In an era where falsehoods travel faster than facts, equipping citizens with the tools to critically assess the information they consume is not just desirable—it is essential. As headlines become harder to navigate, and digital echo chambers reinforce biases, news literacy has become a critical civic competence for all generations. To address this urgent challenge, the NEED project (News Literacy on Board), coordinated by Nikanor Ltd. (Bulgaria) and co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme, introduces an innovative, game-based approach to empower adults with the skills to verify, assess, and understand media content.
The Crisis of Trust in the Digital Age
Recent years have seen the global rise of misinformation, amplified by social media algorithms, deepfakes, and politically motivated narratives. According to the 2022 Media Literacy Index, many European countries remain vulnerable to fake news and disinformation. The implications are significant—misinformed publics can lead to weakened democracies, eroded trust in institutions, and polarized societies.
In this context, adult education providers face a new responsibility: to prepare learners to navigate a complex, often deceptive information ecosystem.
Enter NEED: Learning Through Play, Thinking Through News
Launched in October 2023 and running through September 2025, the NEED project brings together four expert organizations from Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia, and Türkiye. As a strategic partnership in adult education under Erasmus+ KA220, the project combines educational board games with a rich online learning platform to develop adults’ news literacy and critical thinking.
The methodology is clear: if adults learn better by doing, then why not turn learning into a game?
The project’s key outcomes include:
- Two board games that challenges players to identify trustworthy news sources, decode media bias, and verify facts;
- An online platform with multilingual Open Educational Resources (OER) tailored to different levels and learning styles;
- Trainer workshops and multiplier events aimed at adult educators, librarians, and NGO staff.
Why Game-Based Learning Works
Games create immersive, low-stakes environments that foster curiosity, discussion, and problem-solving. With multiple-choice questions, strategic “Horseshoe” cards, and QR-coded learning extensions, the NEED board game provides not just entertainment, but also structured, meaningful engagement with real-world issues.
This approach resonates with adult learners, who often prefer practical, context-driven learning experiences. Moreover, it proves especially effective for vulnerable groups, including seniors, low-skilled adults, and migrants—audiences often left behind by conventional digital tools.
Toward a Resilient, Informed Europe
Today’s challenges—pandemics, elections, wars, climate change—require not just access to information, but the capacity to understand and act upon it. News literacy is no longer optional. It is a foundational skill for democratic participation and social cohesion.
We believe that learning to question, verify, and think critically is a powerful antidote to manipulation. And we believe that sometimes, the best way to teach these essential skills… is through play.
Join us. Build critical thinking. Shape an informed society.
🔗 Explore the project and download the game: https://newsliteracy.info
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