The MEDIActive Youth: Informing the Balkans project continues to make strides in promoting news literacy and critical thinking among young people in the region. On December 4th, we successfully held our second full-day meeting in an online format, bringing together a dedicated group of eight participants. Among them were BRAVO representatives as well as participants from our five partner organizations.
The meeting served as a valuable opportunity to reflect on our progress and plan for the next steps. One of the key points of discussion was the evaluation of completed deliverables, ensuring that our work remains aligned with our goals and continues to meet the needs of young people in the Balkans. We also focused on the design and development of our teaching material pack, an essential component that will provide educators and youth with engaging and accessible resources to enhance media literacy.
Another crucial aspect of our discussions centered on the Transnational Youth Magazine (TYM), a platform that gives young voices in the region the opportunity to share their perspectives and insights on important media-related topics.
We explored ways to improve the magazine’s content and outreach, making it even more effective in engaging and informing young audiences. Additionally, we strategized on enhancing our impact and dissemination efforts, ensuring that the work we are doing reaches as many young people as possible and contributes to fostering a culture of informed and critical media consumption.
The meeting was a testament to the dedication and enthusiasm of everyone involved in the project. Each participant brought valuable insights and ideas, helping us refine our approach and strengthen our collective efforts. Through collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to combating misinformation, we are building a more media-literate and critically aware generation in the Balkans.
We extend our gratitude to all participants for their hard work and engagement. The progress we are making is a direct result of the dedication and passion of our team. As we move forward, we remain committed to equipping young people with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate the complexities of today’s media landscape with confidence and discernment.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our journey toward a more informed and empowered youth community!
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Project aims to build a media-literate society and to better inform young people and wide public about the key issues and problems of youth policy worldwide. A particularly important aspect of this Project is its focus on the Balkans, more precisely the Western Balkans and Croatia, which has been the most turbulent part of Europe in the previous decades.
Almost three decades after the end of wars in the Former Yugoslavia, ethnic animosity and hostility are still widespread in the region, especially among young people. Numerous examples of xenophobia, intolerance, and hate speech can be seen in sports matches, nationalist websites, certain media, public life and politics. Media freedoms in these countries are low, and many media– too often even the official, public ones with national frequencies – spur animosity towards the neighboring countries and nations. In addition, an overtly skeptical and even negative sentiment towards the EU has been increasingly spread through the official media and politicians, resulting in a drop in popular support for the EU membership in the Western Balkans, especially in Serbia. Thereby, in the Balkan context, the Project project has a specific goal of strengthening the dialogue and post-conflict reconciliation and promoting the EU and common EU values.
It aims to elevate the level of media and news literacy among young individuals and youth NGOs. Additionally, it seeks to enhance the visibility of youth policy within the media landscape. Moreover, the initiative aims to expand the MEDIActive youth program to include Balkan countries. The project aims to develop news literacy and critical thinking skills among young journalists and citizens. Lastly, the Project seeks to establish cooperative relationships and networks among youth NGOs in the Balkan region.