The projects main objectives were to: 1. Research and explore perspectives of vulnerability in project partner countries 2. Raise awareness about the diversity of vulnerable youth 3. Empower vulnerable youth to speak up and share their stories 4. Educate youth workers in their work with vulnerable youth and how to empower them through storytelling To achieve this, the project aimed to carry out qualitative research capturing the voices and lived experiences of young people facing structural exclusion. These insights would form the basis for a co-created curriculum for youth workers and peer educators, offering adaptable, trauma-informed tools for supporting self-expression, resilience, and active participation. In parallel, the project intended to build a multilingual digital platform as a long-term space for collecting and sharing personal stories. The platform would promote empathy and inclusion by presenting youth narratives within an accessible, visually engaging environment. By combining research, practice, and digital tools, TALE sought to shift how vulnerability is perceived—centering youth voices and building the capacities of those who support them.
The TALE project was designed to address the lack of inclusive, participatory, and trauma-sensitive tools for working with vulnerable youth. Both partner organisations identified a need for structured methods that would allow young people, particularly those facing systemic barriers (such as NEET status, care experience, or ethnic discrimination), to express their stories, reclaim their narratives, and participate in shaping public discourse. The project aimed to empower these youth by using storytelling as a tool for self-reflection, communication, and social advocacy, while also providing youth workers with methodologies grounded in active listening, ethics, and peer-based learning. TALE also sought to contribute to wider societal change by challenging prevailing narratives around vulnerability and encouraging empathy, dignity, and solidarity. At the organisational level, the project responded to the need for sustainable, research-informed resources, the expansion of peer-led approaches, and the strengthening of transnational cooperation in the youth sector.