TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Ivana Sreckovic
The EYC Educo Camp V aimed to strengthen regional connections among young people from the Western Balkans while promoting European values such as inclusion, equality, and intercultural understanding. The camp addressed the need for capacity-building in key areas relevant to youth empowerment, including mental health, media and digital literacy, civic participation, mobility, sustainable development, gender equality, and entrepreneurship.
Within this framework, my training “Gender in Focus: Media Literacy for a More Equal Society” addressed the specific need to enhance participants’ ability to critically assess media content through a gender lens. The session responded to the widespread issue of gender bias and stereotypical representation of women in the media, which can perpetuate inequality and limit social progress. By providing tools for identifying biased portrayals, fostering critical discussion, and encouraging multi-perspective analysis, the training contributed to building participants’ awareness and media literacy skills.
This training activity was fully aligned with the goals of the organizers (NGO Center for Youth Education - European Youth Card (EYC) respectively) whose mission includes promoting youth mobility, participation, and inclusion, and equipping young people with skills that strengthen democratic and equal societies across the region.
The target group for the EYC Educo Camp V consisted of young people aged 18–25 from the Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). The camp aimed to strengthen regional connections and promote European values among youth, fostering dialogue and cooperation across borders. This fifth edition of the camp was the first to be conducted entirely in English and brought together a total of 35 participants, ensuring a diverse mix of perspectives and experiences from across the region.
The workshop used non-formal learning methods designed to engage participants in active reflection on how gender is portrayed in the media. We began with a visual gallery walk, where participants examined a series of headlines, images, and short video clips, noting first impressions and emotional reactions. This was followed by small-group analysis, where each team identified stereotypes, language bias, or framing techniques present in the materials.
To encourage multiple perspectives, we used a role-reversal exercise, asking participants to rewrite or reframe the same media piece from a gender-balanced standpoint. This was complemented by guided plenary discussions, where participants shared their interpretations and debated how media narratives can either reinforce or challenge gender norms. The session concluded with a call-to-action circle, where each participant proposed one concrete way they could apply gender-aware media literacy in their personal or professional life.
These methods combined critical observation, peer learning, and creative problem-solving, ensuring that participants not only understood the concepts but could also actively apply them in real-life contexts.
The workshop enhanced participants’ ability to critically evaluate media content through a gender lens, recognize bias, and understand the impact of representation on public perception and equality. By the end of the session, participants demonstrated greater awareness of how stereotypes are embedded in media narratives and developed practical skills to identify and challenge them. The interactive methods fostered open discussion across national and cultural contexts, strengthening both critical thinking and intercultural understanding.
The success of the activity was evident from the high level of engagement during exercises, the variety of perspectives shared in group discussions, and the quality of the re-framed media outputs created during the role-reversal exercise. Informal feedback gathered after the workshop indicated that many participants planned to apply these insights in their studies, activism, or creative work.
European Youth Card website:
https://omladinskakartica.me/news/zavrsen-v-eyc-educo-camp-2025
I was part of the trainers’ team for the EYC Educo Camp V, contributing both to the delivery of my thematic, practical, and overall learning experience of participants. My main responsibility was designing and facilitating training within Gender equality and Media Literacy topics, where I led participants through interactive activities that explored media representation of gender, identification of stereotypes, and strategies for reframing biased narratives.