With the advent of social networks, the percentage of people who read content and who share or comment on it has increased dramatically, but unfortunately this participation has not gone hand in hand with an improvement in the ability to understand the text, in the sense of interpreting it, to be able to read between the lines by drawing up their own conclusions. This is clearly shown by the results of the OECD Pisa tests, which measure reading literacy in order to achieve one's goals, develop one's knowledge and potential and play an active role in society. There is an overload of information, there is still much that is unknown. Digital media allow for the spread of unverified “research” claims and the knowledge base itself is rapidly shifting as we learn more. The stage is set for disinformation and fake news. Education has an important role to play in helping students, teachers and indeed the broader public understand what evidence to trust. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, so does the volume of related news information, leading to what has been called an “infodemic”. While the issues of misinformation (the spread of false information, regardless of whether there is an intent to deceive) and disinformation (the deliberate spread of false or misleading information with an intent to deceive) have been widely studied and discussed, COVID-19 throws into sharp relief the challenges and consequences of this important policy area. Disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19 is quickly and widely disseminated across the Internet, reaching and potentially influencing many people. The spread of disinformation framing minorities as the cause of the pandemic has fuelled animosity against ethnic groups, motivating a rise in discrimination and incidents of violence in what has been characterised as “coronaracism” (OECD 2020). To face this kind of misinformation, using logical arguments and "classical" training , do not seem to be effective strategies against fake news and fake fact that often using other languages, not always consistent and based on the principle of non-contradiction. For this reason this project intends to experiment other languages, always Youth based, to communicate and training on these topics: - Equipping VET trainers with a resource pack on digital practices and tools - Equipping trainees with digital tools, to detect fake news and to promote conscious use of social media, to stand against manipulation - Promoting equity and inclusion by facilitating conscious and critical access to media, social and digital contents, to vulnerable youth against manipulation and misinformation - Contrasting hate speech, racism, sexism, populism, misperception and misrepresentation tackling fake news, “coronaracism” phenomenon and “post-truth” on social media The project will involve trainers from VET sector as well as trainees, also within local and trasnational exchanges and Advisory Groups, as we do believe in co-participation and co-design of new innovative practice in order to tackle disinformation. The project is developed transnationally as media literacy has no boarder. To contrast hate speech, European cooperation in this field enables us to ‘bring to life’ the concept of 'act local, think global' for young people, promoting European values in VET sectors, promoting active citizenship and social inclusion, media educated trainers and trainees able to detect and report fake news. The FAKE project involves 4 VET focused organisations and a technical digital partner from 5 European countries, working together over 24 months. Led by Eurocircle, the main providers of young people international mobilities in Provence Region, with partners from Italy, Germany, Lithuania and the UK, the results of FAKE arise from the co-design, test, validation and production of new curriculum and digital material for trainers and trainees in order to tackle fake news. FAKE is a complex project that will produce 3 substantial and innovative Intellectual Outputs and generate a range of sustainable results for the benefit of its participant organisations, VET trainers and trainees (1) A trainers resources pack, comprising a the most up to date learning material on digital practice and media literacy (2) A digital playground with 3 learning paths (beginner, intermediary, advanced) allowing for co-design and co-production of digital tools (visual novels) among trainers and trainees (3) An online Hackaton, in co-production aiming at deconstructing a maximum of fake news by creating the digital tools to do so All 3 IOs will be punctuated by trainings: online webinars and local trainings and testing in order to give participants all knowledge to be able to co-design the tools A series of other concrete results accompany the IOs, including: - a transnational joint staff ‘train the trainer’ event - a transnational small exchange for VET trainees - 4 TPMs - 4 multilplier events - a final international conference
FAKE had the following main objectives: 1. To fight against fake news, manipulation, and disinformation by developing digital tools tailored to NEETs 2. To enhance the digital skills of trainers to guide and train young people in detecting fake news and fostering conscious and critical use of social media. 3. To provide trainers with a comprehensive set of resources on digital practices and tools to counter the risks of manipulation and marginalization on digital platforms. 4. To combat fake news hate speech, populism, and phenomena like "coronaracism" on social media through awareness and education FAKE wanted to increase young people’s knowledge and awareness of FAKE news and enhance their self-capability and critical thinking skills; equip trainees and trainers with digital and coding skills through using the project ‘digital playground’ to detect fake news and to promote conscious use of social media; engage young people in a participatory way giving them the opportunity to develop their own narrative on the topic of FAKE news, providing ownership on the story they wanted to tell; and promote inclusion by facilitating conscious and critical access to media, social and digital contents against manipulation and misinformation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a significant increase in the amount of information circulating on social media and digital platforms. The global PISA test revealed a concerning trend, with less than 1 in 10 of 15-year-olds in industrialized nations able to discern between fact and opinion. This functional illiteracy, exacerbated by a climate of uncertainty, distrust, and knowledge gaps, poses a significant challenge in distinguishing credible information from unfounded claims. The World Health Organization's concept of an "infodemic" further underscored the risks of excessive information, misinformation, and disinformation. This issue particularly affects undereducated and vulnerable youth, hindering their ability to make informed decisions and engage as aware and active citizens. To address misinformation, FAKE was developed to create innovative tools and training for young people and VET trainers, providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills to tackle fake news and to stand against manipulation. The rise of social networks has seen a surge in content engagement, yet this increased participation has not been matched by an improvement in critical reading and interpretation skills Education emerges as a key player in addressing this challenge, but traditional approaches have proven insufficient against the diverse and often contradictory nature of misinformation. Thus, the FAKE project aimed to experiment with innovative youth-centric strategies to combat misinformation, including equipping Vocational Education and Training (VET) trainers with a digital resource pack, empowering trainees with tools to detect and combat fake news, promoting equity and inclusion in media literacy, and tackling issues like hate speech, racism, sexism, and populism.