Disinformation poses a growing threat to democracy and social cohesion. While recent years have seen significant investment in media literacy projects and educational materials, these have largely targeted younger audiences. Meanwhile, research indicates that the 45+ age group is actually the most prone to believing and sharing disinformation.
BACKTRACK (Building Awareness and Critical Knowledge through Training, Reflection, Action, and Community Knowledge) aims to bridge this gap through a collaboration between five partner countries. The project is being implemented in Estonia (lead partner), Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. The project’s goal is to enhance the population’s resilience to disinformation through culturally adapted and evidence-based interventions.
The methodological foundation of the project is an innovative dialogue method based on nostalgia: participants are invited to share memories and feelings related to historical propaganda and contrast them with modern-day misinformation. This approach respects the participants’ lived experiences and fosters critical thinking without being patronizing. These dialogue rounds are complemented by intergenerational exchanges with youth (aged 18–30), practical digital literacy training, and training for practitioners (librarians, NGOs).
The Institute of Baltic Studies coordinates the project and is responsible for stakeholder mapping, developing training content, and project evaluation. The project will result in a publicly available toolkit featuring training materials and methodological guidelines that can be utilized beyond the project and its partner countries.