Olena Karchevska, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, took part in the Forum “Media Literacy 5.0: From Challenges to Solutions” in Truskavets. The event was organized by DW Akademie in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communications with the support of BMZ and the EU within the framework of the “MediaFit Program for Information Integrity in Southern and Eastern Ukraine” implemented by DW Akademie, Canal France International and LRT.
The Forum presented various approaches and experiences in promoting media literacy in various fields, from education to business. The forum participants, representatives of the Ministries of Education and Science, Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, media analysts, international experts, journalists, lawyers, cybersecurity specialists, educators and academics, sought answers to pressing questions that would enhance the promotion of media literacy. To wit:
- What are the challenges in the field of media literacy in general during the war and should we start planning for the post-war period?
- Do we need a media literacy strategy as a document and what are the main tasks/goals of this strategy?
- How did the war affect the implementation of media literacy in the curriculum?
- Should media education be a cross-cutting issue in higher education and how to get there?
- How should non-formal education be developed?
- What should media literacy education be focused on now and in the post-war period?
Olena Karchevska noted that it is important to implement the experience of displaced educational institutions and combine different methods of disseminating such knowledge. She noted that Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University has been paying considerable attention to media literacy since 2014: they integrate critical thinking components into training in various specialties, systematically and in various formats develop students’ digital literacy, and build cybersecurity skills. Such attention to the formation of information awareness was due to regional specifics and the post-war confusion of young people. Today, university students have actively joined the cyber troops of our country and are countering enemy information attacks.
Our University has a clear understanding that the joint efforts of the state, educational institutions, civil society and international partners strengthen the potential of the Ukrainian state in countering Russia’s information aggression and promote an informative, open society.
