PROJECT OVERVIEW

The constant progress of digital technologies in public spheres makes us rethink the conditions under which citizenship and democratic participation are practiced. Algorithmic systems now determine the visibility of political content in social media feeds, generate administrative documents and moderate public discourse at a scale and speed that no institutional framework has yet fully managed to govern. As a response, Civic-Digital Voices targets youth and policymakers, encouraging them to reflect on how their use of digital tools, especially AI, shape their citizenship and democratic participation while learning how to adopt a more sustainable use of the digital tool.

PROJECT DETAILS

Duration:   36 Months        

Project Reference: 101337434

Programme: Erasmus +

Key Action / Call: ERASMUS-EDU-2026-VIRT-EXCH

Action Type: ERASMUS-LS

EU Contribution: € 500,000.00

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• Co-design a Critical AI Literacy Framework, about AI as a civic and democratic issue among young generations.
• To train, certify and actively deploy the project among youth workers and university staff, equipping them with the competences, ethical frameworks and pedagogical tools needed to integrate AI literacy and critical digital engagement into their activities.
• To implement 10 full virtual exchange cycles reaching at least 2,500 young participants from EU and South-Mediterranean countries, into intercultural dialogues on AI, digital governance and civic participation. 
• To Generate policy-relevant youth voice outputs that contribute to regional and EU-level debates on AI governance and digital stakes.

TARGET GROUPS

• Direct target groups
• University researchers and professors / academic staff 
• Youth workers from NGO partners 
• Young people aged 18–30
• Indirect target groups
• Policymakers at EU and South-Mediterranean institutional levels

PROJECT RESULTS

• Critical AI Literacy Framework: Open-access framework defining civic AI literacy through algorithmic awareness, data rights, AI governance, ethical reasoning and participatory agency.
• Civic.Digital Voices Package: Open educational resource combining the five Thematic Dialogue Guides and the complete Facilitation Toolkit.
• LMS Platform: Multilingual online learning environment supporting training, Virtual Exchanges, group work, resources, communication and participant activities.
• Training Programme: 48-hour training programme for youth workers and academic staff, including 20 sessions, facilitator guides, participant materials and assessment tools.
• Training Toolkit: Open package containing training session recordings, presentations, exercises, resources and the Open Badges Validation Methodology.
• Validation Report: Public summary presenting the main results of the competence validation and Open Badges certification process.
• Cycle Reports: Public summaries of the 10 Virtual Exchange cycles, including participation, evaluation findings, civic outputs, challenges and lessons learned.
• Civic Digital Output Archive: Open archive containing at least 240 Digital Civic Statements and collaborative videos produced by young participants.
• Youth Voice Synthesis Report: Public report analysing young people’s perspectives on AI governance, digital rights and civic participation across EU and South-Mediterranean countries.
• Policy Brief: Evidence-based recommendations on AI literacy, Virtual Exchange, digital education and youth civic participation for NGOs, HEIs and public institutions.

PROJECT CONSORTIUM

Coordinator:

• SUSTAINABILITY INNOCENTER EKONOMISKFORENINGS [SE]

Partners:

• NGO NEST Berlin [DE] 
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MODENA E REGGIO EMILIA, UNIMORE [IT] 
• OFFBEAT [LB] 
• BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY [PS] 
• THE PALESTINIAN CENTER OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT [PS] 
• UNIVERSITE IBNOU ZOHR A AGADIR [MA] 
• ASSOCIATION HUYUD [MA]