Media space is a challenge

Project facts

Project promoter:
RADKA(CZ)
Project Number:
CZ-ACTIVECITIZENS-0130
Status:
Completed
Final project cost:
€52,104
Programme:

Description

We are flooded by tons of information from various media sources. However few people can get oriented and recognise which of these are true or not. The project will increase competences of the target groups in the field of digital skills and media literacy. We will focus on the topics of media pressure, recognition of fake-news and disinformation. Desired impact will be achieved by a series of educational programs and workshops. The main target groups are primary and secondary school students, teachers and pedagogical staff, youth workers, young people and the public, especially parents and elderly. By increasing mentioned competences in the digital world, we thus eliminate its possible negative impact.

Summary of project results

We are flooded by tons of information from various media sources. However few people can get oriented and recognise which of these are true or not. The project will increase competences of the target groups in the field of digital skills and media literacy. We will focus on the topics of media pressure, recognition of fake-news and disinformation. Desired impact will be achieved by a series of educational programs and workshops. The main target groups are primary and secondary school students, teachers and pedagogical staff, youth workers, young people and the public, especially parents and elderly. By increasing mentioned competences in the digital world, we thus eliminate its possible negative impact.

The aim of the project was to increase the awareness and information of the target groups about the processes in the digital world of the influence of the media on individuals and society, fake news, the risks of cyberspace, propaganda and the effect of advertisements. 

All activities were intended for primary and secondary school pupils with adaptation to their age. The original assumption that children in individual grades and of a similar age will have the same knowledge and skills in the field of digital technologies turned out to be odd, especially in the 1st grade of elementary school. Not only were there differences between individual students in the same class, but there was also a big difference between individual schools with regard to location (big city vs. small town). Most of these children also had an active account on social networks, which were set up for them by their parents or older siblings. At the same time, a minimum of children are under the control of their parents. 

Specifically for secondary schools, we created a series of workshops dedicated to disinformation, propaganda and the media. A big surprise and lesson for us was that the school was not very interested in these topics. It was difficult for the teachers themselves to grasp. Most high school students are not involved in social events unless they learn about them through social media. They don''t follow the news, they don''t know the current press, they don''t orient themselves in the current cases surrounding the independence and ownership of the media, they are not capable of critical thinking in connection with the published information. 

In the future, we will continue to devote ourselves to these activities at primary and secondary schools, because we perceive it as one of the most important at the moment. In the future, we will also focus more on the elderly, as another potentially vulnerable group, and at the same time children in kindergarten, because practice shows that the age of children/users of social networks is decreasing.

Through the activities of the project, we have achieved an increase in knowledge and skills in the field of media education among pupils of elementary, secondary and vocational schools. By implementing an educational course for teachers and teacher assistants, we ensured the subsequent transfer of this knowledge. The secondary target group was the teachers themselves and the parents whose children participated in the activities. Project activities were further aimed at the general public, where various age groups, including seniors, participated.

Information on the projects funded by the EEA and Norway Grants is provided by the Programme and Fund Operators in the Beneficiary States, who are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of this information.