CRitical thinking against fake nEWs

Background Europe faced its worst refugee crisis since the Second World War, with more than 1 million people applying for asylum in 2015 and again in 2016. Because of this, the integration of migrants in the unique EU society has been one of the priorities of EU. The fundamentals of EU ensures diversity civic engagement, active citizenship, integration and empowerment. In every corner of EU, there are diverse back-grounded people. Even though diversity adds value to the unique EU society, migrants face challenges such us social inclusion, language and employability. In the process of integration migrants in society, media plays a key role: The European commission has declared the migration crisis over, as it sharpened its attack on “fake news” and “misinformation” about the issue. Objectives The project CREW has answered the critical necessity of providing European Youth with awareness, knowledge, skills and instruments to critically approach media coverage and narratives regarding the challenge of migrant flows and integration, The objectives of the project were: - Analyzing the phenomenon of fake news and profiling their main characteristics as well as analyze the stereotyping and misrepresentation of migrants/migration across partner countries, identifying patterns of similarity and divergence. - Analyzing extant good practices in Europe in the field of promoting youth media literacy on migrants and migration with a view to integrating, combining and improving the state-of the-art into a Training Format for youth operators by means of a specific Methodological framework. - Developing a shared understanding about the European dimension of stereotyping media narratives about migrants/refugees, in their different national declinations, as a pre requirement of model approaches to counter the locally, nationally and transnationally. - Empowering transnationally applicable models of non-formal learning focused on the improvement of analytical, critical thinking and research skills of the young people, aimed to empower youth workers as media literacy educators of the youth. Implementation All the project activities intended to have an impact on the targets and on society around them. Young educators and migrants, updated, have been able to transfer knowledge in any contest and toward different targets, having an impact. The CREW project aimed at achieving the previus objectives by implementing the following activities: - Cross-country research on migrants’ representation and migration narratives in media in partner countries. The report data were then used to elaborate the Training format, that has been conceived as a concrete practical reference for youth operators and organizations across Europe with information, guidelines, and concrete methodological references. - Production of the concrete tools addressed to youth operators: the Training Format on media literacy for youth operators. The format is a self-contained programme of empowerment targeted at youth operators willing to enhance media literacy and critical thinking of young people in the face of the present media narratives about migrants and migration. It is at the disposal of youth operators and organizations in partner countries and in Europe as a whole. The CREW Guide, aimed at providing youth operators with concrete tools to combat the diffusion of fake news in the partners' countries as well as a set of instruments (best practices examples and activities) to be used with young people. - Web Platform and E-Learning modules as a hub of self-learning towards the audience of youngsters across Europe. It includes information about the project and digitalized versions of project results in English and in each partner languages. E-learning modules for the development of media literacy and critical thinking. - Dissemination activities through the implementation of National Conferences through which young people, NGOs, educational institutions, among others, that could have an interest in the project's topic, re-using the project's outputs, have been reached. Achievements During the 24 months of the project, the Consortium has produced the following tangible results: IO1. The first concrete output is composed by 1) Consortium Report of cross-country research on migrants’ representation and migration narratives in media in partner countries. The Report has been produced as a result of specific desk research co-coordinately conducted by each partner organization. The data gathered has been fundamental for the production of the “Critical Thinking against Fake News” 2)Training Format, a concrete and pratical references for youth operators and organization across Europe. The first draft of the TF has been piloted during the TC. The TF is a self-contained program of empowerment targeted at youth operators that has the final goal of enhancing media literacy and critical thinking among youth operators; it is based on Non-Formal Education Methodologies and has been produced by the ConsortiumMoreover, during the last day of the Training and a first draft of the IO2- The Guide, has been produced, then further processed from the Consortium. The Guide has been produced originally in English and then translated in all the languages of the different partner organizations. IO2- The Guide is intended for youth operators, containing three sections: 1)desk research on the available tools to combat fake news in the partners' countries; 2) best practices in the partners' countries about previous projects and initiatives that had as objective to raise awareness among young people of the fake news issues; 3) a set of activities that youth operators can directly implement with young people. The Guide constitutes a practical reference for NGOs operators, social operators, whose objective is to train young people on how to prevent the diffusion of fake news. IO3. Web Platform and E-Learning Modules. The Platform include information on the project and a digitalized version of the project results in English and in each partner language. The E-Learning Modules were developed instead to provide support in the area of media literacy and critical thinking towards fake news and media narrative on migrants and migration. Moreover, during the project's implementation, the following outcomes have been achieved: -Improved knoweldge and competences of youth operators on the project's topic; -Improved capabilities of the youth operators in the participating organization to deliver specific sessions using NFE as a teaching methodology applyied to the prevention of fake news among young people; -Raised awareness among young people, those directy participating in the blended mobility and those involved during the disseimantion phase, of the tools at their disposal to combat fake news.