Experts' and practitioners' seminar - MEDIA & DIGITAL LITERACY : enhancing youth workers skills, knowledge and attitudes to improve youth's critical thinking

SALTO EuroMed will implement an Experts’ & practitioners' Seminar on Media/Digital Literacy. This seminar will focus on practices & tools of organisations active or not in the programmes (ESC/E+) which can be transferred into the youth work field and in other contexts & realities (geographical scope, national realities).  

Media/Digital literacy is key to strengthen critical thinking in information environments that are deeply transformed by Artificial Intelligence. Media/Digital literacy is essential as a  response to technological transformations that affect the quality of public debate and access to reliable information.

In this context, youth work can play a strategic role in supporting young people in the development of these critical and civic competences. Organisations can create non-formal learning spaces where young people experiment, analyse, and sometimes produce digital content in a responsible way. By strengthening media/digital literacy, organisations can contribute to resilience against disinformation and to the development of more autonomous and responsible digital civic engagement. 

Objectives :  

The general objective of the seminar is to enable field experts and practitioners active in youth work and media/digital literacy to exchange, analyse, and assess the transferability of tools and practices that strengthen young people’s critical thinking, resilience to AI-driven disinformation, and meaningful digital youth participation across European and South Mediterranean contexts.

What to expect : 

• Exchange practices. Identify and share concrete media/digital literacy tools and youth work methodologies that link media/digital literacy, critical thinking, Generative AI awareness, and digital participation & youth.
• Understand AI-related challenges. Develop a common understanding of how Generative AI influences information ecosystems, transforms disinformation and youth engagement, impacts creativity and media/content creation, and identify key competence needs to deal with these challenges.
• Assess transferability. Reflect and build on the criteria for what makes a successful and transferable media/digital literacy approach and evaluate which practices can be adapted across European and South Mediterranean contexts, and under what conditions.
• Foster future cooperation. Explore opportunities within Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps programmes.

Participants profile

Please note that only a limited number of spaces are available (max 10/12 participants). 

We aim to bring together a diverse group of experts actively working on media and digital literacy with youth. All participants should have a good level of knowledge regarding digital/AI stakes; particularly regarding critical thinking. A scope that includes youth work will be an asset. 

• Experts including researchers, trainers and facilitators
• Youth Workers / Practitioners  including those who have no previous experience on Erasmus + or ESC Programmes. 

All participants should:

• Have practical experience working with Digital/Media/AI 
• Be willing to share concrete examples and good practices (Methods, tools, context, outputs), and give insights in their application
• Be motivated and be open to collaborating with the team of experts and coordination team
• Commit to preparation work (approximately 5 hours) and full participation in the event 

Selection & Participation

Selection will be based on relevant experience and diversity of practices. We aim for a geographically balanced and diverse group, including representatives from different sectors and countries and a variety of experiences.

Applicants will be asked about their experience, views on current challenges, and how they plan to take the topic forward after the Seminar.