Integrating Citizen Media into daily Youth Work for empowering Youths with Fewer Opportunities in Digital Citizenship

Recent political tendencies in Europe show how important media are in the life of communities. One of the first steps of the nationalistic governments was overtaking the charge in public media. Problems such as fake news, disinformation, manipulation in media become more and more common. People are indeed online, but a lack of skills and comprehension deprives many them of the ability to use the resources at hand properly and – most importantly – prevents them to be actively involved in Digital Citizenship.

All Citizens should be able to use, understand, analyze and create Digital Media. For this reason, the development and application of Citizen Media will be the main topic of this project, called “CiMe – Integrating Citizen Media into daily Youth Work for empowering Youths with Fewer Opportunities in Digital Citizenship” There is a great need for all young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, to be actively involved in the content creation and reflective consumption of digital media. This can be reached only by improving their digital skills and providing the tools and methods for youth workers who will act as stakeholders.

The main target group are youth organizations and youth workers. The CiMe focuses on shaping their competencies, skills and knowledge, both on political education as well as on media literacy. CiMe increases the knowledge and skills of youth workers and will influence young people, who form the second main target group.

The CiMe project is designed around the key idea of making use of the opportunity of modern media to defeat its dangers and will produce the following outcomes:

– eTutorials
The creation of video tutorials featuring crossmedia opportunities in order to support the training methodology of youth workers

– Learning Management System and Assessment
An online platform that provides youth workers with knowledge, ideas and material about media literacy, education and orientation with an emphasis on Citizen Media tools

– Educational Citizen Media Magazine
An online magazine created by young people for young people under the leadership of youth workers, using modern media as a tool to create engaging content and to connect young people of different backgrounds with each other on topics of digital and active citizenship

Digital media in the form of social media and all of its dangers – misinformation, fake news, hate speech – are an inescapable fact. In order to make use of the apparent benefits of digital media and its opportunities – such as free access to information, easier participation in political processes and decision makings, networking and organising, covering of local topics – people need to gain the necessary skillset as digital citizens. With decades of experiences in creating respectful and appreciative media enviroments, Citizen Media are a great tool to include everybody in tomorrow’s opportunities.

Therefore, the CiMe project aims to reach young people by using the opportunities of digital media, the experiences and best practices of safe Citizen Media environments and concepts to support the concept of an active, self-confident, skillful, responsible digital citizen. Based on the partner’s skillset, the project will provide innovative use of digital media in youth work.

The project will be carried out over 24 months between 2021 and 2023.