A Remedy for Youth Unemployment – the dual training and education system in Germany as a chance for Europa Organiser: Europabaum e.V. Donzdorf (Germany) 17.07. – 26.07 2015. After participating in the youth exchange meeting in Calasparra in 2013 on the theme of youth unemployment, the young people from Germany appeared very concerned. At the time a resolve towards support and a call for greater solidarity was already developing. With our project we now wanted to translate the words into deeds. In partnership with the German participants Europabaum wanted to motivate young people aged between 14 and 18 years to become mobile and to come to Germany for training and if need be to remain here. We invited them to the EU Youth Exchange in Donzdorf to present to them ways in which they can improve their situation in life. Explaining and describing the successful German model of dual vocational training (including the Cooperative State University) played a central role in this. The main aim of our project was to give the young people a better understanding of the dual education system by means of the various activities we have selected and using methods of informal learning. We made contacts with employers, visited training centres in industry, trade and service as well as the career information centre (BIZ) of the Göppingen employment agency. The young people got to know both sides of the dual education system – school or college and company. They could talk to and put questions to trainees or students and to training instructors (entrepreneurs and teachers) as well as to politicians, trade union representatives, the IHK (Chamber of Industry and Commerce), the HWK (Chamber of Handicrafts) and church organisations. The young people also had the opportunity to gain practical experience by getting a feel for operational processes over the course of two mornings. In a workshop on the Thursday a synopsis was compiled and in addition a joint closing declaration (charter) was drawn up. The young peaople put questions on it to the mayors respectively to their substitutes and to regional politicians.The subsequent closing festivities was organised with the involvement of the young participants. As part of the Donzdorf town festival on 25.07/26.07 the groups presented to the wider public the results of their work, using wall charts, on the shared stall. A mixed team took part in the town sprint race and presented songs and dances typical of their country on the stages set up for the festival. In addition an excursion to the Daimler-Museum was offered. The participants was shown Donzdorf and the local area during a Stauferland tour. The youth exchange was well rounded by a sports programme (football, swimming), a Bowling evening, a Barbecue an the closing Festival with the delivery of the youthpasses.