Five hundred participants. Eight years. A pipeline bigger than ever. This spring, IC-YEC crossed a milestone we set for ourselves back in 2022: 500 young people reached through our projects. It is a number built one application form, one project week, one Youthpass at a time — across youth exchanges, training courses, and volunteering placements in Poland, Georgia, Armenia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, France, and beyond. Every one of them participated for free. That will not change. We have launched new open calls for 2026, starting with 'Create & Regulate' — a youth exchange in Zakopane, Poland (October 5–12, 2026). The project places creativity and emotional regulation at its centre: participants will use art, digital self-expression tools, and Canva portfolio workshops to explore how creative processes can build emotional resilience. Twenty-five spots are available across European partner countries. Applications are open now. Running in parallel, the multi-phase 'Touch of the Arts' training course continues its arc across France, Spain, Greece, and Armenia — an 80-participant Erasmus+ project that is using art as a thread across four countries and two years. The Armenia phase, held in Tsaghkadzor, brought the project full circle to where IC-YEC started. We are also preparing 'Find the Balance,' a mental health and movement-focused youth exchange heading to Bakuriani, Georgia in June, and continuing our role as Masterpeace Armenia representatives, with local events connecting young Armenians to the global network throughout the year. Eight years ago, a small group of Armenians came back from Erasmus+ exchanges convinced that non-formal learning across borders was one of the most powerful tools for growth that exists. Five hundred participants later, we are more convinced than ever. Thank you for being part of this story — and for helping us write the next chapter.