Description of the project
The sharp rise in xenophobic and hateful discourses in the European political arena has recently brought a tendency towards the radicalization of the political discourse, which has been frequently identified as one of the main reasons behind the current increase in racist acts. Due to their efficiency and ease of use, Internet and the social networks represent a primary vector for the proliferation of extremist ideologies, whose message is often amplified by the dynamism and invasiveness of these means of communication.
Youngsters are particularly vulnerable to the risk of radicalization and political extremism, considering that 80% of them aged between 15 and 24 use social networks daily and 36% identify them as their main source of news (Eurobarometer 2016). In this context and in line with the objectives of the Erasmus + programme, the iCitizen project aims at preventing political extremism and the radicalisation that might result from it through citizenship education and media literacy, promoting alternative narratives through the use of social networks.
The project also seeks to reach young people at risk of marginalization, providing them with specific tools to strengthen critical thinking, active citizenship, democratic participation in society, and common values of coexistence.
ACTIVITIES
iCitizen is a 6-day international training course (from 9 to 14 September 2019) involving the participation of 27 youth workers from 9 European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, Romania and Italy). In order to develop an educational strategy to curb and counteract the phenomenon of political radicalisation among young people, all activities are meant to improve the skills of youth workers through the use of non-formal and informal methodologies such as the Reciprocal Maieutic Approach and Creative Thinking, cooperative learning and teamwork.
In concrete terms, participants will hone their knowledge, skills and competences, while acquiring practical and innovative tools for the creation of audio-visual and textual content, allowing them to implement online communication strategies as ambassadors of positive narratives against violent extremist propaganda.
RESULTS
- Improvement of youth engagement skills, promoting active citizenship and media education.
- Development of critical thinking, literacy skills and analysis of information and communication sources, with a particular focus on social media.
- Learning new techniques for the creation of textual and audio-visual content, and their strategic use in the context of online campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Strengthening organizational skills through the planning, design and implementation of the final event of the project.
- Sharing of good practices between national and international realities and creation of networks between European organizations and youth workers.
PARTNERS
- Coordinatore: Centro per lo Sviluppo Creativo “Danilo Dolci”, Italia
- Know and Can Association, Bulgaria
- UDRUGA VELIKI MALI ČOVJEK, Croazia
- Continuous Action, Estonia
- Inter Alia, Grecia
- Asociacion Building Bridges, Spagna
- LYKIA IZCILIK VE DOGA SPORLARI KULUBU DERNEGI, Turchia
- Propósito Inadiável, Portogallo
- Asociatia Pentru Tineret Sakura, Romania
