The overall aim of the project “Read between the lines!”- training course on media literacy is to increase the capacity of 30 youth workers in critical thinking approach by developing skills and competences working with the topic of Media literacy. We see media literacy as an essential skill in 21st century, where we receive a massive flow of information everyday.
Media literacy skills are in our perspective a tool of empowerment which helps us to make decisions, whether in the classroom, the living room, the workplace or the voting booth. Being literate in a media means to be responsible, competent, conscientious individual and active citizen. By implementing the project, we want to equip the multipliers in the field of youth work with this tool of empowerment.
On the other hand, we believe that the lack of ability to comprehend the complex media messages and referring to not creditable information is fostering violent radicalization of young people and counteract development of the society where diversity is appreciated. With the project we want to contribute to counteracting these negative trends in the 10 countries involved.
According to one of the definitions, “Media Literacy is a 21st century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages in a variety of forms — from print to video to the Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-
expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.” Within one training course it is not possible to cover all the diverse aspects of media literacy, therefore we selected the aspect we identified as the most practical for the target group involved.
The objectives of the project are increasing the capacity of the participants to:
1) access, analyze and evaluate complex media messages,
2) understand the role of the media (and especially social media) in shaping our culture, society and public opinion,
3) transfer the critical thinking approach and practical knowledge in the sphere of media literacy to their target groups of young people in an attractive way, making them sensitive to the threats and challenges accessibility of information and new technologies bring along and
enabling them to use them in a responsible way.
We see a need for closer collaboration in countries divided by political tensions and propaganda among youth organizations supporting the ideas of civic involvement, active citizenship, democratic values, and critical thinking approach.
The main project activity is an intensive 7-day training course for 30 youth workers (under the facilitation of 2 expert trainers) from 10 countries on the topic of Media Literacy. The training course will take place in Vilnius (Lithuania) from 11th to 18th October 2019. The training will connect participants from Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Croatia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia who will be guided through the learning process by 2 qualified facilitators from Germany.
Participants from Balkan countries:
BIH Emina Frljak
BIH Filip Selak
BIH Nataša Zrnić
CRO Danka Brumen
CRO Mateja Gabor
CRO Jelena Novak
SRB Magdalena Milinković
SRB Bojana Spalević
SRB Ljiljana Šotra