Digital Citizenship Education Forum “Let’s Act Now!”

Rubén Abarca Gómez is an EU Policy & Projects Officer at the European Vocational Training Association (EVTA). With an academic background in Law and Political Science, Mr. Abarca specializes in implementing EU-funded projects focused on gender equality, social inclusion, and sustainability, primarily within the Erasmus+ and Digital Europe programmes. In addition to managing projects, he actively monitors and analyzes European Union policies related to Vocational Education and Training (VET), being responsible for EVTA’s policy and advocacy initiatives.

Ufuk Bal is an international expert in youth mainstreaming with over 20 years of experience advancing youth policy, participation, social inclusion, and non-formal education across Europe and beyond. He collaborates with institutions, NGOs, and international organizations to develop inclusive strategies and embed youth perspectives into policy and practice. A strong advocate for digital transformation, he integrates AI and emerging technologies to enhance youth engagement, project design, and outreach. Drawing on frameworks like the EU Youth Strategy, he advises bodies such as OSCE, GIZ, and Youth@Work to ensure innovation remains inclusive, participatory, and youth-centered.

Co-founder of non-governmental/ non-profit organisation “Donum Animus”, educator and program manager promoting social inclusion and empowerment of the vulnerable groups, and advocating for inclusive education, digital literacy and access to digital citizenship education to the vulnerable groups in deprived areas in Latvia. Mentor to youngsters with mental and physical disabilities. Sintija has been in charge of numerous workshops and social innovations, as well organizing art exhibitions promoting vulnerable children and youngsters’ talents and innovative approaches addressing sensitive social issues building community resilience and empowerment. Non-governmental organisation “Donum Animus” is the only non-governmental entity from Latvia with Special Consultative Status of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. The organisation is a member of the European Digital Education Hub and Civil Society Partner of the Cooperation Memorandum Between Non-governmental Organizations and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia.

Natalie is the Founder and CEO of Tribela, a new social media platform designed to prioritise safety, empowerment, and authentic connections. An alumna of Oxford Saïd Business School and recipient of Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 award, Tribela embodies Natalie’s expertise and passion for shaping cultural narratives and reimagining how we connect in the digital age.
Prior to founding Tribela, Natalie’s work as an acclaimed producer, director, and writer – bridging storytelling, technology, and impact – was recognised at top global festivals including Sundance, Berlinale, and TIFF. Her credits include leading projects for major networks including Food Network, CMT and HGTV Canada, and her critically acclaimed directorial debut, Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick, won the Cultural Current award at the Victoria Film Festival and secured an Official Selection at VIFF. Natalie began her career at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York before continuing her studies in Film at Capilano University, building a diverse portfolio that spans music videos, documentaries, dramatic shorts, and lifestyle content across Canadian and international markets.

Teresa Sofia Castro is a Professor at Universidade Lusófona – CICANT. She holds a European PhD in Educational Technology, a master’s in Childhood Studies – Information and Communication Technologies, and a postdoc in Media and Cultural Studies. Her research focuses on children’s and young people’s digital ecologies, digital mediation, digital citizenship, young people and news, information disorders, and algorithms. Despite academic outputs, Teresa is interested in building training and materials for digital media education. She has been working with several Portuguese governmental institutions (namely, the Ministry of Education, the Safe Internet Centre, the Cybersecurity National Centre), NGOs, schools and the community.

A qualified History and Geography teacher, he has also been a member of school management teams and holds a diploma in Neuroeducation (Paris Cité). He is a consultant, lecturer and senior expert in digital citizenship, educational innovation and change management in schools.

Panagiotis Chatzimichail, known as Pete, is the Head of External Affairs at OBESSU, based in Brussels. Originally from Cyprus, Panagiotis has been actively engaged in the education and youth policy/advocacy field since 2010. Panagiotis holds a BSc and an MSc in Political Science and has been a professional trainer since 2016 (currently Senior Trainer, YEU PET). As part of his active engagement, he has collaborated with a wide range of institutions and networks, supporting several initiatives as policy expert. His motivation is driven by his commitment in advancing the rights of learners and young people (incl. lgbtqi+), social inclusion, and equal opportunities within education, placing a strong emphasis on Global Citizenship Education (GCE), non-formal education (NFE), and accessible participatory approaches.

Francesca Cristea is the Head of Policy and Programs of Europuls – Centre of European Expertise. She was the EU Youth Delegate during the Romanian Presidency to the Council of EU – being the first young person invited to hold an intervention in the Council of Youth Ministers and the Delegate to the Council of Europe 2023 – Congress of Local and Regional Authorities where she contributed to the Monitoring Report of local policies in Romania.  She coordinated the 2024 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy and received the Senate Prize from the University of Bucharest for outstanding civic initiatives. Her areas of work are youth policy, cohesion and local policies, civil society and education, European governance. She has contributed to research on citizen participation at the local level and democratic innovation, with a comparative focus on EU countries. She is also a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Bucharest, and her research explores how citizens can be more involved in the process of decision-making.

Laurie is a Research Director at social policy consultancy Ecorys, specialising in childhood and youth. He has over 25 years applied research and evaluation experience, including for EU and international agencies, not-profits, and local and national government. Laurie’s work has a strong focus on digital citizenship and wellbeing, with a particular interest in cross-sectoral and participatory approaches towards policy design and implementation. Laurie was Team Leader for a recently completed Media Literacy Policy Study, providing an assessment of the media literacy landscape in Europe.

Laure Delmoly is an international project coordinator at CLEMI, the French Public Agency in charge of Information and Media Literacy. CLEMI is part of the project DE FACTO, a program that gathers media literacy educators, factcheckers and researchers to tackle disinformation at the European level. CLEMI produces educational resources and trainings on information disorders and is in charge of organizing the press and media week at school each year.
Laure will present a series of podcasts on informational disorders produced by the CLEMI in collaboration with VIGINUM (the French government body responsible for vigilance and protection against foreign digital interference). The series of 8 podcasts of 8 minutes is available in French and English for teachers and students who want to know more about the techniques used online to conduct massive disinformation campaigns.

Dr. Verónica Donoso is a consultant and researcher specialising in digital citizenship, online safety, and education with a strong focus on supporting children and people in vulnerable situations. As a Research Fellow at KU Leuven’s Media, Culture and Policy Lab and Digital Literacy & Child Online Safety Adviser at European Schoolnet, she supports organisations in strengthening digital literacy and promoting safer online experiences. She has worked with the European Commission, United Nations, the Flemish government, and other partners to help shape effective policy and practice. With a broad interdisciplinary background, she is internationally recognised for her work in advancing digital citizenship and protecting children and communities online.

In 2003, Tito de Morais founded MiudosSegurosNa.Net (SafeKidsOnThe.Net). He co-authored the book “Cyberbullying – A Guide for Parents & Educators” (Portugal, 2016) and a chapter of the book “Bullying: Perspectives, Practice and Insights” (Council of Europe, 2017). He was an external evaluator of the “Cyber Training – Taking Action Against Cyberbullying” project, an initiative that produced a training manual for trainers in the field of cyberbullying. He was a trainer in the Advanced Course in Cyberbullying [E.learning] (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 – CRIAP Institute, Portugal). He was co-organizer and co-host of the Cyberbullying Talks (2019, 2020 and 2021) and co-organizer and co-host, with Cristiane Miranda, of the Global StopCyberbullying Telesummit (from 2019 to 2024). He was a specialist in the MOOC Bullying & Cyberbullying: Prevent and Act’ (2019, 2020 and 2022) promoted by Portugal’s General Directorate of Education (DGE) and a consultant to the DGE work group for the “School Without Bullying. School Without Violence” project (2019).

José Luis Dessy is an experienced project manager with over 20 years of leadership in innovation, digital transformation, and strategic development. He has a strong track record in designing and managing impactful initiatives across public and private sectors, with a special focus on entrepreneurship, skills development, and digital ecosystems. For several years, he worked at the Chamber of Commerce of Granada, where he played a key role in advancing innovation and digital transformation programs for SMEs and local businesses.
He currently serves as the Director of the AI Granada R&I Foundation, where he leads the design and execution of forward-thinking projects at the intersection of technology, education, and regional development. His work emphasizes collaboration between academia, government, and industry to foster sustainable and inclusive innovation.

Kristina Doda is working as Program manager at the Institute for Human Rights, Skopje managing the fundamental rights and rule of law programs of the organization. She holds a Master degree in Human Rights and Democracy, has a Specialization degree on European Union Law and an LL.M degree in international law and international relations. She is an expert in antidiscrimination law, providing training and capacity building for public institutions and CSOs, and has been engaged as a human rights and antidiscrimination expert by various national and international organisations including OSCE, UN, Council of Europe, etc. Her experience also includes access to justice for marginalized groups, mainstreaming human rights-based approach, judiciary independence, human rights litigation and advocacy.

Yannick Fella is a media educator at the non-profit EwB in the city of Luxembourg. He develops and facilitates courses for digital inclusion (e.g. Smartphone for beginners) and provides 1:1 support for people who have difficulties using digital devices.

Whitney Gray is the Youth Engagement Coordinator at the Digital Transformations for Health Lab. She has a degree in pre-medical biology and medical ethics and holds two Masters degrees in Public Health and International Affairs. Ms Gray’s experience includes biomedical research, health systems strengthening, global health governance and civil society engagement. With a longstanding desire to advance the health and wellbeing of all, she works to improve the inclusivity of actors in the design and implementation of research, policy and solutions for health in a digital age.

For the past two years, Lusine has served as Deputy Chief of Party at Internews for the comprehensive Media Program in Armenia, overseeing editorial and sustainable development of media partners, enabling legal environment, self-regulation, and national media literacy efforts including school curriculum reform.
Previously, she led the media literacy portfolio at Media Initiatives Center for nearly 12 years, initiating successful collaboration with the Ministry of Education that contributed to the integration of media and digital literacy into Armenia’s state school standards, leading the team to receive UNESCO’s 1st prize for MIL work in 2017, and establishing UNESCO’s MIL Week initiative in Armenia, which is now widely celebrated annually with state support.
Lusine is a member of the national working group on Struggle Against Disinformation and a contributor to the respective national strategy. She is an author of numerous papers, educational guides and learning tools on MIL.

With a degree in philosophy and a post-degree in peace education, Riccardo Gulletta has worked for about twenty years in the education field. He has extensive experience in the preparation, management and evaluation of youth and educational projects, both with civil society and international organisations. As a trainer/facilitator, he mainly uses non-formal education and alternative pedagogies. Since 2022 he joined the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, where he is in charge of the capacity-building dimension of the iLEGEND III project.

Jenna is the Director of Education and Partnerships for Common Sense Media in the United Kingdom. Since 2019, Jenna has managed Common Sense Media UK’s education programmes, including partnerships, content and distribution strategy. She is based in London, UK.

Vladimir Kitanovski is a university professor and researcher with a strong background in environmental sustainability, digital education, and civic engagement. He has participated in numerous international projects aimed at promoting digital competencies, green transitions, and active citizenship. As a DCE promoter in North Macedonia, he works closely with educational institutions and civil society organizations to advance digital rights, democratic participation, and media literacy. His work focuses on creating inclusive and informed communities through education, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration.

The Executive Director of the Center for Independent Journalism Romania, with more than 20 years’ experience in the media field, having worked as a journalist and as a media developer with CIJ. Involved in projects tackling both freedom of expression and media literacy, she aims to increase the resilience of the general public in the face of disinformation and to show and explain journalism’s vital role in safeguarding democracy. 
She has been involved since 2016 in a MIL strategic program that addresses teachers, in their initial training stage, and as part of the lifelong learning process, through training and post-training support.

Samvel Martirosyan is a media expert and cybersecurity specialist. He is a co-founder of cyber-security company CyberHUB. He is the Dean of the Marketing department in ARDY Academy. Martirosyan is a co-founder of “Aregnasan” Educational Center, where he has been teaching already for 30 years.

Cristina Mateo is an experienced language educator and innovation project designer, currently teaching at Zaragoza SchoolHouse (Spain), a centre known for implementing the renowned Montessori pedagogy. She specializes in English, Spanish (ELE), and educational technology, with a strong emphasis on inclusive, learner-centred approaches. With over a decade of teaching across primary, secondary, and adult education, Cristina combines classroom expertise with a passion for integrating AI, digital literacy, and emotional intelligence into education. She holds multiple academic degrees, including a Master’s in Education, a Master’s in English Cultural Studies, and a Postgraduate Degree in Digital Transformation. Cristina has led and presented several innovative educational projects across Europe, aiming to bridge technology and equity – especially for vulnerable populations. At the Digital Citizenship Education Forum 2025, she will speak about the long-term impact of digital footprints in shaping social and professional identities.

I am Manolis Matthaiou, I live in Berlin and my origin is Greek. I am currently managing an NGO in Germany, the Model European Union Berlin e.V, an organization focused on youth political education. We make simulations of EU institutions, seminars and events about diplomacy and politics and we want to create the next generation of leaders.

Trainer, Speaker, Digital Parenting Expert, Digital Parenting Coach, Founder of Teen On Top – Youth Coach, Co-founder of Agarrados à Net (Clinging On The Net) with Tito de Morais, a project that aims to promote the digital wellbeing of children, young people and adults, helping families, schools and communities in topics such as preventing and tackling the excessive or problematic use of screens, bullying/cyberbullying, image-based sexual violence, negative impacts of social media on body image, prevention of dangerous viral challenges, of the negative impacts of the digital footprint and promotion of media and digital literacy.

Educational specialist with 20 years of experience in education practice, policy, academic and strategic planning work, especially in pre-service and in-service teacher education; Council of Europe’s CDEDU and EPAN Bureau member; Working on Education for Democratic Citizenship, Human Rights Education, Competences for Democratic Culture; Editor, author, co-author of various resources for teachers’ professional development; Representing the National Center for Teacher Professional Development and several universities of Georgia; Associated Professor of Caucasus University

Hassan is a lecturer in Law and a member of the Quality Advisory Board at the University of Europe for Applied Sciences in Germany. He specializes in technology law, human rights, and digital literacy, and leads studentcentred initiatives on digitalfootprint awareness and online responsibility. He has advanced global humanrights advocacy through his work with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva. His career bridges academia, international advocacy, and digitalcitizenship education.

Dr. Anahit Parzyan is an Executive Director of “Nork Technology Center” and leads the implementation of Digital Transformation of Labor and Social Protection of Armenia.
Dr. Parzyan specializes in cybersecurity, digitalization, and GovTech. She has extensive experience in developing national digital platforms, strategies and operationalization initiatives for the Government of Armenia.
She occasionally presents her research and delivers public talks on national and international forums. She is an author of several academic publications at Routledge, UK. She received a joint medal “Hakob Meghapart” from the Ministry of Diaspora of RA and Mekhitarist Congregation, Venice.

Dr Svava Pétursdóttir is a lecturer at the School of Education, University of Iceland. She taught in schools for 15 years. Her fields of research are teaching and learning in primary schools, makerspaces, science education and the uses of ICT in teaching. She has been a DCE promoter for Iceland and collaborates with many agents on supporting digital citizenship education.

Declan Qualter works in the School of Education at University College Dublin, Ireland, where he is the Practice Placement Supervisor for the UCD Bachelor of Education programme and teaches on the UCD Professional Masters in Education programme. He is also a PhD candidate at the UCD School of Education, focusing on parental involvement in children’s digital learning. His research interests include the digital transformation of education, particularly the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies in educational settings. Declan has led and participated in several Erasmus+ projects and has contributed as an expert in European and regional working groups on digital education.

Pascale RAULIN-SERRIER is working as an international Digital Education expert for the French CNIL (Data Protection Authority). Pascale is currently conducting awareness workshops and training activities on privacy best practices. Pascale has been developing international collaborative projects targeted towards children and Youth, educators and parents in digital literacy. She has been leading the Digital Education Working Group (DEWG) comprised of 90 Data Protection Authorities worldwide within the Global Privacy Assembly. Her priority is aimed at drafting international recommendations, and conducting surveys in privacy matters, but also actively sharing sense-making practices and combining quality resources or initiatives via booklets and an online library. She is a regular speaker at international privacy and education conferences, promoting children’s rights in the digital environment. Pascale also works as a member of the Council of Europe’s expert group on Digital Citizenship Education.

Ms. Olga Rierola is the Responsible for Cooperation and Training Programmes in the Catalan Data Protection Authority (APDCAT). In particular, she works on the development and promotion of digital education projects targeted towards children and young people, with the goal of helping them grow up fully aware of the value of their personal data and the importance of protecting it, in order to maintain their autonomy, independence and freedom in an imminently digital world. A lawyer by training, she has long-term experience in the field of data protection; it is over 15 years that Ms. Olga has been dealing with privacy and data protection issues in the Catalan DPA, assuming different roles.

Angelina Rivera-Rocabado is a graduate of the Faculty of Letters at “Al. I. Cuza” University in Iași, Romania. Since 2006, she has been a French and English teacher with 19 years of experience in education, and since 2017, she has been the deputy headmistress at “Gheorghe Vernescu” Middle School in Rm. Sarat.
Angelina is a national trainer, mentor, educational speaker and a member of the National Assessment Teacher Corps (CPEECN) for national exams and competitions. She is also a DELF examiner, Cambridge Exams preparator and was a finalist in the “Creators of Education” competition in 2021.
In 2022, she received an award at the Superteach Children First Gala. In 2023, she completed the courses of the Academy of Leadership and School Management – AVE, Romania. Furthermore, she is an expert in European-funded projects and a member of the management team for several such projects.
In November 2022 she supported as a volunteer the Digital Citizenship Education programme “DCE from a parent’s perspective” Council of Europe.

Calin Rus is the Director of the Intercultural Institute of Timisoara, Romania. In this capacity, he initiated and has led for more than 25 years a national programme and various projects aimed at promoting Education for Democratic Citizenship, Human Rights Education and Intercultural Education. He was member of Council of Europe’s expert group that developed the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture. Since 2023, he has coordinated the Digital Civic Incubator, a national initiative, implemented in partnership with two other Romanian NGOs, Techsoup Association and Scoala de Valori. The Digital Civic Incubator delivers online and blended learning courses for teachers and pilots a whole-school approach methodology, focused on Digital Citizenship and on the Competences for Democratic Culture.

Efe Kayra Soylu is a high school rising senior passionate about digital active citizenship, volunteerism, and youth engagement. He is a trainer at Understanding Europe, an initiative by the Schwarzkopf Foundation, where he delivers workshops on digital citizenship and civic participation. As an active member of the European Youth Parliament (EYP), he is currently leading a Climate Youth Action Plan (CYAP) project focused on fostering collaboration between youth and NGOs. His work aims to empower young people to take an active role in shaping inclusive and democratic digital spaces.

Suzanna Shamakhyan is an education strategist and policy leader working at the intersection of policy innovation and education. As Executive Director of the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), she drives large-scale initiatives that shape innovation & education ecosystems and catalyze systemic change.
With over 13 years of experience, Suzanna has led transformative programs in education and research, developed policy frameworks in collaboration with government bodies, and built international partnerships spanning more than 40 countries. Her work focuses on designing sustainable systems, influencing national agendas, and enabling the next generation of innovators and changemakers.

Berika Shukakidze graduated from Tbilisi State University with Master’s degree in Economics in 1995. In 2002 he acquired a Master’s degree in Education Administration from University of Nebraska at Omaha. He completed his doctoral study at Ilia State University in 2013. He has more than 23 academic works completed. From 2018 he serves as the director of the National Center for Teacher’s Professional Development, at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Youth of Georgia.

Iva Tsolova-Kutsarova is an advocate for human rights, equality, and environmental sustainability. She is a social entrepreneur and co-founder of “JAMBA – Career for All – Austria”, an organization dedicated to empowering people with disabilities and chronic illnesses by equipping them with essential soft and professional skills. JAMBA also serves as a bridge between talent and employers, facilitating access to inclusive, flexible, and secure employment opportunities.
With over 17 years of experience in the NGO sector, Iva focuses on business development and building long-term value within organizations. She has contributed to the growth and impact of numerous local and international initiatives. Iva has represented Bulgaria as a Youth Delegate to the United Nations and the Council of Europe. In 2016, she was selected among Bulgaria’s “Most Outstanding Young People” in the category of humanitarian and volunteer work, and in 2018, she was honored in Forbes Europe’s “30 Under 30” list in the field of Social Entrepreneurship.”

Gergana Tzvetkova is the co-founder of the Counterintuitive Institute, a Bulgaria-based non-governmental organization focused on studying and countering emerging and changing forms of violence and advancing substantive equality, women’s rights, and feminist and ethical technologies. With over 12 years of experience in the field of human rights, Gergana has led and contributed to research on gender-based violence, cyber violence against women, gendered disinformation, digital education and digital rights. She is currently working on the project Invisible Data, which seeks to fill the gaps in research, civil society, and public spaces and lay the foundations for the identification and countering of cyber and technology-facilitated domestic violence.

Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck is the Executive Director and founder of Lie Detectors, an award-winning and journalist-led news-literacy organisation raising awareness of disinformation and media bias among schoolchildren and teachers. She directs Lie Detectors’ development and strategy and designed its concept and training approach. Juliane advises national and international institutions on anti-radicalisation and literacy in an age of media pluralism, including within the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Digital Disinformation and Fake News and Expert Group on Tackling Disinformation and Promoting Digital Literacy through Education and Training on behalf of Lie Detectors. To create Lie Detectors, Juliane put aside an award-winning journalism career, during which she wrote for The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Reuters, MLex and Spiegel Online among others, reporting from Europe and the US as well as from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Arctic. She is an alumna of New York City’s Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the University of Edinburgh and speaks German, English, Spanish and French.