Young Azoreans mobilise to tackle disinformation and fake news - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

A group comprising more than 70 young people in the Azores has created a "Youth Manifesto for Information and Media Literacy in the Azores" as part of the "You're On! Get Informed, Debate and Decide" project. 

The document delivered today to the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, in Ponta Delgada, at a session attended by the Regional Director for Youth, Eládio Braga, shares ideas, concerns and suggestions for media education actions and initiatives. The goal is to promote and stimulate the exercise of citizenship based on young people's potential to question, analyse and assess information.

‘’Drawing up this Manifesto confirms young people's interest in thinking about, proposing and mobilising responses to common challenges. In this case, the challenge is to prevent disinformation, fake news and populism from jeopardising the exercise of young citizenship, which must be critical and conscious. Truthfulness and rigour in information are essential for responsible participation," stated Maria João Carreiro.

The Regional Secretary was grateful for the "mobilisation of young Azoreans" to address a  "problem that challenges everyone to take action in a coordinated manner to defend and safeguard a plural democracy that embraces difference." She defended that "the more young people are heard and called into decision-making processes, the more appropriate public youth policies will be."

The Manifesto suggests the development of actions to counter disinformation and promote media education at three levels of intervention - training and education; raising awareness; regulation and the establishment of partnerships - in what is the result of the work of the participants in the "I'm ON! Meeting of Young People and Association Leaders," which took place on Terceira Island between November 21 and 24. 

According to the authors of the Manifesto, the document will be delivered to various public and private organisations, including the media. The ‘declaration of commitments presented’ is an invitation to action and collective commitment,’ as “we all take a decisive role in building a more informed, fair and inclusive society,” explained the Manifesto.

The "You're On! Get Informed, Debate and Decide" project, co-financed by Erasmus+, Youth, Sport and the European Solidarity Corps (CES), was implemented by the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate for Youth, during 2024. It included initiatives such as "I'm ON," which brought together 100 participants from the Azores, Madeira and Mainland Portugal, including young people, politicians and experts, as well as the "Are you ON?!" information campaign.