Media literacy and advocacy program for high school students announces its winners and the winning groups set on implementing the projects.
Students from Botosani, Babadag and Bistrita are winners of the advocacy campaign competition and set on to put their projects in practice until May.
CJI and Norsensus MediaForum are pleased to announce the winners of advocacy projects prepared by high school students participating in media and advoacy courses organized in 2014 in ten Romanian cities for high school students and teacher.
The evaluation of the 13 eligible advoacy projects was done by a Romanian-Norwegian jury. According the result of the evaluation, the following campaigns were declared as winners:
Together with you! – Botosani (Fighting bullying and abusive behaviors among young adolescents and promote conflict mediation in their community.)
Let’s communicate shukar! – Babadag (The project aims to integrate ethnically diverse Babadag community (specifically youth) by developing healthy alternatives for leisure, both children and young people and involve young people in non-formal activities.)
Being silent acts against you! – Bistrita (The project aims to address the lack of reaction of high school students to the phenomenon of bullying)
Winning campaigns addressing issues such as discrimination and integration of Roma community, bullying at schools and domestic violence propose solutions designed to help increase accountability and civic engagement of students. The winning teams, receiving support from trainers of Center for Independet Journalism (CJI) along with coordinating teachers, have already set on implementing their advocacy projects. Also, three members of the winning teams, together with coordinating teachers, will make a study visit to Norway in mid May this year
The winning teams
BOTOSANI – Team: Claudia Mighiu, Titus Sava, Aniela Palaghia; (Colegiul Național Mihai Eminescu; prof. Coordinator: Loredana Ciobanu)
BABADAG – Team: Elena Oprea, Madalina Jacota, Andreea Sauca, Alina Verban, Madalina Lungu, Cristina Lungu, Cristina Drăgănoiu, Sofia Cretu, Ismail Mustafa, Regep Tarzan, Asan, Regep Ibrahim, Sali Regep Maruan, Aban Asan. (Liceul Dimitrie Cantemir ; profesor Coordinator: dr. Melia-Ana Abdula)
BISTRITA – Team: Alexandru Barteș (Colegiul Național Liviu Rebreanu; prof. Coordinator: Monica Halaszi)
About the project
The project «Digital Literacy for High School Students to Fight Hate Speech and Discrimination in the Media» aims to contribute towards the education of high school students in the spirit of tolerance and inclusion. It develops media competences that will allow them a critical reception of the media discourse, as well as a responsible presence in the public sphere, as «online content generators». The courses for high school students (country-wise this age group is identified as being highly intolerant) held in 10 cities of Romania are doubled by courses for teachers and journalists, bloggers and civic activists in the same communities. With the support of the teachers, civic activists and journalists/bloggers, the students will plan and run advocacy campaigns aimed at fighting discrimination and hate speech in their community, thus practicing models of public participation and citizens’ empowering.
The project is run by the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ), in partnership with Norsensus Mediaforum (Norway).