Currently we see antidemocratic tendencies on the rise in Europe and beyond. Discourses aiming to instil fear, to divide society and to create scapegoats are becoming serious dangers to democracy. While mass media and social media filter bubbles are focussing in an exaggerated way on migration/refugees and fall for the agenda-setting of populist parties, socio-economic inequality increases outside that narrow-focused spotlight. In such times, we see an increasing need to connect young people across national borders, socio-economic and cultural groups, and to develop common visions.

“The ROOTS & ROUTES Experience” (RRXP) is a series of international exchange projects that started in Germany in 2008; the most recent one, RRXP17, won the Young Europe Award at Jugendkulturpreis NRW 2018. There, the jury called RRXP “the perfect concept to strengthen awareness for and cohesion in Europe”.