Empowering Digital Citizenship through Media Literacy and Critical Thinking

Project summary

Young people today use the internet to explore, connect, create and learn in ways never imagined. However, digital communications present a paradox: - too low levels of digital competence accentuate disadvantage and exclusion in the labour market and society. - too much, uncontrolled, use of digital media can lead to undesirable online behaviours that damage individuals’ interpersonal relations and encourage undemocratic values. Young people are particularly vulnerable to both these aspects and are caught in the digital media skills gap – access to media has grown faster than the ability of our education systems to teach its responsible use. The consequences of such a vacuum are very concerning in light of the challenges posed to social cohesion by our country’s growing immigrant communities and changing attitudes to multiculturalism. For these reasons, EMPOWER is designed with a clear objective: significantly improve young people’s ability to critically assess the online and social media content they consume and create, empowering them to become responsible, confident digital citizens. Specifically, we aim to: - Encourage knowledge sharing and peer learning among education and youth sector stakeholders to develop a Good Practice Catalogue (IO1) of leading and innovative approaches to teaching media literacy and critical thinking as linked to healthy online behavior and active citizenship. - Create and promote Digital Citizenship Education Toolkit (IO2) comprising open, online resources that Teachers and Educators can use with young people to explore the topic and strengthen their own skills. - Develop and widely disseminate a Teachers’ Guide to Digital Pedagogy (IO3) as a user-friendly, interactive online resource to support teaching staff in developing their own digital competences and mainstreaming digital literacy skills in their teaching and youthwork activities. The tangible RESULTS of the project, in the form of intellectual outputs (IOs) and multiplier events, will be supported by 3 horizontal activities which will run throughout the project (Management, Dissemination & Sustainability and Evaluation) which will also produce intangible results as a means to ensuring effective project execution. On the basis of these results, the project can be expected to achieve its expected outcomes with target groups and wider stakeholders, including: - engagement of 50+ wide range of stakeholders engaged in VET, education, youth work, local government and social development policy from an early stage in project through input into O1 and our dissemination - recruitment of 60 educators and trainers and 60 students/young people who will participate in the development of the EMPOWER course and OERs, they will benefit from completing the course and will provide constructive feedback. EMPOWER has been carefully structured to enable young people to critically assess social and digital media and interact more responsibly online. It will do so by increasing the capacity of educators, trainers and youth workers to deliver such education in an engaging and practical manner. The unique structure of the EMPOWER project provides a reliable means of introducing media literacy and digital citizen education for young people across Europe. Moreover, it demonstrates that there are many new and innovative ways to increase the social inclusion and civic engagement of young people, while also contributing to the overall European goal of social cohesion. LOCAL & REGIONAL IMPACT Most young peoples’ lives are lived out in local settings and the services delivered there have the most impact on their quality of life. By improving the quality and accessibility of formal/non-formal education, VET and youth services at this level, communities will experience an increase in social and knowledge capital, with young people more empowered as leaders of change. Schools, neighbourhoods and communities will experience increase in mental and physical well being as the potential negative aspects of digital and social media usage (confidence erosion, online peer pressure and abuse, increased stress related illness, radicalization etc.) are reduced. NATIONAL & EUROPEAN IMPACT Digital awareness and media literacy is a topic attracting growing interest at national and EU level and so we believe the project will attract a significant degree of attention from policy makers. In reaching them effectively, it can cause: - a deeper understanding of the best ways to teach media literacy, social engagement and civic participation to different groups of young people and the potential spill over effects in local communities; - more enlightened and innovative education and youth training/work policies and thus greater sustainability of such services themselves;