Nicosia, August 2, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
“Co-Creating Media Literate Youth”
Two-day policy paper writing workshop
Subject: Μisinformation and Fake News
The Cyprus Youth Council as part of the “Co-Creating Media Literate Youth” Programme organized a two-day policy paper writing workshop on “Μisinformation and Fake News”. The CYC policy writing workshop was successfully completed on the 30th (online via Zoom) & 31st of July (live) at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Larnaca.
40 young people actively participated in the training, either coming from CYC member organizations or young people who are following the project since its beginning. Under the guidance of the CYC Trainers and through dialogue, Non-Formal Education/Activities, the participants expressed their opinions, views and suggestions on the development of critical thinking in order to fight misinformation and fake news. Opinions, ideas and recommendations have been collected for the purpose of drafting a policy paper to be promoted by the CYC to policy makers and competent institutions in Cyprus on the challenge against misinformation and fake news, counting the role of young people in the whole process.
The main aim of the “Co-Creating Media Literate Youth” programme is to assist young people in Cyprus, as well as the general public, to develop media literacy skills, but also providing them with a theoretical background around misinformation. Similarly, the programme aims to raise public awareness on issues of how misinformation can influence democratic procedures and eventually lead to an increase of extremism, racism, sexism, intolerance and homophobia, as well as to identify examples where perceptions on specific topics such as gender issues, climate change, LGBTQI+ people rights etc. are incorrectly promoted.
Furthermore, during the program’s ten online workshops, held between November 2020 & February 2021, a comprehensive toolkit was developed, with tools to combat misinformation and ways to verify fake news. This manual will be presented together with the results of the entire programme “Co-Creating Media Literate Youth” at a final conference, to officials, academics, technocrats, experts, the youth of Cyprus and to the general public.
For more info and material regarding the workshop follow the link:
The program is sponsored by the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Cyprus, the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth and Horizon 2020, as part of the Co-Inform programme.
For more information about the “Co-Creating Media Literate Youth” programme, please contact the Cyprus Youth Council via email [email protected] or phone 22878316.