“I would love to know how to better differentiate between what’s AI-generated and what’s real.” - survey respondent, 19 This reflection is echoed by many young people across Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia. They already use AI in small ways, yet lack the confidence and critical know-how to use it safely and purposefully. In our September 2025 survey of 54 youths from partner communities, translation tools (45/54) and chatbots (41/54) are common entry points, but only 11/54 (20%) feel very confident using AI in school, work or daily life, and 12/54 (22%) feel not confident / not at all. Just 13/54 (24%) describe themselves as very familiar with issues like bias, deepfakes or misinformation. Motivation is high—48/54 (89%) believe AI will affect their studies or career, yet guidance is missing. The gap is sharper outside big cities: 31/54 (57%) live in small towns or rural areas, and 34/54 (63%) identify at least one fewer-opportunity factor (ex., low income, limited access, minority background, disability or low English confidence). Barriers most often cited are “too complex/intimidating” (23) and “lack of knowledge/training” (23); access constraints (6) also matter. Where young people want help is clear: everyday tasks (29), communication/language (28), studying (27) and preparing for a career (22). They also worry about jobs being replaced (30), misinformation (30) and privacy (25). A composite story from our respondents makes this concrete. “A.” is 19, from a small town. She uses Google Translate and opens a chatbot when stuck, but stops quickly: she’s unsure what to ask, worries about privacy and plagiarism, and can’t tell if the answer is biased or fake. She wants AI to help with studying, English and job applications, but her first steps feel clumsy and she has no one to guide her. “A.” is not an outlier; she is our baseline. AI is already shaping study and first-job pathways. Without accessible, ethics-first, practice-based learning, motivated youth either give up or use AI uncritically. A transnational youth exchange creates a non-formal, peer-led, intercultural environment that turns abstract AI risks into concrete, replicable behaviours for diverse learners. This project offers a short, mentored, cross-border programme that transforms casual tool use into safe, confident, real-life application, with personalised support so that place, income, or language never determine who benefits. What needs we address: Confidence & know-how: move from “I tried it once” to reliable, repeatable use for personal goals. Critical awareness & safety: recognise bias, misinformation and privacy risks and apply safeguards. Practical inclusion: close access/skills gaps for small-town/rural and FO youth. Purposeful application: translate skills into study, employability and community outputs (notes/organisers, CVs/cover letters, portfolios, civic posts). Selection is transparent and aims for at least 50% participants with fewer opportunities (FO), with self-declaration and barrier-based supports (pre-financing, buddying, translations, flexible roles). Results are monitored separately for FO/non-FO to ensure equity. Goal: To enhance the AI literacy and safe digital practices of 30 young people aged 18-26 from RO, BG and SK, achieving at least a 35% overall improvement in critical skills such as responsible use, bias/misinformation detection, privacy choices, and purposeful application by the end of the project. Objectives: O1. To increase confidence in using AI for study, work and daily life among 30 youth aged 18-26 from RO, BG and SK by engaging them in hands-on activities, so that at least 60% record at least 35% improvement on AUSA-C (Confidence & Use) between baseline and final assessments, with retention verified at six months. O2. To raise critical and safe use competences (bias detection, misinformation awareness, privacy choices) among 30 youth aged 18-26 from partner organisations in RO, BG and SK, so that at least 70% demonstrate at least 35% improvement on AUSA-S (Critical & Safe Use) between baseline and final assessments, with retention verified at six months. O3. To improve AI literacy and purposeful application among 30 youth aged 18-26 from Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia, so that at least 65% demonstrate a at least 35% improvement on AUSA-L (Literacy & Application) between baseline and final assessments, and each participant completes at least 2 personal use-cases (e.g., study aid, structured notes, CV/cover letter, portfolio or community post), with retention verified at six months. We use a single tool, the AI Use & Safety Assessment (AUSA, with three subscales (Confidence & Use, Critical & Safe Use, Literacy & Application) at baseline (first day), final (last day) and +6 months to track learning. The project's objectives are directly related to the program's general objectives and represent the program's ongoing priorities regarding youth engagement.