Like the rest of the world, Europe is facing increasingly challenging issues in today’s digital society: fake news, hate speech, online violence, manipulation, and the impact of technology on children’s mental health have become everyday challenges in the modern world. That is why this year’s European Year of Education for Digital Citizenship, which will conclude with a central event, the conference “The Way Forward,” taking place on 18 and 19 November in Ljubljana, will highlight the importance of education for digital citizenship, which equips people to deal with these challenges.
The event, on the Slovenian side, is led by the expert team of the RRP (Recovery and Resilience Plan) project “Strengthening Digital Citizenship in Slovenian Educational Institutions (DIGI.DR),” of which the Faculty of Information Studies is also a part, with the support of the Ministry of Education and in cooperation with the Council of Europe’s Directorate of Democracy. It will bring together international experts, policymakers, researchers, teachers, and youth representatives to seek answers to the question of how to preserve democratic values, humanity, and security in the modern digital environment.
The conference will open with a ceremonial address by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, and participants will also be addressed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Vinko Logaj.
Among the keynote speakers will be Matjaž Gruden, Director of Democracy at the Council of Europe, who will highlight in his opening address the importance of education for digital citizenship as the foundation of modern democracy and trust in the digital space.
The participants will include numerous domestic and international experts, among whom the following will give introductory presentations:
Prof. Michael Epstein (Southwestern Law School, USA), expert in media law and ethics,
Hans Martens (European Schoolnet), Head of Digital Citizenship,
Milan Mandeljc (Teacher of the Year 2025), Slovenian representative for the Global Teacher Prize,
Jasna Rojc, Director of the Institute for Education,
Eszter Salamon, Head of the international parents’ organisation Parents International.
The conference will offer lectures, panels, and interactive workshops on media literacy, health and well-being, and digital rights. The focus will be on how education, research, and politics can work together to create a safer, more responsible, and human-centred digital world and individual behaviour.
The “Way Forward” conference will not only be the closing event of the European Year but also the start of a new journey – towards the creation of a common European strategic roadmap (Digital Citizenship Education Roadmap) that will chart the development of digital citizenship education in the coming years. The closing conference will feature a presentation of the achievements of the Member States during the European Year of Education for Digital Citizenship and a discussion on the future development of this field. It is based on the findings of previous international conferences, which highlighted key strategic guidelines, challenges in integrating digital citizenship into education, and the importance of coordinated cooperation between stakeholders. The Council of Europe will present the first draft of a joint strategic direction (known as “The Way Forward Roadmap”), which is based on joint reflections, experiences, and expert contributions gathered throughout the year.