Democracy is under multiple threats: dis- and misinformation spreading at an unprecedented pace, hate speech, polarisation, and violent extremism. Within this context, Europeans are called to vote for the EU Parliament in May 2024. How can adult learning and education help citizens make informed decisions and participate with awareness and responsibility in this crucial event? What can we do to counter the declining trend of civic engagement?

With their different perspectives and know-how, experts in the panel will consider electoral processes as learning opportunities, and discuss the role of media literacy, citizenship education and critical thinking in forging full social actors, aware of their rights and duties and capable of actively contributing to society. 

  Simona Petkova is a policy officer for Digital Education in DG EAC. She works on the implementation of different initiatives of the Digital Education Action Plan, such as the guidelines for teachers on promoting digital literacy and tackling disinformation and the Digital Education Hackathon.  Simona is responsible for the effective cooperation with the European EdTech sector and promoting digital education in the Western Balkans. Previously, Simona worked on initiatives bridging the gender digital divide. She holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BSc (Hons) from City University of London.

Giovanni Zagni, PhD, is a journalist based in Milan, Italy, and the director of the fact-checking projects Pagella Politica and Facta.news. Giovanni is a member of the executive board of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) as well as the MSI-INF Committee of Experts on the Integrity of Online Information established in 2022 by the Council of Europe. He took part as an expert in the Monitoring Unit on Disinformation around Covid-19 established by the Italian government in 2020.

Edith Hammer is a Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), based in Hamburg, Germany. Within the “Skills throughout Life” Programme, she has been leading policy research and capacity-building activities in lifelong learning at national and local levels. She has been coordinating the thematic clusters on Education for Sustainable Development and Citizenship Education within the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. She holds a doctorate in Media and Communication from the University of Vienna.

Alice Stollmeyer is the Founder & Executive Director of Defend Democracy, a nonpartisan NGO defending democracy from foreign, domestic and technological threats. Alice has a background in social studies of science, technology and society. A former digital strategist, she now works on democracy, technology, geopolitics and hybrid threats. Alice has lived and worked in Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, the heart of the European Union.