Spotting Truth in a Fake News World for Non-Journalists

In Africa, the rise of disinformation, accelerated by digital technology, demands urgent media literacy initiatives among youth. Recent studies, such as those by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, reveal an alarming escalation in false information targeting African media, facilitated by digital channels. This surge correlates directly with societal unrest and democratic erosion. With over 60% of Africa’s population under 25, empowering youth with media literacy skills is critical. It not only safeguards against disinformation but also prepares them to navigate the complexities of AI-driven content and fosters informed citizenship crucial for democratic resilience.

Africa Regional Services announces a call for institutional partners and individuals with extensive experience and capacity in training and outreach among youth, African NGOs and African educative organizations in the field of information fluency to submit proposals for online and in-person training of African youth on media literacy.

Aims

• The program aims to empower youth, young adults, education professionals and community leaders and organizers with the skills and knowledge to effectively counter misinformation and disinformation. The series of workshops should include but are not limited to the following topics:
  • Understanding Media Literacy: Identifying bias, evaluating sources, recognizing types of media. Information, news, and opinion.
  • Types of Disinformation: Misinformation, propaganda, fake news.
  • Impact of Disinformation: Effects on public opinion, democracy, and social cohesion and real-world examples.
  • Spotting Disinformation
  • Critical Thinking Skills
  • Media Bias, Objectivity and Trust
  • Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
  • Strategies to Combat Disinformation
  • Understanding AI and Recognizing AI-generated content
• The project will be conducted in French and English, virtually over six months. It will consist of online presentations and dialogues between American experts and African audience, discussing theories and case studies, and sharing best practices, strategies and resources. Budget permitting the project will design an in-person colloquium with selected participants. The project should also provide a strategy for and facilitate peer-to-peer contact and content sharing between program participants following program completion.
• All subject matter experts must be American citizens.

Objectives

• Projects should be designed to achieve the following:
  • Objective 1: Enhance the media literacy skills of African youth through engaging workshops focused on combating misinformation and disinformation.
  • Objective 2: Empower participants to apply the knowledge gained from the training sessions by creating and sharing stories that demonstrate their newfound skills in critical media analysis and responsible reporting, thereby fostering a culture of digital citizenship and encouraging them to fulfill their responsibilities as informed and ethical communicators in the digital age.

Funding Information

• Total available funding: $250,000
• Number of awards anticipated: 1 award
• Length of performance period: 12 months

Targeted Regions

• Sub-Saharan African countries including but not limited to Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Sierra Leone, Guinea Conakry, Chad, Cameroon, Togo, Benin.

Targeted Audience

• Male and female youth, educators, NGO representatives.
• Must ensure gender balance among target audience aged 18 to 30.

Eligibility Criteria

• The following organizations are eligible to apply:
  • Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
  • Public and private educational institutions
  • Individuals.
• For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.
• In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.