The European Dialogue and its partners are looking for participants in Erasmus + training for youth workers called Faces of Diversity!
What the training will be about?
This event will bring together youth workers in media youth organizations, as well as those from non-media-oriented organizations, and also teachers. The aim of the project is therefore to bring together youth workers from different countries and the cultural environment in order to find an answer on how to make their approach and methods better towards greater tolerance of minorities among young people. Project also aims at better media literacy of participants that shape attitudes of youth. Participants will analyse the needs of different minorities and try to understand their daily problems through simultaneous games. The output of the project will be various educational materials that can be used by youth workers to work with different groups of young people.
Who are we looking for?
- Youth workers and teachers 18+ years old.
- Participants should ideally come from more remote regions, as young people living in such areas are often more vulnerable to minority intolerance as well as insufficient media literacy.
- It would be an advantage if one of the participants was a representative of any minority or had an experience in working with young people from the minority community.
- The condition of the participation is active command of the English language.
The training will be attended by 26 youth workers from Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Greece.
When and where will the training take place?
6-days long training of youth workers will take place from 9 to 15 May 2022 (including two travel days) in the heart of city of Trnava in cosy hotel London (https://www.hotellondon.sk/).
What will the participants gain?
- improved critical thinking
- the knowledge of principles of professional journalism
- ability to identify trustworthy media and verify the sources
- better knowledge of needs of various minorities in Europe and issues they face
- ability to produce high-quality media materials on topics related to minorities, tolerance, and non-discrimination
They will also create recommendations and methods for youth workers, focused on increasing media literacy and tolerance towards minorities. Ultimately, they will become more tolerant, open, and helpful towards minorities.
Finances:
The travel costs will be reimbursed up to the amount of 275 EUR (for travel from participant’s place of residence to Trnava; not applicable to Slovak participants).
The accommodation, lunches, and dinners are covered directly by the European Dialogue.
The project is financed by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, through the Slovak National Agency (IUVENTA).
Deadline:
Deadline for registration is 20.4.2022 at 00:00 SEČ.
If you are interested in participating, please send your CV and a short motivation letter to: info@europskydialog.eu.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact via the above mentioned email address.
Background
Europe is facing many challenges today and we found as one of the most serious the radicalization of youth. This is happening mostly due to the bias of many media. Every day we can see different messages in the media spreading fear and hatred of migrants and other minorities. Indeed, the media play a fundamental role in today’s society, shaping the attitudes of whole society. Media-based information also helps to strengthen public participation in the public sphere and decision-making processes. We can therefore conclude that the media has the ability not only to influence attitudes and set the agenda, but also to shape social events.
By nature, people tend to pull themselves through the crowds and believe in spreading hatred without deeper thinking of the facts. It is therefore extremely important for media to write objectively and for the society to be able to critically evaluate media content. Especially when hoaxes or misinformation spreading so easily nowadays concern sensitive issues related to ethnic minorities. Such information, based on stereotypes leads to misunderstandings, stigmatization, hatred and, as a result, to the division of society.
Unfortunately, we are sometimes witnesses of youth workers or teachers having insufficient competences to recognize misinformation or hoaxes and are themselves biased towards minorities. It is extremely important to educate especially those who are in daily contact with the youth and contribute to the shaping of their opinions in this matter. Youth workers, even those who do not work in a media organization, are themselves the media makers to some extent. Whether we are talking about civil journalism or using media tools within their social networks to reach the widest possible audience of their target groups. Although it is almost impossible for anyone to be completely free of prejudice, it is essential that personal biases of teachers and youth workers – whatever they may be related to – not affect their professional activities.
