organize activities for the promotion of Erasmus + programs and EVS. They will also have the opportunity to cooperate with local bodies and institutions such as the Municipality in Novigrad/Buje, the Italian and Croatian Elementary schools, High Schools, The Italian Communities in Buje, Brtonigla or Umag etc., and organize events for the promotion of EVS and Erasmus+ programs. The activities will take place during the week, not more than six hours per day.General activities will take place during the week, not more than six hours per day. The methodology used will be a mixture of informal and formal learning. They will also have formal language training (Croatian and Italian) twice per week. However, by communicating with the local population they will be able to learn the language in a spontaneous, informal way. Another informal way of gaining competences will be their immersion in the activities, some of which they have no previous experience in, therefore learning about their own personal capabilities and limitations.By the end of the project the volunteers will have gained new language and professional skills, increased their intercultural knowledge, created international contacts and networks etc. This project is also targeted at the local youth in Istria as well as the general public, and it is expected that by its completion it will contribute greatly to the spreading of the awareness on European issues, programs and opportunities. It is also expected to develop the local capacities, develop international cooperation, thus assisting in the development at a local, national and international level.