"The project's objectives were to assist youth and young people across Europe in better dealing with the deluge of digital information and misinformation aimed at them, particularly in the context of health, mental health, wellness, and well-being. This was achieved by providing a skills set, a self-assessment tool, and a course tailored for youth, accompanied by a kit for youth workers and educators. Valuable insights were gained from the media response to the Covid-19 crisis by collecting Best Practices from across Europe and beyond. The project successfully built upon the existing innovative DigiComp framework, extending it to encompass media, information, and data literacy competencies. As a result, the project's outcomes enabled youth, young people, and those working with them to understand better, access, and interact with information media related to health and well-being in informed and agentive ways.
The project was initiated in response to critical needs in the digital age, particularly the challenges highlighted by the European Commission's report, where nearly one-fifth of young Europeans struggled with digital tools and information handling. The COVID-19 crisis underscored the urgency of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) as misinformation and disinformation became pervasive. Fact-checking and media literacy initiatives in countries like India, the United States, and Brazil were crucial in combating the "infodemic," while Spain's experience with WhatsApp's message forwarding limitations highlighted the challenges faced. The project aimed to empower European youth with digital skills, focusing on health and wellness information literacy, using a cascading knowledge approach. Adapting to rapidly evolving digital challenges and extending the DigiComp framework to include media, information, and data literacy competencies were essential objectives, recognizing challenges faced by governments and educators. Ultimately, the project sought to empower youth and educators to better navigate the digital landscape, ensuring they could critically assess and interact with health and wellness-related media content effectively.