Sail in to our joint European futureOur activity is a 15 day international exchange on board the sailing vessel Vega Gamleby, in August and September 2016. Our voyage brings from Gothenburg (Sweden) to Blyth (The United Kingdom) and back to Gothenburg. On board we combine intercultural learning activities with sail training. These methods combined and the aid of several mentors (one from each country) will make this an intense and successful program. The 36 participants from Sweden, Malta, Denmark and the United Kingdom are in for a life changing journey towards personal development, cultural awareness and international friendship. At least half of the group will consists of youngsters facing some sort of challenge in their daily lives, be that medical problems or being economically or geographically disadvantaged. As said we will combine sail training activities with intercultural learning. The combination of these two is the strength of this program. Our general working method, both in the sail training activities as well as the intercultural learning activities, is strongly based on the principles of experiential learning. The sail training requires participants to confront many demanding challenges, both physical and emotional. It inspires self-confidence and the acceptance of personal responsibility. It promotes an acceptance of others whatever their social or cultural backgrounds, and develops a willingness to take controlled risks. Sail training includes instruction in all aspects of sailing but its purpose goes far, far beyond this. Sail training uses the experience of being at sea principally as a means to help people learn about themselves, discover hidden strengths and talents and understand the value of working as a team. Both the crew and the mentors are experienced with the Sail Training Program.The Sail Training and working/living together alone already works towards the main objectives of this project, namely given the participating youngsters the opportunity to develop themselves and learn about other cultures. To enhance this objectives even further, we will combine the Sail Training with daily intercultural learning activities, both during our time at sea and when we are in port. Example of these activities are Country Presentations, group discussions, teambuilding games and creative assignments, all executed with our general theme of a Joint European Future kept in mind.These activities help structure the things the participants are already learning from merely working together, and thus strengthen their learning experience. They are not only being told about certain aspects of a country in for example the Country Presentations, but also experience the difference on a daily basis and when exploring the cities and cultures of Gothenburg and Blyth Combining the practical Sail Training with the exchange activities also makes for a wide range of challenges and possibilities for the participants to develop themselves. Climbing a mast might be no big deal for some, but may be for them giving a talk about their country is a very big challenge. This way, we cater for all and maximize everybody’s learning outcome.Participants are expected to improve their team working skills and become more aware of their abilities, strengths and weaknesses, both physically, mentally and linguistically, thus increasing their self-confidence and improving their social skills. Because of the culturally diverse environment of the exchange, participants will grow awareness for cultural differences and similarities, and understanding for differences in values and norms. For example, the contact and living with a person with some sort of physical disability or someone from a really remote area really changes the opinion of youngsters that have never met people with such backgrounds before. When the participants return home after the exchange, their respective organizations and the others within that organization will see their progress. Their newly acquired competences will not only benefit themselves, but also the members of the partner organizations. After similar previous exchanges, it turned out that many former participants stay active in organizing projects and programs for themselves and other young people, for example by becoming mentors.It is to be expected that the development of the participants will last for a long time, which is likely to inspire the participants to be more internationally active, seek for ways to inspire others or to be more involved in international organizations or communities.