Europe’s digital transformation is advancing at unprecedented speed, yet its success ultimately depends on whether young citizens remain autonomous, critically aware and democratically engaged within algorithmically mediated environments. The Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 of the European Commission establishes measurable targets for digital competence and inclusive participation, while the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles reaffirms that technological systems must safeguard human dignity, equality and democratic trust. Complementing this strategic vision, the Digital Education Action Plan and the European Democracy Action Plan underline the necessity of strengthening media literacy, resilience to disinformation and youth civic engagement. The regulatory framework introduced through the AI Act and the Digital Services Act further recognises that algorithmic amplification and synthetic media pose structural risks to minors’ wellbeing and public discourse. Within this broader European context, local evidence from Tryavna demonstrates that the challenge is neither abstract nor distant. In September 2025, a structured survey among 71 students aged 15–19 at Secondary School “Petko Rachev Slaveykov” revealed that 83% spend more than four hours daily on algorithm-driven platforms, while 72% report difficulty confidently distinguishing AI-generated images or videos from authentic content. 68% acknowledge that social media significantly influences their self-perception, and 57% associate prolonged digital exposure with anxiety, comparison or reduced self-confidence. Furthermore, 63% believe that online polarisation negatively affects their trust in democratic dialogue, and 46% rarely verify information beyond a single digital source. Among respondents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, 39% express reluctance to share opinions publicly due to fear of online backlash or reputational harm. These figures illustrate a tangible identity and participation gap, even within a culturally cohesive small town. The significance for young people is profound. When validation, visibility and belonging are mediated primarily through algorithms optimised for engagement rather than wellbeing, identity becomes performative and fragile. Democratic participation risks being reduced to reactive digital expression rather than informed civic agency. For adolescents in transitional phases of self-formation, such dynamics can shape long-term patterns of trust, confidence and social inclusion. In this context, DiscoverEU Inclusion emerges not merely as mobility support, but as a strategic counterbalance to algorithmic isolation. Physical travel across European borders interrupts the logic of personalised feeds and digital echo chambers. Train journeys become spaces of reflection; intercultural encounters become laboratories of empathy; shared European heritage becomes a lived experience rather than a mediated narrative. The integration of AI literacy with DiscoverEU mobility is therefore pedagogically and politically coherent. Critical understanding of algorithms equips participants with cognitive tools to decode digital influence, while transnational mobility consolidates these tools through lived intercultural experience. Literacy without encounter remains theoretical; encounter without literacy risks superficiality. For young people in Tryavna—particularly those facing socioeconomic or confidence barriers—this dual approach expands horizons, strengthens autonomy and transforms European identity into an experiential, relational reality. By linking local evidence with European strategic priorities, the project positions DiscoverEU not as symbolic travel, but as a structured journey beyond algorithmic determinism toward conscious, critical and connected citizenship. Main Objective: To empower young Europeans, especially those with fewer opportunities, to reclaim authentic identity, strengthen democratic trust and enhance critical AI literacy with advanced media competence development. Sub-objectives: To strengthen participants’ capacity to critically interpret algorithmic and AI-generated content; to reinforce psychological resilience and authentic self-perception in digitally mediated environments; to rebuild trust in democratic dialogue through intercultural European encounters; to reduce participation and confidence gaps identified in Tryavna; to translate European digital rights principles into sustained youth-led initiatives beyond the mobility experiencе