We wanted to provide our students with an understanding of their own responsibility when spreading news (big or small). We wanted to give them a healthy vision of the structures behind the manipulation visible on social media, eg. algorithms and trolls. A European cooperational mindset is needed nowadays in the world of isolated, polarised silos. We wanted to encourage our students to invest in language studies and practical skills with their peers. Active participation and bravery in social interactions can be worthwhile values.
Our concern for the decline of language skills, ie. the number of students of French in Finland, gave us the boost to cooperate with France. For the French, Finland is a sought-after destination, and thus the south and the north united in cooperation. Weak media literacy among the youth is a fact, so we felt the need for better understanding of how and why (fake) news is spread. Moreover, encouraging and promoting social and international relationships is an investment for the common European future, not to mention skills for working, and personal, life.