Eesti People to People NGO from Estonia was partner in the Erasmus+ strategic partnership project “Media Smarts” (2020-1-FR01-KA226-SCH-095287). The aim was to engage teachers and students, to create a positive approach on social and digital inclusion of migrants, to reinforce the development of key competences and high quality inclusive digital education pathways.
Digital inclusion is the EU Commission’s effort to ensure that everybody can contribute to and benefit from the digital economy and society. Representations of refugees and migrants in digital media can affect their reception in the country of destination. It is important to note that media representation can have an immense social, economic and political impact on the ability of immigrants to adapt culturally to a new society. Negative feelings towards newcomers and the adaptation processes may be hindered, particularly as cross-cultural adaptation processes often occur in and through communication (Durham/Lindholm’16).
The objectives of the project were:
- Promoting more inclusive digital education&society
- Use media technology effectively to access, retrieve and exchange content in order to meet the individual and community needs and interests; and common value.
- Reinforce the development of key competences (Recommendation for life learning), by using creative, digital & innovative learning approaches, with a tailored and flexibility for the target group of migrants.
- Increase understanding among participants of media power in the construction of reality &establish more critical and selective approaches.
- Reinforce online, distance & blended teaching and learning and develop digital competences for high quality inclusive digital education pathways.
Partners from France, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey provided experience and expertise to ensure that the goals of the project are accomplished. It encouraged students and staff to compare lifestyles across EU for increased awareness of coexistence plus use high quality inclusive digital pathway to develop a tailor made solution for migrants and the issue of drop-outs (children born to immigrants or migrants itself: 1in 3 drops out after middle school).
To prevent poverty and have a real inclusion as defined by Digital Inclusion for a better EU, partners created pathways and develop key competences with high quality inclusive digital education pathways. Students were trained on Digital storytelling, Digital imagining, creative thinking and social media platforms, thus increasing the skills of young people in digital media, creative thinking and equipping them with new competences that help them express themselves and address the issues around them in a critical and constructive way, also enhancing analytical, personal and cultural skills and self-confidence and mutual respect.
Partners created digital e-learning platform to share all the training contents, sources, resources, results generated during the implementation of the project, training courses, materials, etc. with the target group, beneficiaries, stakeholders and general public. A set of training programmes / units on digital storytelling , digital image, creative thinking and social media platforms was other result. Participants gained experience in development and implementation of media products as a skill builder and an opportunity to apply research and technical approach culture, entrepreneurship and digital tools relevant to project management and cross-border cooperation. It was built to impact new literacies on digital social media, and media. The project changed of mindset on migration, the way it is approached by reverse thought and creativity. It went against the main trend of discussion which is now full of negative generic statements based on uninformed views echoed in social media and press.
By developing activities at the project level, participants had the opportunity to discover customs / traditions and different dialects; contributing to the development of interculturality.
Learn more about the project materials on https://www.mediasmarts.eu