by Noura Kaddaoui, Media Diversity Institute Global.
Across Europe, misleading narratives, hate speech, conspiracy theories and extremist messaging increasingly target ethnic and religious minority communities, shaping perceptions, deepening divisions and undermining trust. In response to this urgent challenge, the new EU-funded project MinDiShield – Combating Online Minority-Related Disinformation has been launched to strengthen resilience, promote media literacy and support communities in navigating the digital information landscape safely and confidently.
Co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe Programme, MinDiShield is a two-year project running from October 2025 to September 2027. The project brings together six partners across five countries: Greece, represented by SYMPLEXIS and Metropolitan College; France, represented by the Centre d’Action et de Prévention contre la Radicalisation; Belgium, represented by Media Diversity Institute Global; Italy, represented by CESIE ETS; and Cyprus, represented by Cyprus University of Technology. Together, the consortium combines expertise in education, community engagement, media diversity, social support, research and prevention of radicalisation.
The project focuses on three interconnected target groups: professionals working with ethnic minority communities, ethnic and religious community leaders, and members of minority communities themselves. By addressing these groups together, MinDiShield recognises that resilience against disinformation is not built by individuals alone. It requires trusted networks, informed professionals, accessible tools and community-based approaches that reflect people’s lived realities.
A central aim of MinDiShield is to strengthen media literacy skills among social workers, educators, psychologists, community workers and other professionals who support ethnic minority groups. As media formats evolve rapidly and online platforms increasingly shape public debate, professionals need practical tools to recognise harmful narratives, respond to disinformation and support those who may be vulnerable to manipulation or extremist messaging.
The project also places a strong emphasis on empowering community leaders, including faith leaders, cultural mediators and representatives of migrant associations. These leaders often play a vital role in guiding, informing and supporting their communities. By equipping them with knowledge and resources, MinDiShield will help communities identify false information, understand how algorithms and artificial intelligence influence online content, and respond collectively to harmful narratives.
To ensure that its activities are evidence-based, MinDiShield has begun a mapping process across the five participating countries. This research examines awareness levels, skills gaps, vulnerability patterns and training needs among ethnic minority groups, professionals and community leaders. The mapping includes online surveys with minority community members, as well as interviews with professionals and ethnic and religious community leaders. The findings will feed into national reports and a transnational analysis, which will guide the development of training curricula, capacity-building activities and tailored resources.
Multilingualism and accessibility are key priorities. MinDiShield will develop resources in English, French, Greek, Italian and Dutch, ensuring that materials are relevant across different national and cultural contexts. The project will also create a transnational Community of Practice to support cross-border exchange, learning and collaboration among professionals, organisations and community actors.
Media Diversity Institute Global will lead the project’s dissemination activities, coordinating communication and awareness-raising across the consortium. This includes developing the dissemination strategy, producing multilingual communication materials, managing the project website and Community of Practice, organising information events and online awareness-raising campaigns in each partner country, and hosting the final transnational conference in Brussels.
At a time when minority communities are too often used as tools in disinformation campaigns, MinDiShield offers a proactive and inclusive response. By combining research, training, community engagement and public awareness, the project aims not only to counter harmful online content, but also to promote equality, non-discrimination and democratic resilience across Europe.
Through collaboration, knowledge-sharing and culturally sensitive support, MinDiShield will help build safer digital spaces where minority communities can participate, communicate and thrive without fear of manipulation, exclusion or hate.
Your voice matters. By sharing experiences, needs and ideas, minority communities, professionals and community leaders can directly contribute to the development of practical tools and resources that respond to real challenges. Those interested in taking part in the research, training activities or the development of project tools are encouraged to reach out and get involved.
If you are interested in contributing or participating, you can contact the project partners in each country for more information and opportunities to get involved or contact the Media Diversity Institute Global at hana@media-diversity.org.
Author
Noura Kaddaoui, Project Assistant, Media Diversity Institute Global.
