TC Niš

UNDERSTANDING AND RESISTING NATIONAL EXTREMISM – THE WESTERN BALKANS AND THE QUESTION OF KOSOVO

Populism, fake news and social media and their impact on youth and nationalistic extremism

Duration: 4 – 8 October 2021

The first part of the MYW will have a theoretical focus and will include experts from the consortium and invited prominent outside experts; it will be designed as a seminar with extensive time allocated to debates. It will analyse how discriminatory stereotypes are built online and how media education can help to deconstruct hate speech and promote young people’s full participation in media-saturated societies. Firstly, we will present the key characteristics of populism, fake news and nationalism, their interrelation and wider impact on societies; a special focus will be given to Kosovo. This will be followed by an overview of good practices and possibilities of transfer. Secondly, we will consider the effects they have on young people and best pedagogical approaches to prepare youth to detect and oppose these trends. A special part of the MYW will be aimed at the effect these phenomena have on elections (case: 2019 EU elections). 

The second part of the MYW will be practical in nature; through expert-led workshops, work in the field (visiting local organisations working on critical literacy, visiting local good practices etc.) and implementation of a public art intervention addressing fake news youth workers will gain key competences in the field. 

The final part of the MYW will unite experts and youth workers in working and supplementing the toolkit. Group evaluation of the MYW.

Outputs: webinar, toolkit draft, cultural event, press conference