GIE - The Group for European Integration

DesinfoEND

Title and acronym: Developing critical thinking to counteract disinformation across Europe [DesinfoEND]

Project type: Erasmus+ KA220-ADU - Cooperation partnerships in adult education

Ref. no.: 2021-1-ES01-KA220-ADU-000028297

Promoter /Coordinator:

Duration: 01-02-2022 to 31-01-2024

Total project grant: 190.942 EUR

Total expenditure (grant) for the Group for European Integration (GIE): 23.179 EUR

Local coordinator for Group for European Integration (GIE): Dr. Georgeta CHIRLEȘAN

Summary:

The main purpose of this project is to promote the social inclusion of adults in a vulnerable situation through the acquisition of critical thinking and digital and media literacy skills. Most europeans trust the information they receive through traditional media like radio, TV or newspapers, but only 47% trust online newspapers. In order to fight disinformation it is essential to train citizens to be critical so they can analyse and verify the information they receive.

The EU Commission released a joint communication in 2020 warning about the increase of disinformation during COVID-19, and that this can have grave consequences for our societies and democratic institutions. Over 50% of Europeans believe they have been exposed to disinformation online, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey (March, 2021).

The 2021-2027 EU Digital Education Action plan stresses the need for a quality, inslusive and accessible digital education. The group of Europeans with no information skills is made up mostly of people aged 65-74 years old, people on: low incomes, the unemployed and the less educated.

This is an important need to be addressed at a European level, given that digital competence and media literacy have never been as important as nowadays and their lack contributes to the exclusion or partial exclusion of these people from society.

The project will adopt an educational model based on the democratization of training activities and focused on providing participants digital fluency. These groups are also the most vulnerable in front of disinformation and, therefore, they will be the target group of our project.

DesinfoEND aims to develop the digital and media capacities of vulnerable adults, with a special focus on adults aged +55, unemployed and low-educated.

Objectives:

The general objectives of DesinfoEND project are:

To strengthen social inclusion and active digital participation in society of vulnerable groups, especially adults with low levels of education, unemployed and aged +55

To transfer the Dialogic Media and Digital Literacy methodology to tackling disinformation in adult education with an intercultural and intergenerational approach, in diverse topics such as health, migration, ethnic minorities, gender violence, etc

To offer an innovative Toolkit co-created with vulnerable adults that supports inclusive and participative ICT and Media Literacy training through the implementation of SEAs with a participatory, sustainable and dialogic approach

To promote of common EU values and critical civic engagement and participation, by developing social and intercultural competences, critical thinking and media literacy of vulnerable adults

Training of adult education professionals and volunteers on how to combat disinformation in their ICT courses and/or courses in other areas of knowledge, using the DMDL methodology

Increase the quality educational offer in the digital field oriented to digitally excluded groups

Outcomes:

Digitally empowered vulnerable adults by providing a quality training on digital and media literacy
Acquisition of new skills by vulnerable adults; to identify disinformation and analyse critically all the information they receive
Promotion of EU common values, such as human rights, freedom and equality, as well as other related topics like the right to be informed about the scientific evidences in health, education, gender violence, etc. and combatting prejudices against migration, ethning minorities, among others
Transferring two Successful Educational Actions (SEAs) Interactive Groups and Dialogic Gatherings to Media Literacy in order to tackle disinformation among vulnerable adults, with an inclusive, democratic and evidence-based approach
Better trained professionals and volunteers in adult education organisations
Toolkit for inclusive and participative ICT and Media Literacy training.

More precisely, all of the above outcomes will be gathered in two major Project Results (PRs), namely:

desinfoEND Toolkit on how to implement Dialogic Media Literacy Gatherings to counteract disinformation in adult education
desinfoEND MOOC course for educators on how to implement Dialogic Media Literacy Gatherings to counteract disinformation in adult education

Partnership: