Media literacy is the ability to access, analyse, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication.
Media and digital literacy develop critical thinking and equip youth and those around them with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools to protect themselves and to take advantage of the opportunities the internet offers, minimising the risks. Moreover, it contributes to an active, participatory and inclusive society.
Through the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), HaDEA supports the work of Safer Internet Centres (SICs) across Europe, which play an important role providing education to children, parents and teachers on how to navigate the virtual world safely.
National initiatives
- The Danish Safer Internet Centreinitiated a large-scale project in autumn 2020 on how children up to 6 years old use digital technologies. The SIC is currently developing and testing a range of materials in collaboration with selected daycare and kindergarten professionals, children, parents and caretakers, and health professionals from all over the country.
- In 2021, The Bulgarian Safer Internet Centreand Media Literacy Coalition experts worked on a practical guide for teachers – “Media Literacy through Remote Teaching” (in Bulgarian). It contains nine lesson plans for teaching online students in fifth to seventh grade on various school subjects, and it is based on the SIC’s methodology of face-to-face teaching “From Digital Competence to Digital Citizenship” referring to the European Commissions ’s Digital Competency framework.EN••
- The Greek Safer Internet Centrecreated a toolkit that aims to develop students’ critical thinking and to help them to be able to distinguish truth from misinformation on the internet.
Background information
Survey suggests that information navigation skills are unevenly distributed across the European countries, showing a need for constant education of youth and those around them.
The Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) will build on and continue to support the work of SICs which has already been carried out under the Connecting Europe Facility Telecom programme between 2015 and 2021. DIGITAL aims to build the strategic digital capacities of the EU and to facilitate the wide deployment of digital technologies. With an overall budget of €7.5 billion, out of which €0.8 billion is managed by HaDEA, the programme will support investments in the following sectors:
- High Performance Computing
- Cloud, data, and Artificial Intelligence
- Cybersecurity
- Advanced digital skills
- Accelerating best use of technologies
HaDEA manages actions under Cloud, data, and Artificial Intelligence; Advanced Digital Skills; and Accelerating best use of technologies.
Source: European Commission | News (https://bit.ly/3ZJG6f8)