Back to search

Digital Literacy and Citizenship Youth Exchange Program

2024-1-PL01-KA152-YOU-0002024472024Mobility of young peopleongoing
Countries: PL|RO|AM|GE · Grant: €57,155
Digital skills and competencesInformation and communication technologies (ICT)Inclusion of marginalised young people

Objectives

From the very beginning, our intention was not only to talk about digital literacy as a concept, but to create a learning experience where young people could actually confront how digital environments influence their daily decisions, relationships, and participation in society. Many of the participants were already very active online, yet their engagement was often intuitive rather than conscious. We wanted to slow this process down and help them better understand how information flows, how manipulation works, and how their own behaviour online shapes both their opportunities and their responsibilities. A strong motivation behind the project was the observation that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds often use digital tools intensively, but rarely have access to spaces where they can critically reflect on what they consume, share, or create. Several participants came from communities affected by displacement, economic instability, or limited access to structured digital education. For them, digital environments are not only spaces of communication, but also spaces where misinformation, exclusion, and harmful narratives can easily influence perceptions of reality. We wanted to create a learning process that would strengthen their confidence to navigate these environments more consciously and responsibly. The first objective was to help participants understand how digital information is constructed, circulated, and interpreted. Through practical exercises, discussions, and simulations, young people explored how easily content can be manipulated, how emotional reactions influence sharing behaviour, and how algorithms shape visibility. Rather than presenting this as theoretical knowledge, we worked with real examples from participants’ everyday media environments. This helped them recognise patterns of misinformation, clickbait, and polarising narratives that they encounter regularly. Another important objective was to strengthen their awareness of digital identity and digital footprint. Many participants initially perceived online activity as temporary or informal, without fully considering long-term implications. Through reflection exercises and peer discussions, they explored how online presence influences reputation, employability, and personal boundaries. This often led to deeper conversations about online pressure, comparison culture, and the difficulty of distinguishing authentic communication from performative behaviour. We also aimed to support young people in understanding the connection between digital participation and democratic processes. Several activities explored how digital media can both strengthen and weaken civic engagement. Participants reflected on how online platforms shape political discussions, amplify certain voices, and sometimes simplify complex issues into polarised positions. This helped them recognise their own role not only as consumers of content, but as contributors to digital public space. A key element of the project design was the learning progression between the two mobilities. During the first exchange in Yerevan, participants built a common understanding of digital literacy challenges and started working in international teams. Between the mobilities, they developed small-scale digital campaigns addressing topics such as misinformation awareness, safe online communication, and responsible social media use. This phase was important because it moved learning from discussion into practice, allowing participants to test ideas in their local contexts. The second exchange allowed participants to reflect on this experience, improve their practical content creation skills, and better understand how digital messages can be adapted for different audiences. By working on concrete outputs together, participants strengthened cooperation skills, negotiated ideas, and experienced how intercultural perspectives influence communication styles. Throughout the project, non-formal learning methods allowed participants to actively shape the process. Peer learning, group reflection, and collaborative creation created an environment where participants felt ownership of both the topics and the results. Our overall objective was not only to increase digital competences, but to help young people feel more confident navigating complex information environments, expressing their views responsibly, and supporting more constructive online communities.

Project partners (4)