Youth in Western Balkan – a Virtual Postcard (Youth in WB) project aims to increase the intercultural and media literacy competences of youth in North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina by organising moderated virtual learning and discussion exchanges focused on debunking stereotypes and harmful narratives of others perpetuated by online media and social networks.
The project has set the following complementary specific objectives: to create opportunities for 1,600 young girls and boys from the Western Balkans to meet and exchange virtually in order to reduce their social distancing and debunk prejudice towards neighbours; to improve media literacy and critical thinking skills of 800 young women and men to discern and counter disinformation, hate and stereotypes in online media space; to contribute to developing competences of 30 educators to use digital learning environment and deliver skills based on media literacy and critical thinking in a non-formal learning context. Thus, the project will also increase the media literacy and critical thinking skills of youth and help them become more resilient to different kinds of online media manipulation.
Finally, the project expects strong multiplication and spill-over effects by increasing the skills of youth workers (trainers and educators) to run virtual exchange projects; but also by enabling sharing of methodology to other thematic areas and geographical regions, including the EU.
Timeframe: December 2022 – November 2025
Region/countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia
Lead partner: Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans (MDI WB)
Partners:
Youth newspaper association in Bosnia and Herzegovina (ONAuBiH)
Funder: This project has received funding from the Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), under the powers delegated by the European Commission.
