Poor school performance and early school leaving are obstacles to economic growth and employment. They hamper productivity and competitiveness, and fuel poverty and social exclusion. Nowadays, Europe is facing a high number of unemployed young people. The consequences of high unemployment are not merely economic, but Europe also risks a “lost generation” of young people that, as they cannot participate in society, result in low self-esteem, low motivation and even radicalisation of thoughts and cynicism. It is a threat to the personal development of these young people as well as society and Europe as a whole. We carried out this youth exchange because we believe that it is important for young people – as well as for the future of Europe – to be inspired to learn, to develop their talents, skills and attitudes towards themselves and towards the society. Young people with poor school performance and early school-leavers should be inspired and empowered to develop the sense of youth initiative, entrepreneurship and employability. The participating partner organisations were from the UK, Russia, Azerbaijan and Portugal. They came to Ufa, Russia for the Advance Planning Visit and for the 10 days youth exchange. The participants of the exchange were 14 young people with poor school performance/early school-leavers and 2 group leaders from each of the participating organisations. The project was scheduled in such a way that they were able to communicate while creating drafts of their own projects. By finding something in common they strengthened their European links for further cooperation. The sending organisations supported them in realisation of these projects. This exchange facilitated the sense of youth initiative, entrepreneurship and employability of young people with poor school performance and early school-leavers. We used the inspiration elements in order to encourage participants of this exchange to think innovatively about the ways of active participation in the labour market. This youth exchange provided the young people with creative, adaptable tools and inspiration to increase the sense of youth initiative, entrepreneurship and employability. This aspect of thinking opened up new opportunities, gave way to an array of creative solutions and helped to rethink the existing obstacles that hindered the achievement of the desired educational outcomes. To implement this plan we used non-formal education methods and activities (such as outdoor work, experiential learning, and community interaction). This included: a study visit to a local Youth Centre who were actively dealing with the issues of empowerment and employability of young people; workshops and discussion groups where the participants shared their ideas led by facilitators to bring home lots of valuable experiences and use them in their everyday life, and etc. These methods enabled the young people to fully participate in the learning process. Learning from experience was a fundamental pillar in the way of facilitating the project. The exchange focused on key aspects of non-formal education like the participant-centred approach. The process was adapted to the participants’ needs and motivations as well as the group’s work rhythm. This youth exchange was aimed at implementing an inspiring, active and creative space for the development of new ideas and exploring possibilities for the young people. This empowerment of young people led to them being inspired, motivated and confident enough to be creative, to develop and to learn. In this exchange we linked this with youth initiative, entrepreneurship and employability in a step-by-step approach. This exchange brought confidence to young people with poor school performance and early school-leavers to continue education and practice active participation in the labour market.