The project TrustEd Voices – Building Youth Agency through Media & Ethics tackles one of the most important societal challenges of our time: strengthening young people’s source-critical skills, their understanding of journalism, and their own voice in public discourse.

The initiative is led by the Swedish organization Voice4You, founded by journalists Charlotta Bergseth and Jenny Sköld, who also developed Mobile Stories — a digital newsroom where young people can create their own content and learn journalism’s methods and ethical principles. The project is funded by the owner of Schibsted, the Norwegian Tinius Trust, which works to promote free and independent media.

“Disinformation and polarization risk eroding young people’s engagement and trust in democracy. By working with educational tools to create credible content themselves, they also learn to recognize quality in others’ publications,” says Jenny Sköld, journalist and chair of Voice4You.

“It feels fantastic to run a project with the support of a foundation that so strongly shares our values and motivations,” says Charlotta Bergseth, Voice4You.

Through the project, 20 Swedish schools will receive free access to the Mobile Stories publishing tool and related educational materials. Teachers will receive support in teaching about media ethics, AI, and digital source credibility. Students will create articles, podcasts, and videos, and in the process learn about fact-checking, copyright, and ethical publishing standards. A key part of the project is to amplify voices and perspectives that are rarely heard in public debate.

The project also includes new digital courses on disinformation and lesson materials focused on making your voice heard and on ethical AI use in publishing.“We are pleased to support an initiative that gives young people valuable tools to understand the importance of journalism and find their own voice in public life.

”Mobile Stories combines an understanding of journalism and publishing ethics with practical experience in a way that strengthens both source criticism and democratic participation. It gives young people insight into what characterizes credible content — both what they create themselves and what they encounter as media consumers. This is fully in line with our mission to safeguard high-quality, free, and independent media,” says Kjersti Løken Stavrum, CEO of the Tinius Trust.

The initiative is aimed at students in lower and upper secondary schools but may also include young people active in associations.

About the Tinius Trust
The Tinius Trust is a Norwegian foundation that works to promote free, editorially independent, and quality-oriented media. The Trust is the 100% owner of the media group Schibsted, which owns Aftonbladet and Svenska Dagbladet in Sweden, as well as VG and Aftenposten in Norway. Tinius is a non-profit foundation that works long-term to strengthen free and independent journalism, press freedom, and credible information in public discourse.

About Voice4You
Voice4You is a non-profit organization that strengthens young people’s voices and critical thinking in the digital society. Through training, projects, and the educational publishing tool Mobile Stories, young people gain tools to express themselves, scrutinize information, and participate in democratic dialogue. The organization collaborates with schools, libraries, museums, and other stakeholders to promote media and information literacy.