In today's world, in which children and young people are increasingly digitally networked, it seems more and more difficult for them to clearly define their own identities. Many young people lose themselves in the manifold opportunities that social networks offer them. The problems that arise from excessive media consumption by adolescents has not only been proven by numerous studies, such as the JIM study, but also by the experience of teachers. They are required to integrate media topics into their lessons and at the same time deal with the problems of their students that occur through involvement in social networks. As a result of this situation the idea of initiating an Inter-European project was born during a contact seminar in Düsseldorf in October 2019, between different schools of the following countries: Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Macedonia and Ireland. The aim of the project is to enable young people to develop a healthy and stable (European) identity, despite or perhaps because of the massive influence of social networks. For this purpose, both the possible potential and the dangers of social networks are being examined and an appropriate way of dealing with them discussed. Pupils should be encouraged to critically question their media consumption, particularly the relevance and quality of social media. They should also learn about the usefulness for intercultural communication in order to better locate themselves in the European community structure as well as to better understand their own role in it. Through the cooperation between the different countries, cultural differences can be worked out and common "trends" discovered. These will, in turn, contribute to the development of an awareness of the individual identity, while, at the same time, equally broadening the (cultural) European horizon of the students. Twenty-five students aged between 13 and 15 years from each participating country will join in the Erasmus+ project entitled "Finding Identity in Times of Social Media". In addition to two staff meetings, which serve to assist in the planning, further training and organisation of the responsible teachers, a total of six student mobilities with different focal points are planned. Each host country is an expert in one of the following digitally relevant topics: fake and real news, cyberbullying, influencing, addiction, pressure to reach perfection and political commitment through and with social media. Five students from each school will travel to each country to participate in various workshops and the cultural exchange programme. Before, after and between the mobilities, pupils will be able to communicate with each other through eTwinning and work on the same tasks in their home country. The project is advertised at the home schools and the students apply for it by means of a letter of motivation or self-made videos. Furthermore, the project is designed in such a way that the pupils deal with the topic of identity and the influence of social media and publish the results with the help of these "social media". In this way, digital media are not only used to exchange information, but also to learn through and with them. All schools participating in the project have a department of "Creative Arts" or offer this as a learning focus. Therefore, the above-mentioned questions are to be processed and transferred artistically and aesthetically in the performing arts and expressed through other creative forms ("creative arts"). In the course of this project various skills and abilities will be acquired and deepened, ranging from technical execution (stage technology, dubbing of videos, recording of clips) to creative applications concerning the dramaturgical realisation (e.g. writing small scenes, stage design, language and movement). Throughout the entire duration of the project, the participants will develop a manual on the safe use of social media, in which they will collect the results of their work and findings, which will later be made available to other schools and educational institutions. The manual will contain questionnaires on the pupils' own use of media and their identity therein, an information sheet, and a quiz for about/on identifying real and fake news, information on influencing, behavioural tips, reflection sheets on the category and quantity of media use, educational videos, collages as well as technical manuals on video and film technology. In this way, pupils, teachers or parents who have not taken part in the project will also be able to analyse their media use and receive suggestions for safe dealings in and with social networks. In addition, the pupils will record their activities during the project in a booklet ("Project Booklet"), in which they can write articles about the individual activities and meetings, as well as which documents the joint inter-European work of the participants.
In today's world, where children and adolescents are increasingly digitally connected, it appears that it has become increasingly difficult for them to clearly answer the question of their own identity. Many young people lose themselves in the diverse possibilities that social networks offer them. The intensive media consumption of young people is supported not only by numerous studies, such as the JIM study, but also by teachers who are increasingly incorporating media-related topics into their teaching while simultaneously addressing the problems that their students encounter on social networks. During a contact seminar in Düsseldorf in October 2019, the idea of initiating an inter-European project was born among various schools from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Macedonia, and Ireland. The goal of this project is to empower young people to develop a healthy and stable (European) identity, despite or perhaps because of the massive influence of social networks. To achieve this, the project explores both the potential of social networks and the dangers they pose, as well as discussing appropriate ways to deal with them. The students questioned their media consumption, especially the relevance and quality of social media, critically, but they also learned about its benefits for intercultural communication. This enabled them to better position themselves within the European community and understand their own role in it. Through the collaboration of different countries, cultural differences were highlighted, and common "trends" were discovered, contributing to an awareness of their own identity and expanding the (cultural) European horizons of the students. Twenty-five students between the ages of 13 and 16 from each participating country took part in the Erasmus+ project titled "Identity Formation in the Age of Social Networks." In addition to two staff meetings that served the planning, training, and organization of the responsible teachers, a total of six student mobilities were planned and carried out, each focusing on different digital-related topics: Fake and Real News, Cyberbullying, Influencing, Dependency, Pressure for Perfection, and Political Engagement through and with Social Media. Five students from each school traveled to another country to participate in various workshops and cultural exchange programs. Before, during, and after the mobilities, students communicated with each other via eTwinning and worked on the same tasks. The project was announced at the home schools in a way that allowed students to apply through motivational letters or self-made videos. It made sense for all schools to structure the project in a way that encouraged students to engage with the theme of identity formation and the influence of social media in a substantive way, and then to publish the results using these very "social media" platforms. Digital media was not only used for communication but also for learning. Since all schools participating in the project had a "creative arts" department, these questions were expressed both artistically and aesthetically through performing arts and other creative forms. This included acquiring and deepening various skills, from technical execution (stage technology, video dubbing, recording of clips) to creative applications involving dramatic implementation (e.g., writing short scenes, stage design, language/movement). Throughout the entire project duration, the participants worked on a manual for safe social media use. In this manual, they compiled their work results and findings, which will later be made available to other schools and educational institutions. The manual includes student-friendly surveys on their own media usage and identity, an information sheet and quiz on recognizing real and fake news, information on the topic of influencing, behavioral guidelines, reflection forms on the type and quantity of media usage, educational videos, collages, as well as technical manuals on video and film technology. This resource is intended to help students, teachers, or parents who did not participate in the project to analyze their media usage and provide guidance for safe interaction with social networks.