Peer-Leader-International encourages youths and adults from different cultures, social background and lifestyles to get to know each other, exchange and learn from each other by developing projects for a sustainable local development.The international cooperation stimulates the recognition of global interdependence and a change of perspective on the local environment. Young non-privileged youths are supported in discovering political topics and participate in social and/or political decision-making processes. Along the way the youths gain important competences for the labour market, too: self-confidence, teamwork, project management, initiative. The Peer-Leader Academy with peer-leaders from different locations strives to strengthen the group and the network itself. Therefore the main topic of the youth meeting is the identity of Peer-Leader International as a youth initiative. The individual benefit for the participants as well as the role of the initiative in Europe and the world are defined. At the end the participants create a mission statement which all partners can identify with. Further common projects are planned and the use of social media for communication is reflected upon. The get-together has two parts. In the beginning one/two guest-groups visit the German partners in Barnstorf/Syke and Ostrhauderfehn. The youths explore the local context and previous Peer-Leader activities of the partners. In the second part all groups meet in a youth education center. The common programme starts with an exchange about the first days. Afterwards the participants work on key-questions in a pre-structured process, before they organise in small working groups to work on self-given tasks. The results will be put together to a written mission statement but also in an abstract way as artistic self-presentation. As a final step all groups plan local activities, whereby they focus on the benefit the international partners might bring in, as well as common, cross-country activities. The Peer-Leader Academy will contribute to youth participation locally, in Europe and in the cooperation with neighbouring countries.