Dissemination
PROPS Project Rated “Excellent” by FCT
Led by a national team, the CIAC project has surpassed expectations and has become an international success story.
In an increasingly digital world, where online hate speech poses a real threat to children and young people, the project PROPS – Interactive Narratives Propose a Pluralist Discourse set out to study and counter this phenomenon through the development of video games and interactive narratives.
The exploratory project, completed in 2024, received the highest possible rating of “Excellent” from FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, the funding agency. The evaluation left no room for doubt: the project’s ambitious plan was not only achieved but exceeded. FCT highlighted its “very good scientific quality,” described the results as “remarkable,” and noted that the achieved indicators “contributed to the project’s international visibility.”
A Result That Speaks for Itself
FCT’s report highlights the scope of PROPS’s success, including publications in international journals and one book, as well as 14 presentations at national and international conferences.
These figures reflect the dynamism and impact of the team, which managed to disseminate its results on a much broader scale than initially planned.
Fighting Hate with Games and Good Stories
So, what exactly is PROPS?
It is an innovative project in the field of Communication Sciences that sought to address the problem of online hate through education and media literacy. Recognising that video games and social media are part of young people’s everyday lives, PROPS developed interactive narratives — both digital and analogue — including interactive films and video games designed to empower educators, trainers, children, and young people.
The goal was clear: to equip young people with the tools to take an active role in countering hate speech, transforming them from mere spectators into agents of change.
A National Alliance of Experts
This success was made possible thanks to a strategic collaboration among several higher education institutions in Portugal: the University of Algarve (coordinating institution), the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, the Open University, and the University of Beira Interior.
The team, led by CIAC researchers Bruno Mendes da Silva and Ana Filipa Martins, brought together a group of specialists with extensive experience in education, media studies, media literacy, and video game design.
The PROPS project officially concluded on July 4, 2024, with a meeting bringing together researchers and educators. However, its legacy — now rated “Excellent” — remains available to the scientific community and to educators seeking to address this issue.
More information is available on the project’s official website.
Esta publicação também está disponível em: Portuguese (Portugal)