News
IncludeME+ Closes with a Legacy of Tools for a More Inclusive Digital Europe
After two years of cross-European collaboration, the IncludeME+ project concludes, leaving behind a freely accessible set of research, training, and storytelling resources to help educators, media professionals, and civil society harness digital media for inclusion, dialogue, and peace.
In a European landscape increasingly shaped by disinformation, polarisation, and the social fractures left by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts, IncludeME+ set out to prove that digital media can be a force for good. Bringing together partners from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine, the project has done exactly that, producing concrete, practical outputs now available to anyone.
Research That Grounds Practice
Two complementary studies form the project’s evidence base: a Desk Research Report synthesising eight country-level studies on digital media and inclusion, covering misinformation, polarisation, and policy gaps, and a Participatory Action Research Report capturing the lived experiences of diverse communities navigating digital conflict and exclusion. Together, they offer both the “why” and the “how” for anyone working to build more inclusive digital ecosystems.
.Download the full study: Mediation in Media Study
“Although the project is concluding, its results remain as relevant as ever. The tools, research, and training programme will continue to support inclusive digital transformation, active citizenship, and peacebuilding across Europe.”
A Training Programme Ready to Use
The Digital Media for Inclusive Peacebuilding Training Programme delivers seven structured modules equipping participants to:
- Critically analyse digital content and challenge misinformation
- Reduce polarisation and foster inclusive online dialogue
- Promote civic engagement through responsible digital communication
- Support peacebuilding and social cohesion in communities
Designed for educators, students, media professionals, and civil society organisations, the programme blends theory with practical tools and interactive resources built to be applied in real contexts, not just read.
Access the course modules here
Documented Stories: Media as a Mirror of Change
An innovative collection of statements, stories and opinions of citizens from all walks of life across Europe, that demonstrate how digital storytelling can bridge divides, strengthen communities, and drive social impact.
The Documented Stories provide tangible proof that media, used responsibly, can be a powerful tool for dialogue and mutual understanding, and also how careful digital content creators and media must be, due to their strong social impact.
Available freely on YouTube.
Project website: https://includememedia.eu/
Further information:
Professor Emmanuel Aquah
E-mail: Emmanuel.Aquah@abo.fi
Anette Bengs, project coordinator
E-mail: Anette.Bengs@abo.fi
Telephone: +358 503131952
IncludeME+ is a European partnership project promoting inclusive, participatory, and peace-oriented digital media practices. Partners from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine collaborated to produce open-access research, training, and storytelling resources in response to growing social fragmentation and digital exclusion across Europe.
