Innovative actions to increase media literacy and civic engagement across nine EU countries, by addressing diverse groups such as primary and secondary school children, college students, educators, and journalists.
Context
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the influence of media on society is stronger than ever. While the digital era allows quick access to information, it also poses the challenge of discerning fact from fiction. Media literacy, recognized as a critical life skill, assists individuals in accessing, analyzing and producing media content. Informed citizens form the backbone of thriving democracies. They critically engage with media, contribute constructively to public discourse, and immerse themselves actively in civic duties. Without this skill set, the risks of misinformation and manipulation increase exponentially, eroding the foundations of democratic society and responsible governance.
In today’s digital world, we are all constantly bombarded with an overwhelming array of blogs, social media posts, videos, and podcasts. This landscape calls for an educated audience that can sift through the noise to identify credible information, check facts, and avoid biases. However, the rapid pace of change leaves many struggling to keep up – if anything, in “post-truth” society, pace of false information is increasing, especially with the news in (and after) the COVID-19 era. Schools and colleges often overlook media literacy in their curricula, for young people it is frequently in-trend to follow conspiracy theories, while for adults, learning media literacy skills later in life is increasingly challenging. Ironically, the constant stream of information we encounter daily can make it even harder to navigate the pitfalls of fake news, misinformation, and information overload – so we are not adapting to the fake news, it is somehow vice versa.
Objectives
- Countering disinformation and other forms of interference in the democratic debate and promoting media literacy
- Engaging citizens and communities in discussion about the future of the Europe
- Strengthening democratic participation, with a particular focus on inclusion of younger and older people, women in all their diversity, mobile EU citizens and people with disabilities.
- Enhancing the active involvement and hands-on opportunity to understand the importance of media literacy, to grasp the intricacies of the EU policymaking process for children, teenagers and young adults
Activities
- Create board-game Media Masters Develop a board game ‘Media Masters’ that challenges players to navigate media scenarios, enhancing their media literacy and critical thinking skills while promoting engaging group discussions
- Create the ‘Media Masters’ mobile app, designed to provide an interactive platform for players to engage with media literacy challenges, receive real-time feedback, and track their progress seamlessly
- Organization of 13 interactive workshop on discerning authenticity in media, featuring discussions and activities, in different European countries
- Organization of 13 conference on the impact of fake news on the European Democracies, in different European countries
- Organization of 2 training workshop geared towards enhancing digital literacy in the classroom, the group of teachers partake in collaborative discussions, game sessions, and reflections on classroom implementation.
- Organize 14 hands-on workshop designed for children, teens and young adults to delve into digital literacy through Media Masters game. Emphasizes experiential learning, interactive discussions, and critical thinking.
- Organize 1 summit in Brussels uniting the MediaMasters Consortium for collaborative planning and knowledge sharing on enhancing media literacy. Representatives will engage in workshops, presentations, and discussions, sharing best practices and expertise. The event emphasizes collective action, aligning strategies, and promoting media literacy in the context of European policymaking.
Resources
- 1 Board Game developed, it challenges players to navigate media scenarios, enhancing their media literacy and critical thinking skills while promoting engaging group discussions
- 1 Mobile App Created, designed to provide an interactive platform for players to engage with media literacy challenges, receive real-time feedback, and track their progress seamlessly
- Case studies on misinformation effects that highlight the tangible effects of misinformation on democratic processes, emphasizing the urgency of media literacy
- “Media Masters” integration guide, that provides teachers with step-by-step instructions and best practices for incorporating “Media Masters” into their curriculum and extracurricular activities.
Impact
- 12.000 students empowered to identify and understand various forms of media manipulation, equipped to make more informed decisions
- 15.000 children improved experiential learning and media literacy
- 900 educators improved their understanding of how young people perceive fake news and disinformation
- 500 educational administrators upgraded their media literacy skills
- 5.000 Future educational professionals better their skills in media literacy and education’s innovation
Partners
- PISTES SOLIDAIRES (France, coordinator)
- POLITISTIKO IDRYMA 1948 (Cyprus)
- INNOVATION HIVE – KYPSELI KAINOTOMIAS (Greece)
- MUSEO DEI BAMBINI SOCIETA COOPERATIVA SOCIALE (Italy)
- INSTITUTO IKIGAI ASOCIACION ESPANOLA PARA EL EMPRENDIMIENTO Y EL DESARROLLO PERSONAL Y PROFESIONAL (Spain)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- VOXEUROP SCE (France)
- Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Sofia University (Bulgaria)
- UNIVERZA V MARIBORU (Slovenia)
- YOUNET APS (Italy)
- CASORIS, ZAVOD ZA INFORMIRANJE IN IZOBRAZEVANJE (Slovenia)
- Udruga za promicanje tehnicke kulture Makerspace Varazdin (Croatia)
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
