Description of the project: The modern world is a world of information. We are in a constant data flow, which we receive from people around us, from the media and another Internet resources. The abundance and variety of sources generate contradictory information. Unfortunately, this information is often not reliable and credible. Its distortion can be caused by various reasons – from ignorance or irresponsibility of the informant to deliberate control of the audience's consciousness. In any case, if we don't want to be led and manipulated, we need to learn how to analyze information, separate facts from interpretations, and draw our own conclusions. In other words, we need to develop media literacy and, more broadly, critical thinking. The ability to form a personal opinion and defend your position will allow us to feel confident in modern society. It is also important that a critical understanding of the current social and political situation will inevitably lead to the development of civil consciousness, increase interest in the life of society (at the local, state, European and global levels) and increase the level of participation in social life. In addition, critical thinking is necessary in all areas of everyday life. Thus, in studying, it helps in selecting sources, recognizing cause-and-effect connections, generalizing and structuring information, arguing your position and seeing weaknesses in the position of others. As for work, critical thinking helps to evaluate work tasks from different sides and to avoid the errors related to the inaccuracy or inadequacy of information. In everyday life, critical thinking allows you to choose the best way and option of action, avoid serious mistakes or quickly find ways to correct them. Thus, critical thinking (and media literacy as its important component and inevitable consequence) is a necessary skill for any educated, active and interested person, especially for the youth educator and social worker. It is worth emphasizing that critical thinking is a complex skill that needs to be developed from different angles. This project includes the following areas/topics/methods of work: • Rational thinking and cognitive biases. To get closer to objectivity, it is important to be aware of the fact that people are irrational beings, and their thinking is characterized by systematic mistakes. Knowing about possible cognitive biases will help participants identify them in the process of thinking and reduce their influence in forming conclusions or making decisions. • Rhetoric and oratory. A well-prepared public speech is one of the most powerful tools for persuading an audience. Unfortunately, it is not always the ideas that sound from behind the stands are useful to the public. To avoid being manipulated, you must be able to identify the rhetorical means by which it is constructed. And the best way to learn them is to put them into practice by preparing your own public speech. In addition, the ability to convey ideas to the audience will be a useful skill for those who are engaged in social activities and work with young people. • Improvisation Theatre. Critical thinking requires not only analytical abilities, but also developed emotional intelligence and creativity. Thus, active listening is important in the perception of information, as it allows you to get into the essence and deeply understand what is being said; openness to new ideas expands the perspective of the view and allows you to consider the subject from different sides. Improvisation Theatre is a unique tool that is ideal for developing these skills. We also use this method to prepare participants for public speaking, training their confidence and raising awareness of the importance of non-verbal communication. Objectives of the project: • To develop critical thinking; • To develop media literacy (the ability to work with information coming from different sources; increase awareness of the ways and means of manipulation in the media); • To develop active listening skills; • To develop skills of public speech (particularly, self-confidence, efficient interaction with the audience, rhetoric, verbal and non-verbal communication, management of the group dynamic and processes, etc.); • To give the overview, understanding and feeling of Improvisation Theatre as a tool for personal development and as a method in youth work; • To create brochures with tips how to develop critical thinking and media literacy and examples of rhetorical fallacies from real media articles; and to disseminate them on the international, national, regional and local levels; • To establish trustworthy partnerships with youth workers from different countries; • To improve skills and develop different competencies being crucial for youth workers and youth leaders in the process of non-formal education; • To deal with Youth Pass as an instrument of self-reflection and assessment.