Promoting Media Literacy and Critical Thinking with Project BEST

We happy to share with you the last updates of the project BEST! The BEST (Be Smart, Be Tolerant) project is a KA2 project aimed at empowering young people and youth workers across Europe to critically engage with media and combat disinformation. This project, launched in April 2023, is a partnership between SEP from Romania, DOREA from Cyprus, and CREJOB from Spain and of course ELA. The primary aim of BEST is to develop a comprehensive toolkit that includes a guide and four animated videos to support youth workers in educating young people about fake news, propaganda, media bias, and disinformation. By using non-formal education methods such as gamification and game-based learning, the project aspires to inspire young people to become active citizens and responsible online users.

We are thrilled to share that on Wednesday, March 27th, we completed a series of workshops as part of the BEST project. These workshops were conducted both online for youth workers and in-person at the ELA office for young people. The sessions provided youth workers with valuable insights into identifying fake news, understanding propaganda, and utilizing gamification to foster critical thinking. Meanwhile, young participants had the chance to engage directly with the activities outlined in the BEST guide. This hands-on experience was crucial in demonstrating the practical applications and benefits of the toolkit, making the workshops a significant milestone in our project journey.​

​Another exciting development in the BEST project occurred on April 29th, when our Spanish partners from CREJOB hosted the final Transnational Project Meeting (TPM) in Valencia. This meeting brought together our partners from SEP, DOREA, and CREJOB to reflect on the workshops' outcomes and share experiences. We also laid the groundwork for our upcoming awareness campaign and dissemination phase. The TPM was an invaluable opportunity to consolidate our efforts, refine our strategies, and ensure that the project's objectives were met. The collaborative spirit and shared commitment to media literacy and critical thinking were evident throughout this meeting.

​The project's highlight was the successful Multiplier Event held in Bologna on May 23rd. This event aimed to disseminate the project's outcomes to a broader audience and welcome new youth workers to the BEST network. Teachers from across Europe attended the event, where we showcased our comprehensive toolkit, which includes four animated videos and a detailed guide. The guide, available in all the partners' languages, offers theoretical insights into media's benefits and dangers and practical activities for youth workers. The event featured an online quiz, discussions on deepfakes, and tips for identifying legitimate videos, providing participants with essential knowledge and tools to address media manipulation and disinformation.

We invite all interested educators and youth workers to explore the resources developed through the BEST project. The BEST guide, available in English, Spanish, Greek, Romanian, and Italian, can be downloaded here. Additionally, we encourage you to watch the four animated videos designed to enhance media literacy and critical thinking, available here. These resources are valuable tools in promoting active citizenship and responsible online behavior among young people.

We will keep you posted on the last phases of this project!