DOMAS

Erasmus+ project: Media and Information Literacy for Climate Change and Environmental Topics

Project duration: 01.09.2023. – 31.12.2024.

Project reference: 2023-1-HR01-KA220-YOU-000158264

Grant amount: 120.000,00 €

Donor: HR01 – Agencija za mobilnost i programe Europske unije (Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes)

 

Summary:

 

Digital technologies have made media truly ubiquitous. Whether originating in established publishers or created by users, media content permeates and informs every aspect of our lives. Yet, in order to make the most of the wealth of content available, people need to distinguish what they wish from what they don’t, and what is suitable from what isn’t. They need a chart and a compass to reap the rewards and mitigate the risks of navigating an ocean that looks both alluring and forbidding. Terms like ‘disinformation,’ ‘fake news’ and ‘post-truth’ have become commonplace in contemporary public debates. These terms are modern parlance for perennial phenomena such as propaganda and conspiracy theories. The advent of, and broad access to, digital technologies and the internet have provided school students with far more access to information than any previous generation. Yet, they can also create “powerful echo chambers for disinformation campaigns” (European Commission, 2018). This is where media literacy comes into play.

 

Media outlets and the flow of information on digital communications platforms amplify the urgency of the climate crisis, communicate key facts about climate change, and debunk climate change denial and other conspiracy theories. It is crucial for citizens to understand how this news and online content are produced, for what purposes, and based on what sources. Without public trust in climate change science, policymaking in a democratic society cannot address the serious threats we face. Given the pressing global warming crises, media and information literacy (the ability to properly discern, analyze, and use information), critical thinking skills, a sound value structure, and an ecologically sound political culture focused on climate change become indispensable tools for both the government and its citizens to effectively engage in climate action.

 

Therefore, a consortium of partners is implementing a project titled “Media and Information Literacy for Climate Change and Environmental Topics,” with the aim of raising capacities and providing practical tools for youth workers and youth, starting with research showing the real-time situation in three involved countries: Croatia, Estonia, and Portugal.

Project Objectives

Objective #1

Objective #1

Improve and raise existing capacities of project partners for development, implementation, evaluation and further improvement of activities and projects on topics of media literacy and media literacy in green topics

Objective #2

Objective #2

Collect comprehensive data on youth’s media and information literacy in green topics from Croatia, Portugal and Estonia through involvement of at least 450 young people from 3 countries in the research and through analysing existing reports and data on the topics

Objective #3

Objective #3

Develop educational toolkit for youth workers and educators to work on activities focused at educating young people on how to consume media content qualitatively and safely, especially media content related to green topics

Objective #4

Objective #4

Raise knowledge and skills of at least 300 young people from Croatia, Estonia and Portugal in media literacy and media literacy in green topics; through their participation in interactive online learning course

Objective #5

Objective #5

Raise knowledge and skills of 15 youth workers and educators from partner organisations for developing, implementing and evaluating local-level activities aimed at raising knowledge and skills of youngsters in media and information literacy

Objective #6

Objective #6

Engage in intensive dissemination and exploitation activities of developed outputs (research, toolkit, online learning course) and reach at least 20 organisations, 200 youth workers, 500 young people

Direct participants / beneficiaries of our project

Young people participated in the research

Youth workers, traners and other professionals participating in local training courses

Young people tested the e-learning course on media literacy and green and environmental topics

Stakeholders in Youth Work Community participate in the local conferences

people who have been included in the activities of dissemination

Project activities

  • A1 Project Management

  • M1-M12 Project meetings

  • E1 Content meeting of partners

  • O1 Research “Media and Information Literacy in Environmental Topics”

  • O2 Toolkit for Youth Workers and Educators “Media and Information Literacy of Youth in Green Topics"

  • C1 Pilot Sessions (21 sessions) for Young People

  • O3 Online Learning Course for Youth “Media Literacy and Green Topics”

  • C2 Local Training Courses for Educators and Youth Workers

  • C3 Local Dissemination Conferences

  • E2 Evaluation of the project activities

Project results

Toolkit for Youth Workers and Educators - MIL of Youth in Green Topics (English)
Summary and Recommendations - Echoes of the Digital Age (overview of results for all countries)
Summary and Recommendationis - Echoes of the Digital Age (owerview of Croatian results)
Summary and Recommendationis - Echoes of the Digital Age (owerview of Portugese results)
Research in English Language
Research in Croatian language
Research in Estonian language
Research in Portugese language

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

 

This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.