The “AnimAction Lab” project was designed to equip youth workers with the skills and confidence to use creative media—particularly video and animation—as tools for inclusion, empowerment, and civic engagement. It emerged as a response to pressing needs in the youth sector: increasing social diversity, the persistent exclusion of youth with fewer opportunities, and the growing relevance of digital storytelling in education and activism. Our main objective was to provide a structured and impactful learning journey for youth workers across Europe to master storytelling through media with a strong ethical, inclusive, and participatory approach. We aimed to develop both their technical capacities (videomaking, animation, editing, scripting) and their pedagogical awareness regarding inclusion, representation, accessibility, and co-creation with marginalized youth. The project was built around several interconnected objectives: Empower youth workers with creative media tools for use in non-formal education with a particular focus on working with young people with fewer opportunities—including those with disabilities, those from marginalized communities, or from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Promote the use of ethical and inclusive storytelling as a method for increasing empathy, breaking down stereotypes, and amplifying unheard voices through short films and animations rooted in personal and community narratives. Provide hands-on learning experiences, combining training courses, local dissemination tasks, and final outputs, to ensure that participants not only learn but apply their skills in practice and mentor others. Strengthen European cooperation and exchange of good practices, creating a durable network of youth workers and NGOs sharing methodologies, tools, and results long after the project’s completion. The activities were structured as a two-part training programme, separated by a practical local phase. The first training focused on the foundations of video and animation storytelling for inclusion. The second training brought participants back together to produce their own films, building on their earlier learning and integrating skills mapped during the interim period. Between the two trainings, participants: Engaged in local dissemination actions to test and transfer what they had learned; Completed an idea form outlining their planned short film and describing the specific skills they were bringing to their project group. Each training was followed by reflection, using tools such as Youthpass and redactor groups, to help participants assess their learning and prepare to pass on their knowledge. A particularly strong component was the use of personal and community storytelling as a way to foster visibility, social engagement, and creative activism. We also sought to address inequality in professional development opportunities by providing high-quality non-formal education to youth workers in under-resourced settings. Participants were not only trained but guided to become multipliers—using their experience to empower others through media. The outcomes exceeded expectations in several areas: High-quality short films were developed in the second training and showcased in a public exhibition involving the local community in Ivancice. The group successfully co-created new tools and learning strategies in redactor groups, leading to long-term collaboration potential. The training’s structure—with a strong local phase and redactor group methodology—proved particularly effective in encouraging ownership, peer learning, and sustainability. The community engagement dimension (e.g. the public exhibition) fostered real-world validation of results. AnimAction Lab was designed as more than a training—it became a movement for ethical media creation, youth participation, and inclusive storytelling. It met and, in some areas, exceeded its objectives, fostering deep reflection, practical impact, and sustained cooperation.