Europe today is marked by strong and creative tension between the global and the local. While it operates as a single free-trade common market, it also consists of nations, regions and localities, highly diversified in history, culture, language and resources. Furthermore, European reality consists of multiplicity of local economies, initiatives and small enterprises. We believe the future - which deeply concerns young people - will reinforce the local, especially its capacity of sustainable development and fruitful collaboration. As means of creating a youth platform of voices and perspectives on sustainable community development in contemporary Europe, we will organize a 11 days multilateral youth exchange entitled 'Think Outside the Box - Think Sustainable', taking place 15th-26th September 2014 in Kostanjevica na Krki, Slovenia. The exchange will bring together agents of small scale local communities who are making a real impact by joining together and working collaboratively. Whether in the fields of ethical/social enterpreneurs, handcrafts, local heritage, recycle and re-use, organic farming and food systems, it is within these initiatives that lies the power of producing broader environmental and social benefits. 40 young participants from Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, UK and Slovenia will compare models and methods of ngo’s that work for the benefits of sustainable development. We will exchange best practice in order to implement it in our local environment for continuous benefit. The exchange will address the following issues and panel discussions through which we will learn: Conscious consuming (how to form a community that supports short food chains, healthy lifestyle and environmentaly conscious eating habits, as the idea of buying products from the local growers); Guerilla marketing: (we will develop communication skills and creativity, learning how to use guerilla marketing in ngo’s to multiply impact of our activities and work); Local food supply (we will learn how to develop a succesfull and sustainable system of quality and ethical food production, distribution, consumption and disposal, in a way that would empower young unemployed people, vulnerable groups, small farms, thus contribute to rural communities development); Active citizenship (we will tackle present EU situation of communities that work for the benefits of sustainable development: the recognition by EU governments and impact of its regulations, the challenges of Lisbon treaty and Europe 2020 strategy); Economy for the common good (alternatives of working towards the common good and cooperation instead of profit-orientation and competition - alternative currencies, community supported agriculture, swapping, exchanging, sharing …). To attrack local community, wider audience and the media, thus ensuring visibility, we will organize open workshops where ‘theory meets practice’ and everybody get a chance to participate. We will learn to cook from healthy raw ingredients - local fruit, vegetables and grain - that are cheap or even for free if we follow the seasons and its abundances. We will learn about superfood - herbs - that grows wildly in our meadows, forests and backyards and how to make most of it. We will make jam from abundant fruit, and bake bread to go with it. We will organize a vegetable swap. We will take the tour to local wineyards and get to know the heritage of wine-making. We will organize morning yoga by the river, enjoy the evening folk dance session and play music in the street. Youth exchange will help us gain competences on how to overcome poverty and strenghten local economies by engaging local community. In a kind and positive way, we will target politicians and decision-makers in local/ regional environment. We aim to stimulate and assist those who wish to create, or who already manage/contribute to, local community systems throughout Europe, be they organisers, ngo’s, consumers or the media, while inspiring and educating society to move towards sustainable future.