2025 marked a record year for the Civic Resilience Initiative. Together with our partners in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, we significantly expanded our reach and strengthened our impact across the Baltic region through education, training, and international cooperation.
Below are some of the key highlights from the year.
Computer Game for Media Literacy
In 2025, we implemented more than 100 media literacy lessons in over 60 schools across the Baltic states, directly reaching more than 2,000 students in classrooms and many more at home through our interactive computer game for media literacy.
The free interactive game is designed to strengthen critical thinking and information verification skills using open-source data. It can be used independently or integrated into classroom curricula such as Civic Education or History. Game-based learning was chosen for its high engagement and accessibility among students.
One of the core scenarios, The Disinformation Challenge, takes place in a familiar high school setting. Students investigate claims made by an impostor “expert” advocating changes to graduation exams, using OSINT tools and verification techniques to assess the credibility of the arguments.
Built on a platform similar to Minecraft, the game provides a dedicated educational environment where students can explore freely while educators monitor progress and communicate when needed. The exercises encourage individual and collaborative problem-solving and project-based learning.
Scavenger Hunts with NATO Troops
In 2025, we also organized 12 interactive scavenger hunts focused on security, media literacy, and NATO. These activities involved active participation from NATO troops stationed in Rukla and Pabradė, including German, Dutch, U.S., Czech, Norwegian, and Belgian contingents.
More than 1,500 students from over 25 schools across Lithuania took part in these activities. The events promoted teamwork and critical thinking while providing participants with firsthand insight into resilience, security challenges, and the role of allied military cooperation.
Defending Baltics – High-Level International Defence Conference
Together with our partners, we organized Defending Baltics, one of the largest defence-related events in the region. The conference brought together military leaders, policymakers, analysts, and security experts to translate Ukraine’s frontline experience into actionable insights for Baltic defence.
Held at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, the 2025 edition focused on countering hybrid threats, strengthening NATO’s Eastern Flank, and accelerating joint resilience. More than 1,000 VIP participants attended events related to Defending Baltics, and 36 internationally recognized speakers delivered their insights.
Training for Municipal Employees and Community Leaders: “Psychological and Informational Resilience in Times of Crisis”
Training sessions on psychological and informational resilience were delivered to more than 200 municipal employees and community leaders across five municipalities. The programme equipped participants with practical skills to manage crisis-related stress, counter misinformation, and support their communities during emergencies.
The target audience included municipal communication specialists, education and social service departments, emergency management teams, NGO representatives, youth coordinators, and active community leaders. The project also produced methodological materials for continued use at the municipal level.
GCTF Workshop on Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience
In cooperation with the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, and the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania, we co-hosted the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) Workshop in Vilnius. Building on the success of the previous year, the 2025 workshop focused on strengthening supply chain resilience.
The event brought together more than 100 high-level participants from government, industry, and civil society.
Resilience Academy
The Resilience Academy was an innovative capacity-building initiative aimed at youth organizations and young professionals. The programme combined theoretical sessions with practical, game-based learning focused on media literacy, OSINT tools, cyber threats, artificial intelligence, and hybrid attacks targeting NATO and the Baltic region.
Two Academy events were held in 2025, involving more than 50 participants.
Canada–Baltic States Roundtable
December kicked off with the Canada–Baltic States expert-level roundtable on Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, held at VU TSPMI. We convened high-level representatives and experts from all participating countries for an open exchange of experiences and lessons learned.
The discussion strengthened cross-regional cooperation and contributed to shared approaches aimed at increasing democratic resilience against foreign information threats.
And Much More
Beyond these flagship initiatives, we delivered numerous training sessions for NGOs and private companies, launched several social media campaigns reaching hundreds of thousands of users, and participated as speakers or guests in dozens of international conferences and roundtable discussions.
In total, more than 5,000 people actively participated in our events and training activities in 2025. These efforts further strengthened our partnerships and expanded our visibility across Europe and beyond.
2025 was a great ride – and we are entering the next year with strong momentum and commitment to building resilient, informed societies.
Our sincere thanks go to all our partners for their collaboration and support.
