The Media Literacy Booster project aims to develop media literacy and civic engagement skills among young people. It will create training materials, innovative educational tools, a course manual and an online educational platform. The students will benefit from a training program to become trainers and will train high school students from Prahova, Giurgiu and Călărași counties. The project is in line with UNESCO's framework for media literacy, aiming to develop students as active participants and content creators. Activities include local workshops, a dedicated online section on the Freedom House Romania and PRESShub websites, the production of a course material and a handbook for young trainers.
The specific objectives of the project are:
- improving the media skills of 25 students participating in the training session, who will in turn train around 100 secondary school students
- launching an online section dedicated to media literacy tools and methods
- the realization of a course and manual on education for democracy and media literacy
- organizing intensive workshops in Bucharest
- In the end, 8 students will be selected to train high school students from Prahova, Giurgiu and Călărași counties, assisted by journalists and experts in the fight against disinformation.
The 5-month project responds to the need for media literacy in a digital context where young people have difficulty distinguishing false from true information. By training young trainers and involving students, the Media Literacy Booster promotes an informed, critical and resilient society, aiming to reduce the new generation's vulnerability to misinformation and stimulating active participation in civic life.
The project is implemented by New Data Academy in partnership with Freedom House Romania, with financial support from the U.S. Department of State through the Annual Grants Program.
I strongly believe in democracy. With the strength of a man who lived in a totalitarian system. The keystones of a democracy are justice and the press. Justice so that people find justice, equality before the law. The press to help them understand the world they live in. That's why it is important to understand the role and purpose of the press, which press works in the interest of knowledge and understanding and which does not.
(Cristina Guseth, Director Freedom House Romania)
The "Media Literacy Booster" Project benefits from the expertise of leading professionals in the field of media literacy and countering misinformation, with the aim of training young people as trainers. The experts involved in the project will ensure its continuity by transforming the Media Literacy Booster trainings into a long-term program to develop essential skills for navigating and critically evaluating information for new target groups.
Nicolae ȚÎBRIGAN is president of the New Data Academy Association (and coordinator of the Digital Forensic Team - www.digiforteam.ro). He has a PhD in sociology and is a media and digital literacy trainer, specializing in combating misinformation. He is also a scientific researcher at the Institute of Political Science and International Relations "Ion I.C. Brătianu" of the Romanian Academy.
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Diana MORARU is vice president of the New Data Academy Association and social media editor for the Digital Forensic Team - DFT. She holds a Master's degree in European and Romanian Politics, bachelor's degrees in Journalism and Political Science, and a Youth Worker Diploma obtained in 2012. She specializes in communication sciences, journalism and strategic communication.
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Ciprian CUCU is an expert investigator and data analyst at the Digital Forensic Team - DFT, with a PhD in Statistics and Cybernetics. As a lecturer at the University of Alba Iulia, he teaches computer science and researches online disinformation. Co-founder of the Association "Forum Apulum" to promote civic culture and critical thinking.
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Cristina GUSETH has been the director of Freedom House Romania (FHR) since 1997. Before Romania's accession to the EU (2005-2007), Cristina Guseth coordinated the media relations and PR department of European Commission Delegation in Romania. Since 2017, Freedom House Romania has developed the first local press network in Romania - PressHub - which comprises over 30 publications.
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Bianca TOMA coordinates CRPE programs on Good Governance, Justice and European Affairs. Specialized trainer in European policies, Bianca is also the author of the CRPE's policy recommendations on various policy areas and of the National Anticorruption Directorate's Sustainability Index. She is a graduate of the Master in European Policy and Communication program of IHECS Brussels and has more than ten years of experience in the media where she has coordinated several regional and national projects (print and TV).
This project is funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State.
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