Disinformation doesn't only strike through false news: it preys on fear, anger and the sense of exclusion. EMERGE brings together media literacy and emotional awareness to help younger people recognise these mechanisms and protect themselves.
EMERGE starts from a clear idea: checking the facts is no longer enough. In a digital environment where deepfakes, AI-generated images and divisive narratives spread within seconds, understanding why certain messages work becomes a core skill. EMERGE combines critical analysis of content with emotional resilience, helping people recognise misleading narratives and understand how emotions shape critical thinking.
At the heart of the pathway is the Interactive Media and Emotional Literacy Platform, a free, multilingual learning environment aimed at young people, teachers, youth workers and social workers. The platform combines interactive case studies, gamified exercises and emotional reflection activities, and will be supported by workshops in schools, university training and professional development pathways.
The platform takes shape through forums with experts who bring together different areas of expertise from across Europe: media literacy, psychology, digital education, gamification. The aim of these meetings is a practical one: to work out together how to build the platform and how to make it genuinely useful for young people. The work focuses on hands-on approaches, from the digital risks to address — disinformation, polarisation, online radicalisation, the impact of AI — through to storytelling, gamification and interactive tools that can turn this knowledge into accessible and engaging learning experiences.
EMERGE's real strength lies in its attention to emotions. Manipulation doesn't create our vulnerabilities; it ignites the ones we already carry: the need to belong, the search for certainty, the fear of being left out. This is why the platform doesn't stop at debunking false content, but helps people recognise their own emotional states before they become a way in. Learning to pause for a moment before sharing, understanding what makes us react, reading the dynamics of an online group: these are skills built in advance, not in the moment when the pressure is already on.
The pathway will continue with workshops, training and an awareness campaign aimed at digital communities. Those working in education, youth work or the social sector will find teaching tools and ready-to-use methods to support young people as they navigate online.
Would you like to follow the development of the platform and its activities, or bring them into your own educational setting? Read the project page at danilodolci.org/en/project/emerge. For more information, contact Giulia D'Annibale: giulia.dannibale@danilodolci.org.
Partners
- Coordinator: Centro per lo Sviluppo Creativo Danilo Dolci ETS, Italy
- Radio La Benevolencija, Netherlands
- Stichting Dare to be Grey, Netherlands
- European Research Institute, Italy
- Athens Lifelong Learning Institute, Greece
- Euth, Austria
- Out of the Box International, Belgium
- Asociación Empresas Con Valores, Spain
EMERGE – Enhancing Media and Emotional Resilience to Guard Democracy in Europe is a project funded by the European Commission’s CERV programme. The aim of EMERGE is to strengthen the democratic resilience of young citizens in Europe, helping them to acquire the skills needed to recognise disinformation, emotional manipulation and content generated or amplified by AI.