By implementing the project “EU Youth Capitals – Creative Youth Work for Civic Activism”, we aim to achieve a real and long-term change in the way youth work reaches young people and engages them as active participants in social and civic life. The project seeks to strengthen the knowledge and competences of youth workers and to reinforce their role as key intermediaries between young people, communities and democratic processes, especially within the complex and often contradictory context of European cities and the European Youth Capitals framework. From a youth work perspective, the project focuses on addressing an increasingly visible challenge: the gap between the existence of formal opportunities for participation and the actual willingness and motivation of young people to engage in them. In many cities, including those with experience or ambitions related to the title of European Youth Capital, there are programmes, structures and initiatives that are theoretically open to all, but in practice reach only a relatively small group of already active and engaged young people. Our project aims to change this reality by focusing on reaching inactive, sceptical or marginalised youth communities and by developing creative forms of participation that are meaningful, accessible and closely connected to young people’s everyday realities. The main objective of the project is to support youth workers in developing and applying bolder, more flexible and more inclusive practices for civic participation. This involves both acquiring new methods and building professional confidence to work in uncertain and dynamic environments, to recognise different barriers to participation – social, economic, cultural or psychological – and to turn these challenges into starting points for action rather than excuses for disengagement. The project will contribute to youth workers feeling encouraged to experiment, step beyond established formats and create spaces where young people are first listened to and then empowered to act and take responsibility. An important focus of the project is also the quality of relationships between youth workers and young people. The project aims to promote a more conscious and sensitive approach to youth work, based on trust, continuity and respect for diverse life paths. This is particularly important when working with young people who have had negative experiences with institutions or who do not identify themselves as “active citizens”, but who nevertheless need spaces where their voices matter. A specific objective of the project is to strengthen the connection between youth work and the urban environment. Within the context of the European Youth Capitals, the city is seen not merely as a backdrop for activities, but as an active resource for learning, participation and community change. The project aims to support youth workers in developing skills to use urban spaces, local issues and ongoing processes as entry points for engaging young people and for translating European values into concrete local actions that matter to communities here and now. Another key objective is to enhance the quality and sustainability of youth work through cooperation and exchange of experience between cities and organisations at different stages of the European Youth Capitals process. The project creates a space in which accumulated experience can be shared honestly – including challenges, mistakes and missed opportunities – and used as a resource for better planning, more realistic expectations and more inclusive youth policies in the future.