Engaging in activism is both a rewarding and tough journey, requiring strong dedication and resilience to overcome obstacles. Beneath the passion for change lies a growing concern: the burnout.

When we hear about radicalization, we often picture an Islamist, a football hooligan , or a person with extreme views who often commits acts of violence. The behavior of such people is blatant, it is easy to be outraged by them, but it is also easy to distance ourselves from them. In our minds, a radical is a person from another world, from another bubble, someone completely different from us.

Logical fallacies and cognitive bias go hand in hand. It takes critical thinking skills and positive self-doubt to avoid these traps that contribute to stereotyping, stigmatization, misrepresentation, and other negative outcomes of the lack of media literacy skills. This is the fourth article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we explore the intricacies of the human mind and the potential traps in decision-making, while reminding you of 12 common cognitive biases and 10 logical fallacies that often shape our understanding of information.

The Association of Environmental Service Providers and Manufacturers (KSZGYSZ) is one of the largest Hungarian environmental advocacy organizations, whose members are key players in the Hungarian green industry, covering the whole spectrum of environmental activities. KSZGYSZ works to promote the aspirations of its members at national and international level. The association, which currently has 269 members, has been coordinating and training actors in the Hungarian environmental protection, nature conservation and environmental industry for more than 30 years, and is a prominent partner of policy makers and almost all actors in the business community.

Not all time spent online is a time well-spent (let’s be honest – more frequently it’s not even time well-wasted). While media literacy skills are crucial for understanding and structuring the great wave of information coming our way every day, doing it while maintaining a healthy relationship with technology is another matter. This is the third article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we explore the psychology behind online interactions, as well as provide tips for digital well-being.

Media literacy is the key to navigating the vast sea of information that surrounds us. This is the second article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we remind you of the very basics of media literacy. In this article, you’ll find a concise recap on what the five core concepts of media literacy are, as well as a more detailed explanation why representation matters.

The concept of “think before you click” is one of the most important factors in terms of information safety. This regards everything that is offered to you on social networks, the advertisements that pop up as you read a text on a web-page, links that “invite” you to open them as you are watching a YouTube video, and the "like" button.

We are living in times when there is much more information gathered, structured, created, and shared than ever before. Even the most cautious of us can fall for a fake ad. Today, technologies, social media and artificial intelligence tools can bring positive change to individuals and communities, but they can also destroy them. How can people protect themselves from misleading content? This series of four articles, produced in cooperation with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, will remind you of the basics of media literacy skills that you cannot do without in the digital environment.

The digital age is both present and future. Protecting humanity from the risks and dangers they are exposed to every time we click or share potentially misleading content are just some of the challenges facing the world today.

During 2023, the world has been more affected by misinformation due to the impact of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, lack of trust in the media and institutions, and the growth of social networks.

In a conflict situation, tension rises, hearts race, and blood boils. There is no need to meet in person anymore; a comment on Slack can cause the same reaction! It is impossible to stay calm in such moments; empathy is a distant memory. The art of selecting words thoughtfully and listening deeply to comprehend others' perspectives seems unattainable. Communicating effectively is crucial to resilience, and it is thus important to break down barriers that tend to prevent effective communication.

During tough times, resilience becomes more than just a buzzword; it becomes vital to survival. Through the growth mindset, we can adapt to chaos by shifting our focus from unnecessary perfection to what truly sustains us. The more energy we conserve and the more we focus on what keeps us alive - both personally and professionally - the better equipped we are to handle any situation.

In today's world of fragmentation and disconnect, it's easy to overlook the power of human connection. In spite of the chaos and noise, an undeniable truth remains: strong relationships are essential to our success as individuals and as a society. Through these connections, we find resilience in times of adversity, as well as in the face of global crises. Let's explore the profound impact of human connection on our well-being, and learn what it takes to thrive, not just survive.

Anastasiia Apetyk is a lawyer and expert on information rights and digital security. Since 2017, she has been researching security issues at the community level, problems of information and digital rights, data protection, and digital security at the Expert Centre for Human Rights in Kyiv, Ukraine. She advises on and develops training programmes in the field of digital rights and digital security for executive authorities and local government.

Non-profit organizations certainly share a common denominator, but we can hardly generalize anything related to them. Especially when it comes to cybersecurity. NGOs vary one from another in their form, mission, area of responsibility, as well as budgets. And for a hacker, each of them plays its own role. When hearing the term “cyber attack” most people imagine a failure of all computer systems, loss of access to data and a ransom of staggering amounts. Of course, this sort of attacks happen too. However, there are also smaller-scale cyber attacks. They may not be as spectacular on the surface, but can also result in financial loss or leakage of important information. We are referring to social engineering attacks.

Online violence involves using digital technologies to perpetrate acts of violence. This can occur on social media platforms, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and mobile phones. According to UNICEF, it refers to repeated behavior aimed at intimidating, angering, or shaming those it targets.

The number of online purchases by Macedonian citizens is increasing, and concurrently, scams targeting citizens shopping on virtual stores are proliferating. To avoid "emptying" credit cards through scams, there are several recommendations that we, as citizens, should follow when making our online purchases.

Beata Zwierzyńska: Increasingly our world emerges through the lens of online reality, social media, streaming videos, image sharing by witnesses of events. How do drastic images influence? Perhaps, we are becoming more immune and indifferent to such content?

What is MEGAPHONE?

MEGAPHONE is a 2-day international event organized by TechSoup Europe that provides space for collaborative discussions and peer-to-peer learning to brainstorm new ideas and strengthen connections between change-makers.

The influx of media texts, videos, photos, as well as social media posts, nowadays is immense, as they constantly appear on our devices through which we communicate on the internet daily. Bombastic headlines and announcements of spectacular discoveries in such content often lead us to forget one of the fundamental rules of creating media content — the signature of the author behind them.

Hive Mind Community Podcast on the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence for NGOs and Civil Society Members (CSOs).

We invite you to learn the digital skill of designing, implementing, and developing online campaigns that drive your social organization's objectives within the channels your audience frequents.

In Poland, historians have written extensively about conspiracy theories - this fact provides an additional argument to teach about the problems that conspiracy theories cause in the era of revision of history in many European countries. What are the most bizarre conspiracy theories about the war in Ukraine that you have encountered so far?

The number of activists who become burnt out as a result of their activism is growing. Individuals who suffer from burnout experience symptoms in various ways, depending on their circumstances and coping mechanisms.

Polarization is a process that occurs on psychological and emotional grounds. The radicalization of groups leads to the radicalization of language on highly controversial and socially divisive topics. One of the most polarizing places on the Internet are Facebook groups (often run by the party involved in the conflict), where discussants reassert themselves, fuel a spiral of insults, ridicule, and hate speech, or even use language that dehumanizes opponents.

In this space we talk to Juan David García and La Fiera, the two artists who work in Casa Kolacho and live in the Comuna 13 and were part of the transformation process held in the community.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a vital role in society, serving various causes and providing essential services. However, like any other entity operating in the digital age, CSOs are not immune to cyber threats. In fact, these organisations can be attractive targets for cybercriminals due to the valuable data they possess and their potentially limited cybersecurity resources.

How do CSOs remain strong while fighting for equality and justice? What is the importance of mental resistance to civil society? Learn from resilient leaders and cultivate a growth mindset. Throughout history, there have been many world leaders who were once civic society activists and demonstrated exceptional mental resilience in the face of adversity.

Vacationing? Keep your devices safe abroad!

Conflicts are an integral element of human interaction. At a certain stage, they arise in any group. Therefore, it is important to be able to work with them, and mediation is one of the effective methods to do so.

Open call for civil society organizations, independent media or journalist and digital activist of Latin America.

Gender stereotypes still exist! And they don't just happen here and there – they are also very stable in certain environments. The topic of women’s leadership continues to be debated, which means that we still have many questions in this area.

It is important to find ways to cope with stress stemming from the Internet and the BASIC Ph model can help with this. The pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey are just a few of the most recent events that have been circulating online and their sheer density can easily lower our resilience to stress. Drastic images are shared in viral posts and used to produce fear-inducing disinformation. In the below article, we present the BASIC Ph model, which outlines six channels to foster your emotional wellbeing online.

This practical guide outlines an approach to restoring energy and productivity for both individuals and teams during times of crisis. It offers actionable strategies and techniques to help reignite motivation and drive performance. Let us begin with the most essential, yet underrated solution for anyone who lacks energy: rest! Rest is the most underrated remedy for stress that we have at our disposal.

Making organization resilient through emotion-conscious leadership.

Across the world, the spread of disinformation is on the rise. Its volatile growth is the result of the strategic use of online disinformation, which undermines democracy and polarizes societies. While ways to combat disinformation are currently trending in the media, the existing tactics are primarily directed at fact-checkers and journalists, leaving wider civil society actors to their own devices.

Many of us seek stable islands in times of uncertainty and unpredictable change. If you are lucky to work in a team with a high level of trust, you likely have a place where you know what to expect, and can count on receiving support and acceptance. Trust can be built in different ways, sometimes with the help of the most unexpected approaches and tools.

In this article, we focus on Johari’s Window as one example of a practice that can help nurture trusting relationships in a tea. Below, we discuss this tool in more detail and offer tips for how to apply it in your team.

As part of the Empowering Europeans Against Disinformation (EEAD) project, we are happy to invite all interested educators residing in Europe to express the interest and take part in a 2-day onsite Training of Trainers (ToT) on Countering Disinformation and Building Positive Narratives in Warsaw, on April 19-21, 2023.

The Empowering Europeans Against Disinformation (EEAD) project is part of TechSoup Network’s Digital Activism Program.

Since 2018, the program has been offering complex support to civil society organizations (CSOs) and their staff in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Latin America and West Africa. In the area of countering disinformation, the program strives to increase their understanding of direct disinformation threats, strengthen their capacity to deal with disinformation, boost their knowledge in this field and expand their connections within the nonprofit network.

The GURT Resource Center is an innovative accelerator of democratic transformations. Since 1995, GURT is committed to capitalizing on the potential of changemakers for the benefit of Ukraine. GURT’s head office is located in Kyiv, but their team works remotely throughout Ukraine.

The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) was established in 2005 and became operational in 2007.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in West Africa will see improvement in digital literacy, security and safety as 15 digital activists have received training to help protect the civic space from cyber threats and attacks.

In this webinar, hosted by the West Africa Civil Society Institute, we sought to increase knowledge sharing on digital security and resilience.

Cyberpsychologist Gordon Ingram explains the social and psychological consequences of the dynamics promoted by the Internet and social networks.

Fiatalok a civilek közt - hogyan lesz utánpótlás?

On Wednesday 16 November 2022, The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) organised the Launch of WACSI Nigeria Node to build civil society resilience in Nigeria for the country’s development and to address the proximity challenge and especially make the Institute’s services readily available to organisations and civic actors that may not have the means to engage effectively online.

Learn the information you need to be aware of the risks that young people and children are exposed to when using the Internet.

Comuna 13 in Medellin is surprising for its history of resilience and social transformation through art.

The reasons behind the behaviors that accept and promote disinformation.

The challenge that many organizations face in communications is to build content that touches the lives of their audiences. But there is an even bigger challenge; towards the construction of content of joint value, collectively and making impact visible.

Learn about the basics that will help you understand the risks you are exposed to when using the Internet.

When you need to make an unbiased, rational decision about something important, try to be aware of your cognitive biases. They are a normal phenomenon in psychology of all humans, but as they may affect your judgement or decisions, it is worth acknowledging their existence and learning some methods of how to overcome their misleading effects.

It has become increasingly common to read news on the internet where young people participate in viral challenges that have harmful consequences for their health or even for the rest of their lives and those of their families.

The term has taken the academic discussion of philosophers, journalists political scientists but is far from an intellectual discussion. It is present in our daily life and on our social networks.

Join us for a panel discussion about the current war-time disinformation landscape and learn about ways of mitigating its harmful effects.

The use of links and hyperlinks have made email correspondences easier in our corporate world. But do you know that a simple click on a link in a spam message can jeopardise an entire organisation’s email network? Although emails continue to be a widely used platform for professional communication, a lot of email users lack basic knowledge on how to use email safely.

The war in Ukraine continues. We’ve been watching brave men and women fight for their country’s freedom and independence, while many others are organizing their lives after being forced to flee their country and settle abroad.

Phishing is among the biggest cyber threats facing organizations. According to Proofpoint’s 2021 State of the Phish Report, more than 80% of organizations fell victim to a phishing attack last year.

Smartphones are the most widely used electronic devices in our daily lives. Once upon a time, we used our cellphones only to call someone or send an important text message. These days, they have become more akin to portable computers. With a bundle of features, social networking, and time-saving apps, smartphones have become an essential part of our daily routine. Whether you are organizing your work schedule, hitting on someone on Tinder, ordering Chinese, or keeping track of your fitness regime, a secure cell phone provides peace of mind that your personal data will not end up in the hands of those who could use it to do you harm.

While the war in Ukraine progresses and we are forced to watch the brave men and women fight for their country’s freedom and independence, many others are organizing their lives after being forced to flee their country.

The war that is currently taking place in Ukraine has devastating consequences, but it is also more present in the media – both traditional and social ones than any other armed conflict in the past few years. In a webinar organized by MAKAIA (with support from TechSoup), guests from different parts of Latin America discussed the conflict and its context, its influence on the LatAm region as well as the propaganda and disinformation strategies used in the war – also targeting Latin America.

The war in Ukraine is entering its fourth month. We’ve been watching brave men and women fight for their country’s freedom and independence, while many others are organizing their lives after being forced to flee their country and settle abroad.

Strengthen your abilities to access and critically analyze information in digital media with the free and self-paced online course: "Think twice: media literacy Online"

Disinformation techniques are numerous, but all of them can fall into one of those four categories: dismiss, distort, distract, or dismay. Here is the rule of thumb that will help you recognize, predict and prepare to counter disinformation.

If you run a campaign or simply post on your social media channels messages about the current situation, you should anticipate some hateful comments. There are certain ways to deal with trolls.

It’s been a difficult 2 years. And on February 24th, 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine it got even harder... It’s a challenging time which is testing us as activists, but also, more importantly, as people. We’re doing the best we can, but living in a constant state of unknown, having to prepare for the unexpected or currently focusing a lot of energy and resources on supporting our Ukrainian friends, who are in a much more difficult situation, takes its toll.

Every day millions of people access the internet and browse through countless content within the reach of a few clicks. Children and teenagers are connecting more and more frequently, finding facilities to access information, knowledge and opportunities, while exposing themselves to different risks such as cyberbullying, sharing private information with strangers, sexual exploitation online, among others.

What would you do if you are a victim of cyberbullying? Laura Zapata Ortiz lived this experience and decided to help those who face a similar situation. Today she is part of our program "School of Influencers". This is her story.

This article is the result of a 2021 MozFest workshop co-facilitated by Laura Vidal (Mozilla), Marielos Galindo (Red Concausa), Natalia Trigoso (Causas Digitales) and Soledad Magnone (JAAKLAC iniciativa). The activity aimed at exploring the possibilities of digital education practices to amplify the participation in data protection/privacy policies.

Media ecosystems are used to categorizing all falsehoods as fake news. However, there are differences between the types of disinformation that abound in digital media. Sure, there are fake news, but there are also other categories of misinformation.

On January 21, DFR Lab, Techsoup and MAKAIA officially launched Hive Mind for Latin America. In the webinar called "5 concepts you should know about digital disinformation", we shared together with CIVIX Colombia some tips for identifying information and the different learning opportunities available in Hive Mind.

Save the dates, mark your calendars and get ready to go! These are the five Media Literacy Events you simply cannot miss in 2022!!!

The state of cyber-security in North Macedonia: interview series

PERSONAL DEMOCRACY FORUM UKRAINE (PDF UA 2022) is back!

This year PDF UA will be held on March 3-4 in Kyiv in a hybrid form.

The “Future of the Elections” is the main topic this year.

TechSoup Europe joins OPORA, TransparenCEE Network and OSCE ODIHR for the fifth time and brings "tech4good", transparency, and open data topics to the Ukrainian debate about democracy and the role of civil society.

This article is a production of Ciudadania Inteligente (Ciudadania AI), a Latin American, inclusive and feminist organization that fights for social justice and for the transformation of democracies.

Social media platforms allow users to interact in a faster and easier manner. On one hand, this phenomenon helps establishing relationships and bonds beyond physical boundaries, leading to the exchange of information and content of all kinds. It is also not a secret that these platforms offer users tools for commercializing goods, products and services.

ESI Digital from JAAKLAC aims to promote Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE, ESI for its Spanish acronym) in relation to digital technologies to minimize online sexual risks among adolescents. The guide covers topics such as sexual and reproductive rights, digital education, internet risks in adolescence and digital safety strategies.

Have you ever found yourself trying to shape your communication strategy when the cause you’re pleading is surrounded by strong narratives dominating the public sphere with stories full of disinformation, propaganda, or even hatred?

It’s like playing chess with a demanding opponent: you have to pick the right strategy in order to win.

Read on to find out which strategies prove the most effective...

Many of us (if not all) usually lock the front door of our home, even when we go out to a nearby shop or café. Especially, if we live in a building with more tenants, or our home is facing a busy street - sometimes we even make sure our windows are closed as well! It is clear and unambiguous why we are doing this - we are concerned for our safety, and we do not want anyone (without our explicit permission) to enter our home!

In other words, our sense of security is important to us when it comes to our immediate physical environment - the privacy of our own home.

We live in the Information Age. Our ability to synthesize and use information well is crucial to our fate and future well-being. Our Experts have been designing bespoke courses on topics that are relevant, set in a meaningful context and important. From making sense of the news online, to protecting your own or your organization’s digital safety and privacy.

Cybercrime is an act against the law. It is not a highly complex act directed at specific organizations or institutions and It is more common and closer than we think. Social Engineering is the main technique used by cybercriminals to attack a greater number of people.

"The Social Dilemma" movie has been made available by its makers for educators worldwide in a free, classroom-friendly, 40-minute format that can be screened during a single lesson.

The large number of likes, comments or distributions does not mean that it reflects the real number of people involved in that interactivity. The online public sphere is often contaminated by Bots and Trolls.

Here are some guidelines for your greater well-being as a media consumer. Yes, we are all media consumers. You got that correctly. In the following video, you will find a number of useful tips and tricks that will aid your digital transformation from a regular media consumer to a Media Literacy Expert!

On September 28-30, TechSoup will hold a three-day campaign, focused on teaching Digital Storytelling to Nonprofits and NGOs. Join free training today and make an impact with your story!

These days, verifying information that we receive has become a must. By not verifying, then, we are putting ourselves at an outright risk of getting manipulated. So, it is more essential than ever, to put a big question mark at the end of every online message, especially when encountered on social media. It is crucial to keep that question mark until we can fully verify and eliminate doubts about sources' authenticity.

According to Peter Ditto from the University of California, one of the many reasons why people fall prey to the influence of misinformation lies in so-called motivated reasoning (MR).

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the fact just how important basic, daily hygiene habits are in our daily lives, and how much can they protect us from billions of bacteria and viruses. Did you know that perhaps this very behaviour has probably “saved us” in the past while we were exposed to a viral pathogen, maybe even COVID19?

If you’re still wondering why you need to be media literate (a skill that is in high demand today more than ever!), you’ll find the answers to this question in this short video. We have singled out the five most important reasons that will help you decide to start studying the media and their messages. The process is relatively straightforward, and you will gain all the necessary skills by simply following our channel. Let’s go!

According to the "Digital 2021"1 report, at the turn of the year 2020 and 2021, more than half of the 7.83 billion people in the world were described as "mobile phone users", and 59.5% (4.66 billion) of the population – were stated to use the Internet. The vast majority of them use Social Media

(4.2 billion people)...

According to the "Digital 2021" report, at the turn of the year 2020 and 2021, more than half of the 7.83 billion people in the world were described as "mobile phone users", and 59.5% (4.66 billion) of the population – were stated to use the Internet. Most of them use the Social Media (4.2 billion people).

In this podcast episode, you will hear Jakub Górnicki talking to Tomáš Kriššák about the Project HOPE, within which a set of tools in the form of an online game was designed to help people tackle negative consequences of the Internet and the social media, including cyber-bullying and propaganda.

This podcast episode brings together Anna Chęć and "Klara", who is a TechSoup Europe trainer from Poland, a security researcher, a hacktivist, currently working as a software security engineer for a financial institution. In this episode you can listen to what are some of the key threats once you buy a smartphone and why it is important to secure it well.

In this episode Anna Chęć is talking to "Klara", who is - like Anna - a TechSoup Europe trainer from Poland, but on top of this, she is also a security researcher and a hacktivist. Anna and "Klara" are great at talking about complex security topics in an easy-to-digest, friendly and open manner. In this episode you can find out if there is such a thing as anonymity on the Internet.

In this episode of our “Let’s Talk Digital Resilience!” podcast series, we’ll be joined by Anna Chęć, talking to "Klara" (a real-deal hactivist), who are both TechSoup Europe trainers on Digital Safety & Security.

A simple guide through the media jungle for senior citizens.