In 2009 Opera Circus began to develop a long term series of youth and school's exchanges, cultural and arts programmes between Dorset UK and the Srebrenica region. The youth participants from these communities realised that they had many of the same problems. High youth unemployment, 67% in Srebrenica, 27% in Dorset, very low wages when jobs were found, no higher educational facilities nearby, difficulty in finding somewhere to live in the same area due to cost and a sense of isolation from the rest of the world due to living in semi rural and rural environments. Young people in these communities can also suffer from high levels of abuse, poverty, crime, drug and alcohol related problems. In Srebrenica, there is the hangover from the genocide and high levels of PTSD. As a result of this need a number of partners in the UK began to develop projects together with partners through the work of Opera Circus in the Balkan region. One of the projects was, Simply Human, the final event in the highly successful EU Cultural Project Wake Up. http://www.operacircus.co.uk/wp/2012/05/08/simply-human-success-750000-heard-about-us/ This led to a number of other youth projects both in Srebrenica and Dorset including http://www.operacircus.co.uk/wp/2013/04/02/like-a-film-in-my-mind-youth-in-action-programme/ and a youth in action job shadowing programme linking youth centres. As a result of this learning process along with the current economic and political climate in Europe, Opera Circus suggested to the partners and participants, a new programme of work. The Complete Freedom of Truth - Youth Theatre and the Creative Arts, is the beginning of a long term process designed to use cultural and arts activities to provide skills training and cultural awareness for young people through creativity. The project aims to raise consciousness and encourage a vision of an equal, inclusive and truly democratic society. The project will be led through a process of non formal learning, combining the highest quality of cultural and arts practice, inspired and facilitated by highly gifted and experienced partners, practitioners and artists. There are 56 participants in total from a range of youth centres and youth theatre groups, 32 of whom are socially disadvantaged young people with 9 less-abled young artists. Together we will also explore a 5 year plan of youth activities. OC is delighted to welcome its first Romanian partner. This is highly significant for OC as in 1995 the company was invited to tour Romania with the British Council. "Shameless" their current music theatre production, directed by David Glass, was a great success in Bucharest, Cluj, Brasov and other cities in Romania. More importantly the OC artists gained immense respect for Romanian artists and their culture and at the time said that it was in Romania that they grew up as artists. With Romania becoming a full member of the EU, whose people can now travel freely, it is important that we can contribute to the spread of knowledge, culture and history that surrounds this beautiful country, helping to combat the current spread of racism connected with their people. Our programme partners in Serbia and Bosnia have also taught us about their countries and we have learned a great deal from our active engagement with their cultures since 2004. Cultural awareness, tolerance, inclusiveness, deeper learning, understanding of the other, is at the heart of this creative process. The activities in this project include: Ways of creating change through culture and the arts- democracy and the global citizen The use of music and the creative arts to develop understanding and tolerance through cultural awareness Respect for the environment and public space Building confidence and the development of youth leadership skills Racial and ethnic tolerance Inclusion - understanding of difference - disabilities, gender, race, class, wealth/poverty Give and Gain - what you get out of life if you give Partnership development Alternative methods of finding employment, a new society - skills development, cultural activities - creating the social entrepreneur? Many highly regarded cultural commentators have written about the importance of culture to us as human beings, Francois Materasso, "To put it simply, culture is the expression of human values" http://www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk/sites/default/files/24446185-Many-Voices-by-Francois-Matarasso-2006_0.pdf Comment from a young Bosnian participant in a previous Opera Circus EU Cultural Project:- "The project had a profound impact on my life, ideas and thoughts in regard to the future of me individually and my responsibility towards the healing of my society. The demonstrated determination of the young people to fight jointly for a better future was far beyond my expectation. Tanja Dramac (24) Bosnian, MA in Political Sciences, CEU Budapest.