Screens are everywhere. They rest in pockets, glow on desks, illuminate bedrooms, and quietly shape how young people think, feel, and connect. For many adolescents and young adults, digital spaces are no longer separate from “real life”, they are simply life itself.
As Montenegro moves forward in its European Union accession process, the views of its academic youth reveal a landscape of divided opinions. For some students, and young academics, EU membership is seen as a natural and necessary step towards political stability, educational alignment, and institutional modernization.
As Generative AI (GenAI) becomes a standard “colleague” in our workflows, the primary threat to critical thinking is no longer misinformation alone, but cognitive offloading. This phenomenon occurs when we delegate the “productive struggle” of reasoning to an algorithm, leading to what researchers now call “metacognitive laziness”.
Safer Internet Day is not just about protecting our devices or setting strong passwords. It is about understanding the space we spend so much time in. It is about learning how information reaches us, why certain content appears on our screens, and how easily our opinions can be influenced without us even noticing.
Currently recognized as the most advanced candidate in the enlargement process, Montenegro is maintaining a clear trajectory toward full European Union membership with a target date of 2028.
Albania has been moving steadily along the path toward European Union membership, a journey marked by both historic milestones and persistent challenges. After decades of reform and adaptation, the European Commission has opened all chapters of the accession negotiations, signaling that Albania is now closer than ever to joining the European family.
At a time when young people are increasingly exposed to complex information environments – shaped by algorithms, platform dynamics, and artificial intelligence – the need for structured, high-quality media literacy education is more evident than ever. The MAYnet Work Plan 2026 addresses this need through a combination of education, content production, network development, and advocacy.
We are proud to announce the establishment of the MEDIActive Youth Network (MAYnet) – a growing European network of youth organisations dedicated to promoting media literacy, critical thinking, and youth media activism.
I didn’t go to the European Youth Portal expecting much. Honestly, my first thought was: “Okay, another official EU page, probably full of complicated text and forms I’ll never understand.” But curiosity (and boredom) won, so I clicked…
What happens when education designed for seniors starts inspiring young people too? That’s exactly where the Erasmus+ project Innovative Techniques of Seniors Activation (ITOSA) makes things interesting.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, and across much of the Western Balkans, young people often feel stuck between ambition and stagnation. While EU policies promote youth empowerment, democracy and inclusion, the reality on the ground often feels not as such.
For decades, young people from the Western Balkans have lived between two worlds – one defined by borders, bureaucracy and post-conflict challenges, and another, just across those borders, shaped by freedom of movement, vibrant democratic values and economic opportunities. The second one is the European Union.