Ritual Beyond Roots is a participatory theatre training project for youth workers, aimed at intercultural dialogue and community building. It uses Sensory Labyrinth Theatre to explore the rituals, rites, myths and traditions of people from different cultural, social and geographical groups coming together as an ad-hoc community, and to create a representation through performance that is accessible and speaks out to the larger community.The Erasmus+ key action of the Ritual Beyond Roots project proposes to bring different people together and to explore the various rituals that they bring with them, and the differences, similarities and connections that these carry. The project participants will be 20 youth workers who can then multiply this method in their field and in their local communities.We will explore rituals related to the life cycle, that is birth (creation), childhood, rites of passage linked with coming of age, love/marriage/union and death and rebirth. In our lives we perform rituals, undertake rites of passage, and follow traditions and customs; however, some of them may have lost their meaning and we subsequently lose the sense of community that comes from understanding them. Moreover, some rituals have taken contemporary forms or have been replaced by new ones. Societies are also increasingly diverse, necessitating a re-appreciation of the significance of differing socio-cultural rituals. As such, exploring and learning about these practices can provide fertile ground for growing intercultural awareness and inclusion. Furthermore, we consider that looking into rituals may yield insight into the past that could provide a symbolic framework for making sense of present experience.The objectives of the project are:- exploring the use of Sensory Labyrinth Theatre as an effective strategy for intercultural dialogue, and towards the active involvement and benefit of communities, in particular young people and disadvantaged groups;- bringing together people from different (cultural, linguistic, etc.) backgrounds, for a greater understanding and responsiveness to social, linguistic and cultural diversity;- raise participants' awareness and understanding of other cultures and countries, offering them the opportunity to build networks of international contacts, to actively participate in society and develop a sense of identity;- improving youth work methods and practices by expanding the participants' repertoire of techniques to work creatively with groups;- broadening understanding of Participatory Arts practices, in education, training or youth work across countries.The training programme is designed on the basis of experiential learning. All participants will thus be actively involved in the process of learning and creating, both individually and collectively.The project methodology centers on Sensory Labyrinth Theatre (SLT), a form of live immersive performance in which the audience is invited to experience the piece from within through a sensorial journey devised by the performers. In an SLT performance individual audience members travel through a darkened three-dimensional labyrinth and along the way encounter moments with the performers/inhabitants of the labyrinth, leading to an awakening of the senses and a heightened sense of presence and connection.An SLT training involves the following: an exploration of the body as a site for memory, imagination and transformation, representing our personal stories and lived experience as installation, and discovering the sensory possibilities of (theatrical) space beyond the visual and the traditional stage.The project will give participants the opportunity to build upon an already existing network of Participatory Arts practitioners, and to multiply the methodology in their local contexts, for the active engagement and benefit of communities, in particular young people and disadvantaged groups.At a local, as well as a regional level, the project offers an opportunity for intercultural exchange and an appreciation for diversity, as it brings people from different countries and communities in touch with one another through the training and the resulting public performance. Furthermore, the performance as a form of immersive theatre can inspire rediscovering meanings and memories regarding social and cultural rituals, which in turn hold potential for rebuilding community and encouraging social inclusion.At a national and European level, we are planning to propose the implementation of the Ritual Beyond Roots project to cultural associations connected to cultural heritage and intercultural awareness in all partner countries.Overall, it is hoped that the project will expand the current move towards non-formal and interactive learning and contribute to innovative strategies for promoting intercultural dialogue being employed in Europe and internationally, leading to the building of a global active and creative community.