Youth vs Disinfo

Disinformation, especially Russian disinformation, has become a significant challenge for democratic societies. It polarizes communities, undermines trust in institutions, fuels extremism, threatens social cohesion, and promotes the propaganda of authoritarian regimes. Young people, as digital natives, are both primary targets and potential key players in the fight against disinformation. Engaging youth in this battle is essential and strategic, given their familiarity with digital platforms and innovative thinking.

The "Youth vs Disinfo" project aims to address the growing threat of disinformation by actively involving the youth. This program seeks to harness the creativity, unique perspectives, and digital savviness of young people to combat the spread of disinformation. Additionally, the project will gather and present policy recommendations from youth to NATO, offering fresh perspectives and innovative ideas for effectively addressing disinformation.
The main outcomes will be the creation of a group of informed and proactive youth in Brussels, Helsinki, and Istanbul, increased awareness for an action-oriented approach to disinformation, fresh youth perspectives and innovative ideas for NATO’s work against disinformation, and enhanced cross-country networks.
The main target group of the project will be BA and MA students from the Brussels School of Governance (VUB). Additionally, there will be activities in Brussels, Helsinki, and Istanbul for members of YATA Belgium and YATA Turkey, as well as students from the University of Helsinki.

The outputs will include trainings, events, youth-produced social media videos, policy recommendations from youth to NATO, a policy report, media articles, and the participation of two students in the NATO Youth Summit. The program will be implemented in 12 months.