The rapid development of artificial intelligence and algorithmic social media platforms is having long lasting negative effects on youth’s social, emotional and executive abilities. Besides the addictive and socially impairing nature of these platforms, their mass-adoption in environments related to work, education, leisure activities and creative processes can create a world-view where the only individuals that are rewarded are the ones with a specific set of skills, knowledge and interests. The most affected by these changes are the young users, because they have a higher tendency to compare themselves and struggle to fit in an environment where their natural strengths, interests and potential can be easily disregarded if it does not fit “the norm”, a struggle that can have disastrous effects on their mental and emotional health. A large-scale study published on ResearchGate involving over 40000 adolescents across several EU countries found that 96% of 15-year-olds use social media daily, while 37% spend more than 3 h per day online; excessive use is associated with significantly higher rates of depression (47%) and anxiety (53%). In parallel, a WHO Europe study reports that problematic social media use among adolescents doubled from 7% in 2018 to 14% in 2024, identifying addiction-like patterns such as loss of control, withdrawal symptoms and neglect of offline activities, with particularly negative effects on young people already facing social exclusion, marginalisation or emotional vulnerability. NEEDS Our project seeks to address the main challenge of growing alienation and inner disconnection among marginalized young people. There is an urgent NEED for human-centred youth work methodologies that restore imagination, self-connection and meaning-making among young people, especially those with fewer opportunities in increasingly digitalised environments. The MAIN NEEDS of YOUTH WORKERS are: -Education and training in addressing young people’s alienation and inner disconnection; -Innovative non-formal methods for fostering imagination and self-connection; -Competences to create trust-based spaces for expression and participation. MAIN NEEDS of marginalized YOUNG PEOPLE: -Support in reconnecting with their inner world, imagination and sense of self; -Safe and inclusive spaces for expression, reflection and meaning-making; -Opportunities to develop a sense of agency and purpose. We created ‘Into the Art of Dreaming’ which AIMS at enhancing the competences of youth workers to address the growing alienation and inner disconnection of marginalized young people, by introducing DREAMWORK as an innovative, imagination-based non-formal methodology that fosters imagination, self-connection and social inclusion. DREAMWORK Methodology In a world where most learning is driven by external input, performance and algorithms, Dreamwork, as an imagination-based non-formal educational methodology, reverses the direction: it invites young people to listen inward, to work with symbols that arise from their own experience and to recognise themselves as sources of meaning rather than consumers of it. This shift is particularly powerful for young people who feel alienated or unheard, as it restores agency and it makes learning personally meaningful, especially beyond verbal expression and connected to young people’s lives. Dreamwork, as we propose it, is not a psychological or therapeutic method, but an innovative non-formal educational approach. It uses night dreams as creative and symbolic material for learning, reflection and personal growth. The focus is on fostering imagination, self-awareness and meaning-making, within a safe, experiential and educational context. The OBJECTIVES: By the end of the project, 25 youth workers will: 1. Enhance by 75% their degree of understanding of the phenomenon of growing alienation and inner disconnection among marginalized young people, including its social, emotional and educational effects on individual development and social inclusion. 2. Develop by 75% their competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) related to Dreamwork as an innovative, human-centred non-formal educational methodology, and its benefits for fostering imagination, self-connection and inclusion among marginalized young people. 3. Increase by 75% their capacity to create trust-based and inclusive learning spaces that support expression, reflection and meaningful participation of marginalized young people. 4. Expand by 75% their competences in adapting and facilitating Dreamwork-based non-formal educational activities in online and blended youth work contexts, ensuring accessibility and inclusion for young people facing geographical, social or mobility-related barriers.