The Government of Navarra leads a european project to strengthen media literacy among older people in rural areas
The Government of Navarra, through the Directorate General of Planning, Coordination, Innovation and Evaluation of Public Policies (Department of Presidency and Equality), is leading the European project INMERS (International Media Literacy – Empowered Rural Seniors). This initiative, funded by the European Commission’s Creative Europe programme, seeks to improve media literacy among people over 65 in rural areas. The project places special emphasis on territories where several languages coexist, with the aim of strengthening the autonomy, critical thinking and active participation of older people in the digital society.
With a strong international dimension, the Government of Navarra has formed this consortium together with leading entities from the Navarra, Finland and Romania: NASERTIC, the University of Navarra, the University of Lapland, the Romanian organisation Funky Citizens and the Navarra Institute of Constructive Journalism.
Also participating as associate entities are the Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communication and the National Library of Estonia, which will contribute their experience in media literacy and the fight against disinformation.
The First Vice President and Minister of Presidency and Equality, Javier Remírez, stated that “this project positions Navarra as a European benchmark in the promotion of a critical and informed citizenry, addressing the digital divide and disinformation from a social, territorial and equality perspective, with special attention to older people living in rural areas.”
INMERS will be carried out over 24 months in Navarra, Lapland (Finland) and Transylvania (Romania)—territories that share structural challenges such as an ageing population, geographic dispersion and difficulties in accessing digital and information resources in rural areas where different languages coexist. In Navarra’s case, the project will incorporate Basque as a working language, alongside Sámi in Lapland and Hungarian in Transylvania.
The project focuses on media literacy as a key tool to strengthen personal autonomy, critical thinking and the participation of older people in the digital society.
The initiative has a total budget of €499,835.26, of which €349,388.86 will be funded by the European Commission through the Creative Europe programme, representing a 70% co‑financing rate. The remainder of the budget will be contributed by the consortium’s partner entities.
Diagnosis, Training and Co‑Creation
This alliance between public administrations, universities and civil society envisages, in a first phase, conducting specific assessments on the media literacy needs of older people in each of the participating territories, as well as a comparative analysis at European level. Based on these studies, in‑person training workshops will be designed and adapted to the sociolinguistic and cultural characteristics of each region to address the digital divide and disinformation—two of today’s societal challenges.
One of the project’s main outcomes will be the development of a European Media Literacy Guide, created through a co‑creation process involving older people, trainers and local stakeholders. This guide will be translated into different languages, including those of the participating territories, in order to ensure its accessibility and replicability in other European regions.
The project also includes training of trainers, with the aim of ensuring the continuity of actions beyond the project’s duration and facilitating their future implementation in other rural contexts.
Navarra, a Benchmark in Social and Democratic Innovation
With INMERS, the Government of Navarra reinforces its commitment to social innovation, equality and territorial cohesion policies, aligned with the 2030 Agenda, the European strategy to combat disinformation and the strengthening of democracy.
The project will also make it possible to bring its conclusions and best practices to European forums such as the European Committee of the Regions, helping to place media literacy for older people at the heart of European public policies.
Source: navarra.es
