Unveiling deep stories and boosting emotional intelligence to empower citizens against disinformation (DEEP)

We strengthen media literacy and emotional intelligence, helping young people recognize and resist emotionally charged disinformation

The Center for Democracy Foundation, in cooperation with partner organizations from six European countries, with the support of the European Union, is implementing the project “Unveiling deep stories and boosting emotional intelligence to empower citizens against disinformation – DEEP”.

Empowering young people in the fight against disinformation

The DEEP project addresses the deeper emotional roots of disinformation. It is aimed at young people aged 18 to 25 in Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Serbia. The DEEP project introduces an innovative method of analyzing deep narratives (DEEP STORIES) – emotionally resonant narratives that shape perceptions of truth and authority. DEEP strengthens media literacy and emotional intelligence, helping youth recognise and resist emotionally charged disinformation and misinformation.

Who are the program beneficiaries?

• Young people aged 18–25, especially those from vulnerable and marginalized groups
• Teachers, youth workers, and civil society organizations
• Decision-makers and institutional actors in the fields of education, youth, and democratic participation

What are the benefits for the community?

• By mapping emotionally resonant narratives and joining co-creation workshops, young people design interventions grounded in their lived experiences and emotional realities, and that actively counter disinformation.
• Educators, youth workers, and civil society actors gain practical and easily applicable tools, adaptable to different social and educational contexts.
• Decision-makers receive recommendations grounded in the insights and experiences of young people, aimed at improving policies to combat disinformation.

What impact do we achieve?

• We encourage democratic participation of young people, including members of marginalized groups such as minorities, through the development of emotional resilience and strengthening trust in institutions.
• We promote gender equality and non-discrimination through inclusive participation processes and systematic collection of disaggregated data.
• We also engage institutional actors who will contribute to the development of culturally adapted and long-term sustainable strategies to counter manipulative practices.

Partnership of organizations from 6 European countries:

The project is implemented by 7 partner organizations and 1 associated partner from 6 European countries (Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Lithuania, Germany):

Project coordinator:

• ASM Research Solutions Strategy DOO – Poland

Partners:

• University of Wroclaw – Poland;
• Center for the Study of Democracy – Bulgaria;
• Center for Democracy Foundation (CDF) – Serbia;
• Group of the European Youth for Change (Asociatia GEYC) – Romania;
• Mano Europa Association – Lithuania;
• Berghof Foundation Operations gGmbH – Germany
• Associated partner: Ministry of Youth and Sports, Bulgaria

The project is funded by the European Union under the “Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values” Programme (CERV).