The project CODE is designed to enhance young people’s engagement with European cultural and democratic heritage by making cultural participation more accessible, meaningful, and closely connected to their everyday experiences. From a youth work perspective, the project prioritizes the empowerment of youth workers as key intermediaries capable of motivating and guiding young people toward active cultural participation. A central objective of the project is to strengthen youth workers’ professional competences through the provision of innovative methodologies, combining digital and analog tools to address diverse learning styles and participation needs. By adopting participatory approaches, such as storytelling, creative workshops, and multimedia practices, the project aims to shift young people’s role from passive consumers of cultural content to active contributors and interpreters of heritage. In doing so, the initiative supports intercultural dialogue, social cohesion, and the development of a shared European sense of belonging, while explicitly addressing economic, geographic, and social barriers that often restrict young people’s access to cultural life