TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Ivana Sreckovic
Summer School on Media Literacy was implemented within the ''Media literacy capacity-building for Western Balkan students tackling spreading mis/disinformation'' project, funded by the International Visegrad Fund and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.
The Summer School on Media Literacy aimed to equip young leaders from across the Western Balkans with practical skills and critical thinking tools to identify, analyze, and counter disinformation. The training’s primary goal was to strengthen participants’ capacity to create impactful awareness campaigns for their peers, addressing the urgent need to combat biased narratives, propaganda, and low media literacy levels in the region.
The activity addressed the widespread challenge of chronic low media literacy in the Western Balkans, which contributes to the unregulated spread of misinformation, political and societal polarization, and weakened democratic processes. By providing knowledge on hybrid threats, fact-checking, digital security, and responsible communication, the training directly responded to the region’s vulnerability to manipulation in both traditional and online information spaces.
The project was implemented by NGO Alfa Center (Montenegro) and Strategic Analysis (Slovakia-based think tank), in cooperation with seven partners from the Balkans and Visegrad countries: Professional Association of the Security Sector (Serbia), Humanity in Action (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Citizen D – Institute for Promoting Information and Media Literacy (Slovenia), Fundacja Instytut Reportażu (Poland), Független Médiaközpont – Center for Independent Journalism (Hungary), Youth Center Perspektiva (Albania), and the Association for Civic Activism and Encouragement (North Macedonia).
The training fit seamlessly with the goals of all partner organisations, which are committed to fostering democratic resilience, strengthening civil society, and promoting informed public discourse. For Alfa Center, Strategic Analysis, and their partners, this initiative advanced their shared mission to empower young people as active, informed citizens capable of safeguarding democratic cooperation, social cohesion, and reconciliation in the Western Balkans.
The target group for the Summer School on Media Literacy consisted of students and young leaders from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). The program gathered 30 participants with balanced gender representation and diverse backgrounds, including both urban and rural areas from each of the WB6 countries. While open to all fields of study, the call particularly attracted students of media and journalism, political science, law, and economics, ensuring a mix of perspectives relevant to tackling disinformation.
The training was designed and delivered using non-formal learning methods to ensure active participation, peer learning, and practical application of skills. My sessions on critical analysis of media messages combined interactive presentations with guided discussions based on real-world media examples from the Western Balkans. Participants worked in small mixed-country groups to deconstruct actual news articles and social media posts, applying bias detection and source verification techniques.
We also used case study analysis to compare how the same event was reported by different outlets, followed by group reflection exercises to draw lessons on narrative framing and agenda setting. During campaign development sessions, I facilitated collaborative brainstorming and peer feedback rounds, enabling participants to test their ideas in a safe, supportive environment and immediately integrate suggestions into their work. These methods encouraged critical thinking, creativity, and intercultural dialogue while keeping the learning process highly participatory.
The Summer School strengthened participants’ ability to critically assess information, apply fact-checking methods, use different tools, and maintain digital security in the face of online threats.
It fostered cross-border cooperation and networking among young leaders, enabling them to jointly design media literacy campaigns tailored to their peers in the Western Balkans. By the end of the program, participants had developed concrete campaign concepts and action plans for implementation in their home countries.
The success of the training was reflected in the high level of engagement during workshops, the quality of discussions on sensitive regional issues, and the tangible outputs created by mixed-country teams. Follow-up communication with participants confirmed that several campaign ideas were being further developed after the event.
The Summer School was documented on the organisers’ and partners’ websites and social media channels, including following examples:
- Alfa Center website: https://alfacentar.org/2024/09/20/summer-school-on-media-literacy-in-zabljak/
- Strategic Analysis social media: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_2agCiodsc/?img_index=1
I was part of the core trainers’ team during the Summer School, contributing both to the delivery of content (lecturing) and to mentoring participants (group work). My primary area of responsibility was leading the topic of critical analysis of media messages, where I guided participants through techniques for assessing media quality and reliability, identifying biased narratives, and recognizing underlying agendas.
Drawing on my diverse background in investigative journalism, media, PR, and marketing, I provided participants with a variety of analytical tools, storytelling techniques, and strategic communication approaches. This multidisciplinary perspective enabled them to examine the same media content from different angles, strengthening their ability to detect manipulation and craft effective, evidence-based responses.
Ivana was very professional and on a high level.