The Academy of Media Literacy in the Czech Republic is providing instruction on how to teach others to recognize disinformation
If you are somebody who works with children and youth, you may have noticed that they go nowhere without their mobile phones. However, while the younger generation is proficient technologically, its members can still quite easily fall victim to disinformation.
Would you like to support young people with developing critical thinking skills or warn them about the pitfalls of sharing news that has not been fact-checked? If so, the Academy of Media Literacy is here for you – an educational program through which you will learn how the media works, why fake news spreads so well, and mainly, what about these subjects can be taught to young people.
The Academy of Media Literacy is intended for those who are interested in this issue and who already work for nonprofit organizations, public libraries, and schools. All of its offerings will start with a meet-and-greet weekend in mid-October where you will be able to experience the lecturers, your fellow participants and the program itself in person.
From October 2022 to March 2023 there will follow 10 interesting workshops on subjects such as the aspects of disinformation from a psychological perspective, the functioning of the media, news sources, how the Czech disinformation scene works, and how to verify the veracity of news items with the aid of fact checking. Because “theory is gray but the tree of life is green”, we will assist you with immediately transferring the knowledge and skills you have acquired into practice with the help of mentors and personal consultations with professionals.
Up to eight hours of such consultations have been reserved for each participant. What are the Academy’s conditions for participation?
The most important condition is that this year the Academy has been circumscribed regionally and is only open to those interested from the Hradec Králové, Liberec and Ústecký Regions. The second essential condition is that you must already be working with children and youth up to the age of 17.
You can easily apply through the online form on the Academy’s website. Don’t hesitate – as of mid-August, five projects had already been reserved during the first round.
The final deadline for the second round of applications is 14 September 2022. This is the Academy’s second year of operations.
The first year took place from 2020 to 2021, exclusively online, and comprised dozens of consultations, lectures and workshops. The Academy’s first year resulted in 19 projects targeting the widest possible range of groups, from children, to persons living with visual impairment, to senior citizens.
What do past participants have to say about the Academy? “The Academy of Media Literacy pleasantly surprised me in several ways. I did not anticipate such a nice, grounded and accommodating instructor, participants who were quite active and inspiring, or the overall excellent level of the course,” Veronika Tomanová of the Matika.in organization wrote to us.
If you would like to experience an atmosphere of inspiration and learn all that is important to know about a subject that is currently moving the world, then apply. If you are interested in any aspects or have questions, contact the coordinator of the project, Michaela Čapková, at michaela.capkova@sdruzenivia.cz or +420 604 966 286.
