Aleksandar Pavlović, CDER’s expert and one of MAYnet’s key experts, participated in the Expert Forum on Digital Media Literacy, Emotional Resilience and the Impact of AI, held in Palermo, Italy, on 30 April 2026.
The Forum, organized by the Center for Creative Development Danilo Dolci, the European Research Institute in Italy and Stichting Dare to be Grey in the Netherlands, is part of the EU funded project: Enhancing Media and Emotional Resilience to Guard Democracy in Europe (CERV Programme – Project N°: 101253416 — EMERGE).
EMERGE is a European initiative strengthening democratic resilience by combining media and emotional literacy. It addresses disinformation and AI-driven manipulation, helping young people (aged 16–30) critically interpret digital content and understand its emotional impact. Eight organizations across Europe collaborate in youth work, psychology, and digital education. The project aims to directly reach 2,100 citizens through 74+ events and indirectly engage over 150,000 people via campaigns and outreach. By developing transferable tools and methods, EMERGE promotes shared learning across borders, fostering responsible civic engagement among youth, teachers, youth workers, and policymakers.
On 30 April, EMERGE gathered together a multidisciplinary group of 26 experts in Palermo for a full-day forum designed to generate high-quality input for the development of the Interactive Media and Emotional Literacy Platform and its broader methodological framework. The specialists came from different countries and fields, including media literacy, psychology, youth work, civic participation, digital education, and AI, creating a space for transnational and cross-sector exchange. Throughout the day, the experts examined five core thematic areas: the spread of disinformation through digital media, polarisation and echo chambers, manipulation tactics and online radicalisation, emotional resilience and digital responsibility, and the impact of AI on media consumption, identifying key challenges, analysing the mechanisms behind them, and finally translating these insights into concrete educational outcomes. Participants provided a solid foundation for one of the project’s core outputs – The Interactive Media and Emotional Literacy Platform, a multilingual, publicly accessible hub designed for young people, educators, and youth workers. Throughout the Forum, the work and activities of CDER and the MEDIActive Youth Network in the field of media literacy were presented, and consortium members expressed genuine interest in joining the Network’s key initiatives – signing the Youth Media Literacy Declaration, as well as delegating youth representatives to participate in future online courses on media literacy and critical thinking, which will be freely hosted by the MEDIActive Youth Network.
