CFAs: “Media Literacy Capacity-Building for Western Balkans tackling spreading Mis/Disinformation” (Macedonia and Kosova)

The project’s main objective is to increase the media literacy capacity of the young generation, namely students and professionals of various fields from all Western Balkan countries who will tackle biases that threaten democratic cooperation, social cohesion, and reconciliation in the region.

Project Activities

• Summer School on Media Literacy (02-09 September, 2024) in Montenegro: Participants will learn about disinformation and hybrid threats in the Western Balkans, why is investigative journalism important, what is the genre of reportage and how can it be used for tackling disinformation, how disinformation can benefit the spreaders financially and how propaganda is sponsored. Participants will also learn about investigative research and open data investigations. Moreover, special training will be dedicated to security in the digital domain, digital security hygiene, and online harassment so participants will know what to do when targeted by bots, trolls, or cyberattacked by other malign adherences. Participants will also receive training on defining the target audience for their individual campaigns.
• Mentored campaigns (09.09.2024 – 31.12.2024): After completing the intense training during the summer school, participants will form teams consisting of all the Western Balkan countries. Individual teams will get a small stipend to conduct an information campaign based on the knowledge gained on media literacy to serve as multipliers among their peers. They are free to use the small resources in any way the campaign requires—for graphical design, illustration licenses, video production equipment, etc. Participants will have the whole summer to collaborate on creative campaigns. All campaigns should target the participants` fellow students, friends, and peers. Individual teams will gather M&E requirements in advance to tailor their individual campaigns to achieve the objectives set by the project team. After conducting the campaigns, during the presentation of results, they will elaborate on which method was the most effective and what are the elements of a good campaign in terms of publicity in the region of Western Balkans. All campaigns will be promoted on Alfa Centar`s website and social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.).
• Evaluation session (15 January 2025), online: After conducting all the above-mentioned campaigns by individual teams consisting of one representative of each of the six Western Balkan countries, during the presentation of results, they  will elaborate on which method was the most effective, what the elements of a good campaign in terms of publicity in the region of Western Balkans.

Logistical Information

• All project related costs (accommodation, travel, meals and campaigns) are covered by the project organizers.
• Upon successful attendance at all project activities, participants will be provided with certificates.
• Total number of participants to be selected: five (5) from North Macedonia and five (5) from Kosova

Eligibility Criteria

• This call is open to:
  • Students of journalism, public relations, education, law, economy, political science and international relations, police and/or military academies, theology studies
  • Citizens of North Macedonia or Kosova
  • Solid English knowledge is required.

For more information, visit Horizon Civitas.