Understanding Europe
Europe, let's talk!
Let's work together to strengthen digital and democratic resilience!
© Schwarzkopf Foundation - Arad Aramimoghaddam
Starting in 2025, the Hans and Berthold Finkelstein Foundation will encourage the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe. The European educational network "Understanding Europe," created by and for young people, aims to promote the critical use of digital spaces throughout Europe and strengthen democratic and digital resilience.
The partnership will focus on peer-to-peer education in twelve European countries. These include "Media Crash Courses," which are practice-oriented workshops addressing key topics such as fake news, hate speech, discriminatory media narratives, the influence of algorithms, and digital rights.
© Schwarzkopf Foundation - Arad Aramimoghaddam
Workshops, training, and publications to promote media literacy.
The network plans to hold 80 to 100 workshops and local and transnational training courses for trainers, as well as publish a summary of the best practices from educational work. Through media literacy and civic awareness, the partners aim to empower young Europeans to actively participate in a fairer, more inclusive, and more resilient democracy. The non-profit Hertie Foundation, with which the Finkelstein Foundation collaborates closely, is also supporting the initiative.
The 7th Transnational Training for Trainers took place in Vienna.
An important milestone was the seventh Transnational Training for Trainers (TT4T), which took place in Vienna from April 11 to 13, 2025. Fifteen young people from all over Europe engaged intensively with inclusive media education and critical media literacy. In collaboration with the inclusive editorial team Andererseits, they discussed how media shapes social narratives and how journalism can promote empowerment and participation.
The workshop by Lukas Burnar, the managing director of Andererseits, was particularly enriching. He provided valuable input on accessibility and innovation in media education. Peer trainers Kansu Ekin Tanca (Turkey) and Marine Abrahamyan (Armenia) guided the group through a varied program ranging from disinformation to dealing with incriminating media content.
Media literacy as protection and key to active participation
The participants' self-assessments showed a significant increase in their media awareness and digital resilience. Many felt better equipped to recognize fake news, critically question media content and identify and respond appropriately to discriminatory and manipulative content. They emphasized how important media literacy and resilience are for young people today - especially in a time of growing polarization, social challenges and digital overload. They see the ability to deal with media consciously and critically as a crucial protective mechanism and as the basis for active, informed participation in society.
