The week was filled with an interactive program led by Fakescape trainers Tereza Kráčmarová and Pavel Brejcha, combining discussions, sharing, creativity, and gamification. Each day, we dug a little deeper – from the basics to highly specific scenarios. How do you spot manipulative content? What makes a phishing email convincing? How are deepfakes created, and why do we fall for them so easily? And how can we explain these complex phenomena in a way that’s fun, understandable, and impactful?
One of the highlights of the week, according to many participants, was a city game in Ústí nad Orlicí, where teams stepped into the shoes of “cyber heroes” and worked to save the town from digital collapse. They took to the streets, cracking codes, uncovering clues, and solving challenges that tested not only their digital knowledge but also their teamwork and ability to think under pressure.
Another powerful moment was the study visit in Brno, where we visited Masaryk University and attended two expert-led lectures – one from a Fakescape trainer Tina Mizerová on deepfakes and visual manipulation, and another from a member of the university’s cybersecurity team Natalia Peterková on malware and digital protection. These sessions allowed participants to connect their personal insights from the activities with deeper academic perspectives, adding another layer to the experience.
Throughout the week, participants also tried out various educational games focused on cybersecurity, media literacy, and critical thinking. In the second half of the training, they began developing their own game concepts, which they will present and test during the second phase of the project – this time in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The digital world moves fast, but we don’t have to get lost in it. The project reminded us that cybersecurity is not just about technology – it's about how we think, what we share, and what we choose to believe. And that when we learn to talk about these topics openly, we become much more resilient to the threats of the online world.
