‘Media literacy is the key to victory in information war with Russia and cessation of political and financial influence on media’, – John Pennell, Acting Mission Director of Regional Mission for Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Cyprus, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), addressed to the participants of the Fourth International Media Literacy Conference ‘Practical Media Literacy: International Experience and Ukrainian Perspectives’ that was organized by the Academy of Ukrainian Press in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (March, 18-19, 2016, Kyiv, 36 A Tarasa Shevchenka boulevard, ‘Smartville’). This opinion was supported by Wayne Sharpe, Director of Internews Network in Ukraine: ‘If you stop consuming unqualified product, it will eventually disappear’.
In 2010, the Academy of Ukrainian Press with the support of U-Media Program and International Renaissance Foundation prepared 18 first teachers of continuous teachers’ training system for fundamentals of media literacy teaching. Till 2016, more than 50 000 Ukrainian teachers discovered about this important element of the modern teacher’s professional competence at the training in institutes for continuing teachers’ training.
‘Media education in secondary schools of Ukraine is being implemented due to successful mutual efforts of the Academy of Ukrainian Press, that prepared the basic group of teachers and coordinators in institutes for continuing teachers’ training during its school sessions, and the Institute of Social and Political Psychology, NAES of Ukraine, creator of the experiment conception where schools form 10 Ukrainian regions took part’. – believes the European Research Association that analyzed media education development in 2015. It came to conclusion that media education is the current time requirement and it is necessary to move from experiment to wide practice.
Currently, media education is a penetrating axis in pre-school institutions, elementary, secondary and higher school. This is a vitally important personal skill. Only media literal consumer can produce demand for quality media which are essential for democratic society.
‘We wish as more as possible number of people to learn how to perceive and understand information that is an element of manipulation at the time. This year thousands civic activists, who deal with media literacy issues, joined media teachers and media librarians who have been in media education since 2010. Just only within the framework of the project ‘Media literacy program for citizens’, more than 15 000 citizens received skills of critical media analysis. The main goal of our organization, as we consider, lies in providing means: handbooks, curricula, portal for production exchange, e-newsletter, and delivering the experience of countries, which have been developing media education for a long time’ – pointed out Valeriy Ivanov, President of the Academy of Ukrainian Press.
‘Media education is the question of nation survival, the question of saving independent state in Belarus. Nobody in the world has such media education practical experience like in Ukraine, though, I do not wish anybody to pass a similar tragic way of achieving this experience. Ukraine is practical. Your media education is production for export. I am extremely happy to get familiar with the Academy of Ukrainian Press, that generously shares its learning stuff with us. We are neighbor-countries and I believe, the goal of media education is also to stop looking at each other through ‘the kingdom of distorting mirrors’ of Russian propaganda’ – thinks Tamara Matskevych, Deputy Director, Belarus School Society.
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This event and the project on media literacy implementing in Ukraine are realized due to the support of the American people given by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Internews Network. The contents expressed during this event are the responsibility of the Academy of Ukrainian Press and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, U.S. Government and Internews Network.
The project is being realized with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada (DFATD Canada).
The project is being realized with the support of MATRA Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Netherlands.
Informing:
The Academy of Ukrainian Press (AUP) is non-profit, non-governmental and independent organization established in 2001.
Activity of AUP is based on the principles of practical journalism, freedom of expression and democracy development in Ukraine. The mission of the Academy of Ukrainian Press is to ensure the informed and critical media perception by Ukrainian society and following the standards of socially responsible journalism.
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