This Handbook aims to increase digital skills and media literacy among young people. It presents educational tool for development of digital citizenship and critical thinking. The handbook pays particular attention to the widespread dissemination of disinformation and misinformation as threats to the human security and to the well-being of communities. It is designed to increase young people’s knowledge and skills on how to identify, stop and counter disinformation and misinformation.

This Handbook responds to the need to reduce the vulnerability of the Bulgarian population and especially young people to disinformation; to promote media and information literacy, critical thinking and active citizenship. The tool offers interactive forms of training and helps to navigate in the current information ecosystem. The methodology involves researching media content and the motivations of those who create it; analysis of the ways of distribution of this content and application of tools to check the credibility of the information.

The aim is students to become aware of the way in which news is created; to identify bias and identify disinformation; to distinguish facts from opinions. Students will be able to identify when news sources present biased or misleading information; to look for additional sources to support or refute the claims. They will thus be able to prevent the spread of disinformation and false information, as they lead to serious consequences in areas such as health, elections or social issues.

The handbook will help teachers and youth facilitators implement methods to develop students’ critical thinking to build media literacy. Students will question assumptions, analyze information, evaluate sources and facts, and navigate multiple perspectives—all crucial skills for navigating the complex and ever-evolving media landscape.

The content of this guide is the result of the partnership between the teams of the Partners Bulgaria Foundation and PartnersGlobal within the framework of the Engaging Youth in Combating Disinformation and Misinformation”. 

The project is implemented with the financial support of the US Mission to NATO. All responsibility for the content of the document is borne by the “Partners – Bulgaria” Foundation and under no circumstances can it be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the donor. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the authors. The handbook can be downloaded here: Young people, human security and media literacy