The proposed project "CROSSING BOUNDARIES: YOUTH ENGAGEMENT THROUGH DEBATE" is a natural follow-up of the previous projects. It will have a form of a multilateral exchange for young people (secondary school and university students) with a goal of providing young people from EU, Eastern Partnership countries and Russia an opportunity to get to know each other, learn about their countries/communities’ modern realities, explore and discuss contentious and controversial issues related to their participation in civic life through organizing groups, campaigning using the advocacy skills and rhetoric and discussion methods such as debate.The proposed Project will use the methodology of advocacy and debate to aim at achieving the following objectives:• Developing or improving the level of key competences and skills of young people necessary for active citizenship and participation in democratic life of their respective countries;• Creating an environment conducive of young people’s interaction and mutual exchange of experiences; • Providing young people with an opportunity to discuss issues affecting their lives in their respective countries and their communities as well as to share the best practices of their interests articulation and convincing the policymakers and/or decision-makers in their point of view; • Establish contacts and interact with members of each other’s communities through the following possible interventions: community service, arts, citizen journalism, etc. The two main activities of the Project are: Advance Planning Visit (Activity No 1) and the Exchange (Activity No 2). During the exchange, 32 students and 6 youth leaders from seven partner organizations representing six nations will be placed into mixed teams and will be given the task of preparing position papers, policy briefs as well as lobbying projects on the controversial issues related to civic participation and engagement . As a result, the project will give support to the lobbying initiatives of young people, allowing them to benefit from partner organizations expertise in youth work. All the ideas and lobby work will be done by the participants themselves. The key staff and trainers from partner organizations will merely facilitate and coach them making these lobbies truly youth driven and youth owned. After the Exchange, the cases will be transcribed, the debates will be filmed and be shown in all the participating communities and for general public on a project social media groups that will also provide background and other information on civic engagement in English and Russian.We do believe that at the end of the project we will have 32 young people who will be skilled, motivated and enthusiastic to actively participate in their communities as leaders, initiating and organizing groups of youth for different projects, from cleaning the neighbourhood to organizing public discussions/debates on their community related issues at their school, local municipality, university or some other public space. We strongly believe that these young people will become youth leaders who will directly benefit their communities in the long run.