At the outset of the project, we aimed to address a specific and context‑driven need identified in the project proposal: the lack of practical, innovative tools for youth workers in the Western Balkans to engage young people in discussions on sensitive topics such as conflict, identity, stereotypes, and reconciliation. In societies still shaped by the legacy of the conflicts of the 1990s, youth workers often face significant challenges in facilitating constructive and safe dialogue around these issues. The project was therefore designed to respond to this gap by introducing literature and storytelling as structured and replicable tools for peacebuilding and the promotion of EU values. The core objective of the project was to strengthen the capacities of youth workers to address complex social themes through non-formal education. More specifically, the project aimed to equip participants with concrete methods based on literary analysis, storytelling, and creative expression, enabling them to facilitate dialogue, reflection, and understanding among young people. In addition, the project sought to foster regional cooperation and mutual understanding among youth workers from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia, recognising that shared learning and intercultural exchange are essential in post-conflict contexts. The implementation of the project confirms that these objectives have been successfully achieved. Through the training activity and subsequent project phases, participants developed both knowledge and practical competences in using literature and storytelling as tools for addressing peace, non-violence, identity, and intercultural dialogue. Importantly, they also reported increased confidence in dealing with topics that are often perceived as sensitive or challenging in their local environments, which directly corresponds to the capacity-building goals defined in the project proposal. A particularly strong aspect of the project was the diversity of the group, bringing together participants from countries with different historical narratives and perspectives. This diversity created a safe and structured environment for dialogue, enabling participants to critically reflect, exchange experiences, and challenge stereotypes. As a result, the project not only contributed to professional development, but also to personal transformation and increased intercultural understanding. Beyond capacity building, the project also aimed to ensure sustainability and long-term impact. This objective was achieved through the implementation of follow-up workshops in local communities, where participants transferred the acquired knowledge and methods to young people, as well as through the development of a digital manual capturing the methodologies tested during the project. These outputs ensure that the results of the project go beyond the initial training activity and can be further disseminated, replicated, and adapted in different contexts. Overall, the project remained fully aligned with its initial objectives as defined in the application, while in practice it also exceeded expectations in terms of the depth of learning, participant engagement, and practical application of results. What was initially defined as a set of objectives evolved into a meaningful and transformative learning process, generating both individual and broader impact within participating organisations and local communities.