The project is being proposed against a need to create greater understanding amongst young people the multicultural societies in which they live. With partners in Romania, The Wharton Trust in Hartlepool wishes to use this activity to significantly improve local relations and change perceptions of young people about migration and their own diverse history. Our participants are drawn from our youth service and face extreme deprivation, living in an area of the top 2% most deprived neighbourhoods n England. Many are at risk of exclusion and have chaotic personal and family lives. In addition to giving them a greater outlook on the word, the project aims to provide a significant non formal learning experience through a range of methods during an outgoing exchange to Romania and an incoming visit in Hartlepool. Each visit will include 14 young people from each partner. Our mutual objectives are: - to break down barriers between young people from different nationalities - to bring cultural awareness, understanding and tolerance of cultural differences and young people from other countries - to bring young people together through 2 exchange activities through a programme of non formal learning which can have an impact on their wider aspirations and learning experience to offset some of the many problems they face as a result of significant deprivation - to give young people the chance to see that whilst different they have many things in common and that the problems they face are faced by other young people in other EU member states - and as a result to boost solidarity between young people from different backgrounds and promote social cohesion - to allow each side to learn ways of engaging with young people and find new ways of delivering youth services in the longer term The activities carried out in each visit will focus on multiculturalism, building friendships and breaking down barriers. Activity will be delivered through individual speaking, group work, using arts and sport as a means to build confidence and work as a team, educational visits of multicultural and historic significance as well as a significant amount of debate and discussion backed up with periods for reflection to understand personal achievements. We hope that through this activity we can not only give young people new learning experiences and improve their life chances and wider educational achievements but that these experiences will stay with them for the rest of their lives. In achieving the personal aims we also expect to be able through this activity to significantly change young peoples perceptions of the European Union, migration and promote through the network of families with which we also work, a multiplier effect which can have the same impact on the wider community within which we operate.