Online xenophobia is a growing threat to young people across Europe, particularly migrants and those from diverse backgrounds. Negative digital narratives fuel social exclusion, discrimination and a sense of alienation, with surveys conducted by the MIGHTY YOU consortium showing that over 82% of young respondents had encountered online xenophobia, while more than 93% of youth educators reported lacking adequate resources to address it. Despite the urgency of the problem, youth-led responses remain largely disconnected from educator and policy efforts, and no structured, transnational educational framework has existed to address this gap.

MIGHTY YOU EU responds to this need by developing a comprehensive youth education programme that equips both young people aged 18-26 and their educators with the skills, tools and confidence to counter online xenophobia and foster inclusive digital spaces. Rather than focusing on restriction or regulation, the project takes a proactive approach – building digital resilience through storytelling, peer learning, media literacy and positive narrative creation. Participants learn not just to recognise harmful online content, but to actively reshape online discourse.

The project places particular emphasis on reaching marginalised young people, including migrants, refugees and rural youth, and ensures multilingual, accessible outputs across all partner languages. Youth educators are positioned as key multipliers, gaining practical resources they can integrate directly into their training work.