Through the youth exchange “Human Rights in Focus: Empowering Migrant Youth to Advocate for Freedoms”, we set out to empower young people – with a particular focus on youth from migrant backgrounds – to explore, understand and defend the core European values of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The project responded to rising nationalism, misinformation, hate speech and social polarisation across Europe, and to the fact that many young people, especially from migrant families, are unaware of their rights and disconnected from the European project. The objectives the project pursued were: to strengthen participants’ awareness and understanding of EU values and human rights through interactive, non-formal learning; to empower migrant youth as human rights advocates by developing critical-thinking and advocacy skills to recognise and challenge discrimination and misinformation; to foster inclusion and active citizenship through intercultural dialogue and solidarity among a diverse group; to connect theoretical rights with everyday life through real encounters with civil society and local institutions; and to create a lasting impact through peer education, follow-up initiatives and a collaboratively produced “Human Rights in Focus” booklet. All of these objectives were achieved.