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Description
Romania has to improve the youth’s media and digital literacy and their civic and empathy-driven participation in the community. Despite the heavy use of social media - more than 4 hours per day, according to the research report “Connected to Media. Young people’s interaction with media” (Velicu, Fotiade 2018) - a very high number of young people do not have essential media and digital literacy. The same research showed that only a few of them surpass the information consumption to create online content and participate in civic actions online. Only 27% of young people in Romania have been involved in voluntary activities in one year and only 32% have participated at least once in civic actions organised by NGOs (Flash Eurobarometer 455 European Youth, 2018). Young people need civic education to pursue solidarity and cultivate empathy for others. They also need media and digital literacy to engage civically through online digital tools. In this project, Mediawise Society in partnership with ActiveWatch will develop an online course for “Media Education for Active Citizenship” to which 40 young people (14-19 years old) from all Romania will attend. They will develop new critical thinking and creative media production skills that will be later exercised to create at least 4 online civic campaigns to defend youth rights and other social causes they may identify with. The participants will use the most familiar forms of online communication that have civic potential like the creation and sharing of memes, hashtags or infographics. The National Council of School Students will be involved in the recruitment and mobilization of the youth in the project. During the last months of the project, the two partners will develop an online toolkit on Media Education for Active Citizenship based on the examples of good practice identified in the project. The toolkit will target education professionals who will be able replicate this type of civic intervention with other youth.
Summary of project results
The project „Change the World with a MEME! Media Literacy Education for Active Citizenship!" was initiated in the context of a Romanian society affected by the lack of solidarity and empathy towards vulnerable social categories, such as the poor/social assistance, Roma, and homosexuals. These manifestations have intensified during the COVID-19 crisis, including on online social platforms and in daily life interactions, reflecting an acute need for civic education for solidarity and the cultivation of empathy.
Mediawise Society in partnership with ActiveWatch conducted a qualitative research to understand the reasons for civic involvement or non-involvement of young people. Based on the research results, they developed the course "Media Education for Active Citizenship" and the online guide "Media Education for Civic Engagement", available for teachers. The course was organized in three stages, attracting 44 young people (aged between 14 and 19) from 13 regions of the country. This included critically analyzing online information, developing communication skills, and creating a civic campaign.
Participants acquired skills in analyzing and critically evaluating online information, essential for active citizenship, and four online civic campaigns were planned on important topics such as protecting the environment and LGBTQ+ rights, using the skills acquired in the course. Also, valuable resources developed through the project, such as the research conducted and the online guide created, were promoted and made accessible to an estimated number of 19,000 teachers