The project “Beyond the Manosphere: Youth Work Responses to Masculinity and Radicalisation” aims to strengthen the professional capacity of youth workers to respond in an informed, ethical and effective way to the growing influence of harmful masculinity narratives and online radicalisation processes affecting young people across Europe. From the perspective of youth work practice, the project addresses a concrete and increasingly visible challenge: youth workers are encountering young people, particularly young men, whose attitudes, behaviours and self-perceptions are shaped by polarising digital content that promotes rigid gender norms, misogyny, resentment and rejection of democratic values. These dynamics have direct consequences for young people’s wellbeing, social relationships, participation and inclusion, and they place youth workers in complex professional situations that require specific competences and confidence. The overarching objective of the project is to enhance the professional competences of youth workers to understand, prevent and address the influence of the “manosphere” and related radicalising narratives through high-quality non-formal education. The project focuses on strengthening youth workers’ ability to engage young people critically and constructively, rather than responding in a reactive, moralising or exclusionary way. In this sense, the project supports youth work practice that is grounded in dialogue, reflection and relationship-building, and that remains aligned with core youth work values such as inclusion, equality, participation and respect for human dignity. A key objective of the project is to deepen youth workers’ understanding of contemporary masculinity narratives, their social, cultural and digital roots, and their impact on young people’s identity formation and emotional development. By strengthening analytical and critical digital literacy competences, the project enables youth workers to better recognise how online platforms, influencers and algorithms contribute to polarisation, conspiracy thinking and the normalisation of discriminatory attitudes. This professional understanding is essential for youth workers to interpret young people’s behaviour in context and to respond with informed, proportionate and educationally sound approaches. Another central objective is to develop youth workers’ competences in gender-sensitive and inclusive facilitation. The project aims to support youth workers in creating and maintaining safe learning spaces where sensitive and controversial topics related to masculinity, gender roles, power and discrimination can be explored without stigmatising or alienating participants. This includes strengthening skills in emotional literacy, ethical facilitation, conflict-sensitive communication and democratic dialogue, enabling youth workers to address challenging statements or behaviours while maintaining trust, engagement and learning processes. The project also aims to equip youth workers with practical non-formal education methods and tools that can be transferred directly into their everyday work with young people. By focusing on experiential learning, reflection and peer exchange, the project supports youth workers in translating complex and sensitive topics into accessible learning processes that foster critical thinking, empathy, self-reflection and active participation among young people. Particular attention is given to the professional responsibility of youth workers to balance freedom of expression with the protection of human rights and inclusive values in youth work settings. Ultimately, the project seeks to contribute to higher-quality, more relevant and socially responsive youth work practice. By strengthening youth workers’ professional confidence, methodological repertoire and ethical awareness, the project enables them to respond proactively to emerging societal and digital challenges. In doing so, it reinforces the role of youth workers as key actors in supporting young people’s personal development, democratic engagement and social inclusion, while contributing to the broader objectives of Erasmus+ Youth Workers Mobility and European youth work development.