The intergenerational workshops “What I know about Europe. What do you know?” have trained more than 500 people
- A total of 500 people have participated in training sessions on fact-checking held in 15 locations across Barcelona.
- The European Commission’s Representation in Barcelona, the Barcelona Provincial Council, and Learn to Check have promoted the initiative.
The project “What I Know About Europe. What Do You Know?” successfully completes its first edition, in which more than 500 people participated in innovative intergenerational workshops to learn how to identify misinformation and promote European democratic values. Between November 2024 and March 2025, 30 training sessions were held in 15 locations across the Barcelona region. The initiative is promoted by the Barcelona Provincial Council — through the International Relations Directorate and the Library Services Management — the European Commission’s Representation, and the media education association Learn to Check.
The proposal “What I Know About Europe. What Do You Know?” presented its results on March 25th at an event where Olívia Paton, head of the Europe and International Strategy Office of the Barcelona Provincial Council, and Gemma Garcia, responsible for European awareness and outreach at the Barcelona Provincial Council, participated. Additionally, the president of the Learn to Check association, Nereida Carrillo, detailed the project’s successes. A roundtable discussion was also held, moderated by Carlota Martí, head of press at the European Commission Representation in Barcelona, where Ester Farrés, director of the Pilarín Bayés Library in Vic, and Rafael Giraldez, a retired participant at the El Castell Library in Vacarisses, reflected on their participation in the project.
Youth and seniors, allies against misinformation
A total of 355 secondary school and high school students and 147 senior citizens have participated in these workshops, which have been hosted by libraries in Castelldefels, Collbató, Granollers, l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Lliçà d’Amunt, Martorell, Òdena, Sabadell, Sant Pere de Ribes, Sant Quirze del Vallès, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Terrassa, Vacarisses, Vic, and Viladecans. The intergenerational workshop initiative “What I Know About Europe. What Do You Know?” has achieved its goals of raising awareness about the existence and dangers of misinformation, fostering intergenerational dialogue, and increasing knowledge of European institutions.
The first edition of the project has been successfully completed, receiving very positive feedback from both teachers and participating librarians – who gave an average score of 8.8 and 8.4, respectively, for the training. Both groups emphasize that the initiative has helped raise awareness about the dangers of misinformation and praise the valuable intergenerational exchange that took place during these sessions. In these sessions, young people taught seniors how to use digital tools to fact-check information, while seniors shared their life experiences and knowledge about the Old Continent with the students.
The project included, in each participating location, an initial session for youth, led by the Learn to Check team, and a second session, conducted by the young participants for a senior audience. In the second session, the Learn to Check team also presented various challenges on digital verification, which were completed in intergenerational teams made up of both young people and seniors. Participants practiced their skills, collaborated to distinguish false information from accurate content, and reflected on their different perspectives of Europe.
