Media literacy, support for the growth of local communities
120 teachers and 12.000 students from all over Romania will study how to check the information that reaches them and to make informed decisions, for their benefit and their communities, in the project “I Teach Media Literacy! – Media Education and Culture Lab”.
In a public space marked by falsified and manipulated information, aggressive and polarized political discourses, media literacy is the key tool to help young people identify relevant information, discern between multiple sources of information, and also use the media to increase their involvement in the community.
The project is implemented by the Center for Independent Journalism Romania (CIJ), in partnership with the Rădăuțiul Civic Association and Norsensus Mediaforum, with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, a program funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the 2014-2021 EEA Grants. The aim of the project is to increase the media literacy community at the national level in Romania, so that high school students acquire the skills that enable them to be informed citizens, able to interact critically and responsibly with the media, gaining immunity, at least in part, to the anti-democratic effects of misinformation.
“Our world is shaped by the media products we consume. It is vital to understand how it works, because, in this way, we all can become better prepared media consumers, as well as citizens involved in the community”, says Cristina Lupu, the executive director of CIJ. “Misinformation can affect our decisions both at the personal level, and also at the level of family, community, society. Democratic mechanisms can be affected by manipulation, so knowing how to ask the right questions and check media messages should become commonplace in everyday life, and this can only be done through media literacy”, she continues.
Romanian Language and Literature teachers will learn how to use media concepts and will develop their students’ critical thinking skills, as part of their usual classes.
Also, 80 high school students from Rădăuți will participate in non-formal media literacy workshops, becoming in turn promoters of the importance of critical thinking and information verification in their communities.
For more information about the project, please contact Cristina Jamschek, Program Director at CIJ, at educatiemedia@cji.ro.
About the Center for Independent Journalism Romania (CIJ):
Information of public interest, the right to free and responsible expression, media, civic and human rights education. For more than 27 years, the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) has made sure that they are accessible to all. It is a pioneer and a partner of all those who make democracy the highway of the future. https://cji.ro/en/
About Rădăuțiul Civic Association:
The “Rădăuțiul Civic” initiative group appeared in June 2017, after a series of civic actions already implemented by some members, on a voluntary basis and out of the desire to give something back to their hometown. In September 2018, it became a non-governmental organization.
The mission of the Rădăuțiul Civic Association is to stimulate active citizenship for the development of the local community, and in recent years its activity has been recognized nationally for advocacy campaigns, promoting the principles of good governance and social or educational activities.
About Norsensus Mediaforum:
Norsensus Mediaforum is a non-profit organization in Norway, working in the field of media literacy, storytelling, strategic communication and digitalization. It aims to promote media literacy and competence in society, for inclusion and social participation, and develops competence development programs in media, digital journalism, storytelling, design and technology in addition to offering media and design services, media communication capacity building for NGOs, public sector and entrepreneurs.
About the Active Citizens Fund Romania Program:
The Active Citizens Fund Romania program is financed by the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The overall objective of the Grants is to reduce economic and social disparities and to strengthen bilateral relations between the 15 beneficiary and donor states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway). The program is administered by the consortium of the Foundation for Civil Society Development, the Partnership Foundation, the Resource Center for Roma Communities, the PACT Foundation and Frivillighet Norge, which act as Fund Operators designated by the FMO – Grants Financial Mechanism Office EEA and Norway. Active Citizens Fund Romania aims to strengthen civil society and active citizenship and increase the capacity of vulnerable groups. With a total allocation of EUR 46,000,000, the program aims to develop the long-term sustainability and capacity of the civil society sector, stepping up its role in promoting democratic participation, active citizenship and human rights, while strengthening bilateral relations with donor states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. For more information about Active Citizens Fund in Romania, please visit www.activecitizensfund.ro. For more information on EEA and Norwegian Grants, visit www.eeagrants.ro.”
