From Information to Action: Exploring Digital Citizenship in Sofia

How do we help young people navigate a digital environment where information travels quickly, opinions compete for attention and the line between reliable and misleading content is not always obvious?

This was at the centre of the TRUTH4YOUTH Training of Trainers “Digital Disciplined Citizenship”, held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 17–22 May 2026 as part of the CERV-funded TRUTH4YOUTH project. The international programme brought together 27 youth workers from more than 16 countries to explore critical thinking, civic resilience and responsible participation in digital spaces. 

The training was designed not only to discuss misinformation, but to give youth workers practical methods they could later adapt for young people. The programme combined media literacy, civic education and participatory learning, with a strong focus on transferring the activities into local youth work. 

Questioning what we see

One of the central themes was critical thinking and fact-checking. Participants started with a puzzle-based activity in which they had to interpret incomplete information, reconstruct possible rules and explain the reasoning behind their conclusions. The exercise demonstrated how easily we fill gaps with assumptions when we do not have the full picture – something that happens constantly when we encounter headlines, images, short videos and social media posts online. 

Participants then moved from puzzles to real media content, comparing how different sources presented the same event. They analysed which information was emphasised or missing, the tone and framing used by different sources and how these choices could influence the reader's interpretation. The activity encouraged participants to look beyond the simple question of whether something is “true or false” and instead examine context, framing, bias and source diversity. 

Can you spot fake news?

Media and information literacy was explored further through a practical challenge in which participants created their own fake news quizzes. Groups combined real and fabricated headlines and mismatched images before challenging others to identify which examples were reliable.

The exercise opened discussion about why misinformation can be difficult to recognise, what tools can support verification, how the origins of images can be investigated and what particular difficulties young people may encounter when evaluating online information. 

Digital citizenship is more than digital skills

Another part of the programme connected digital citizenship with democratic culture and active participation. Working with the Competences for Democratic Culture framework, participants explored values, skills, attitudes, knowledge and critical understanding that support democratic participation. Through card-based group work, they matched different competences with definitions and discussed how these competences could be developed through education and youth work. 

The training highlighted that being a responsible digital citizen requires much more than knowing how to operate technology. Empathy, responsibility, cooperation, critical thinking, respect, civic-mindedness, openness to different perspectives and valuing democracy and human rights all form part of how we participate in digital communities.

The exercise opened discussion about why misinformation can be difficult to recognise, what tools can support verification, how the origins of images can be investigated and what particular difficulties young people may encounter when evaluating online information. 

Digital citizenship is more than digital skills

Another part of the programme connected digital citizenship with democratic culture and active participation. Working with the Competences for Democratic Culture framework, participants explored values, skills, attitudes, knowledge and critical understanding that support democratic participation. Through card-based group work, they matched different competences with definitions and discussed how these competences could be developed through education and youth work. 

The training highlighted that being a responsible digital citizen requires much more than knowing how to operate technology. Empathy, responsibility, cooperation, critical thinking, respect, civic-mindedness, openness to different perspectives and valuing democracy and human rights all form part of how we participate in digital communities.

Bringing digital citizenship into youth work

Across the training, participants experienced methods that could be adapted and reused with young people rather than simply receiving theoretical information. Activities moved between individual reflection, puzzles, media analysis, group discussions, competence mapping, role-play and simulation, allowing complex digital topics to become more tangible and easier to discuss.

The wider aim of TRUTH4YOUTH is to strengthen the ability of youth workers and young people to recognise information manipulation, build digital resilience and participate actively in democratic life. The project combines international trainings with local workshops, Living Labs, peer learning and other opportunities for young people to practise these competences in real-world contexts. 

The Sofia training provided an important starting point for this process: giving youth workers practical approaches they can bring back to their organisations and use to help young people become more critical, confident and responsible participants in the digital world.

TRUTH4YOUTH – Digital Disciplined Citizenship

Project No. 101252921 — TRUTH4YOUTH — CERV-2025-CITIZENS-CIV

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.