The Media & Information Literacy Intercultural Dialogue Foundation (MILID Foundation) is set to hold a one-day training on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) to commemorate the 2023 MIL week.
The training themed Youth, MIL, and Digital Spaces will introduce young Nigerian students between the ages of 15 and 25 to the basics of media and information literacy as an antidote to the information disorder popularly called fake news.
Secondary school students of Cradle2Harvard International School and university students of Nile University in the FCT are beneficiaries of this training.
Digitization and the growth of technology have empowered every user of the digital space and made a producer/publisher of them.
With young people as the largest users of digital spaces, including social media across the globe, it becomes pertinent to empower and equip this group with the tools they need to navigate the murky waters of the digital space.
Why Youth, MIL, and Digital Spaces?
The digital era is characterized by information overload. Information moves quickly as everyone with access to a mobile phone or the internet is a publisher in their own right. We are in the era of prosumers (when each person is a producer and a consumer).
What characterizes this rather interesting time is the absence of gatekeeping or the perceived irrelevance of gatekeepers. At a time when gatekeepers are losing their grip/control on what and how information is produced and distributed, Media and Information Literacy becomes a necessary companion for every member of society who has access to information.
Over time, and the world over, we have witnessed (actively or passively) the power of information for good or otherwise. We see daily in Nigeria how much harm unverified information causes society, how much good verified information does, and how much power of choice it gives the citizenry.
Youth, MIL, and Digital Spaces is a conversation with people of high school and university age. Knowing full well that this age bracket makes up the bulk of digital media (social media) users, it becomes pertinent to educate them on the importance of ascertaining the veracity of what they share on social media; basically, for them to always remember to ask the 5Ws and H questions, and to think critically and click wisely!
UNESCO Global MIL Week
The Global MIL Week is an annual event headlined by UNESCO for mobilizing worldwide stakeholders to raise awareness to increase national take-up and celebrate the progress achieved towards Media and Information Literacy for All – underlining the importance of this Global Week, celebrated since 2011.
Under the theme “Media and Information Literacy in Digital Spaces: A Collective Global Agenda”, this year’s events aim to explore paths for strengthening multilateral cooperation with digital platforms and other stakeholders in integrating media and information literacy into policies, operations, and products.
The 2022 Global MIL Week main event took place in Nigeria. This year’s event was scheduled to take place in Jordan but has been postponed because of the crisis in the Middle East.
