Checkmate project brings together youth workers, educators, and young people across Europe to tackle one of today’s most urgent challenges: climate misinformation. In an era where misleading narratives and fake news about climate change spread rapidly - especially online—young people need more than just information. They need the critical thinking tools, spaces for dialogue, and hands-on experiences to make sense of complex environmental issues and take meaningful action. That’s where Checkmate steps in. Over two years, partners from Latvia, Greece, Austria, Hungary, and Romania are joining forces to design and pilot an innovative approach that combines game-based learning, non-formal education, and community-led Living Labs. These creative tools and environments will empower youth workers to guide young people in decoding misinformation, exploring climate dilemmas, and becoming agents of change in their communities.

At its heart, Checkmate promotes resilience, digital awareness, and critical civic engagement - ensuring that youth not only consume climate information but actively question, challenge, and lead.

​

Objectives of the project:
OVERALL: Enhance the capacities of youth workers to identify and counter climate misinformation, fostering critical thinking and digital literacy among young people.

SPECIFIC:
1. Equip youth workers with effective tools to assess, identify, and combat climate-related misinformation.
2. Provide youth workers with innovative, game-based educational tools to engage young people.
3. Empower young people to critically assess climate information and actively advocate for accurate climate knowledge.

​

Implementation of the project:

- Provision of a Fact-Checking Toolkit for YWs to assess and address climate misinformation.
- Development and testing of game-based educational resources, including a Climate Myth-Busting Challenge and a Multi-Role Simulation Game.
- Co-design of Game-Based Living Labs where YWs and young people collaborate to debunk climate myths.
- Organizing training for youth workers and interactive activities for young people to foster media literacy and critical thinking.

 

Results of the project: 

- Increase in positive and responsible behavior change among young people in identifying and debunking climate misinformation.
- Heightened awareness in youth work about the importance of media literacy in the context of climate education.
- Min. 100 youth workers trained and equipped with innovative tools and resources to counter climate misinformation.
- Min. 400 young people empowered to critically engage with climate information and act as advocates for climate truth in their communities.