In the period from July 25 to 31, 2023, within the project “Giving and receiving – young active citizens for peace and prosperity”, a seven-day summer youth SMART camp was held.
The participants of the camp were young people from 6 countries of the Western Balkans (Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia) and Iowa (USA), a total of 42 participants between the ages of 15 and 19.
The camp was hosted by the project’s partner organization, Organizata Kosovare për Talent dhe Arsim (TOKA), Kosovo.
During the seven-day camp, young people had the opportunity to learn about project management through the Service-Learning methodology.
As a result of the study, a total of 5 conceptual projects were created in the field of media literacy on the topic of “Fake News”, which the youth will further elaborate upon returning to their countries and implement at the national level in the period from November 2023 to April 2024:
- Mental health neglect;
- Lack of knowledge in the field of digital literacy among young people;
- Spread of disinformation in the Balkans;
- Social networks and mental health;
- The impact of fake news on the psycho-physical health of young people.
In parallel with the implementation of the aforementioned initiatives at the national level, a regional campaign will be implemented that will problematize the topics of media literacy and fake news.
“Until now, I have not had the opportunity to participate in educations dealing with the topic of Service-Learning. During the Service-Learning sessions, I learned how to plan activities from the highest to the lowest level” – is the statement of one of the camp participants.
The main topics during the camp were media literacy and the fight against fake news, which camp participants had the opportunity to learn from BIRN (Balkan Investigative Reporting Network) experts from Kosovo.
“I had some information from before, but after these lectures I will pay more attention to the protection of personal data on the Internet and the permissions that I normally give access to my data without thinking about” – said one of the participants of the camp.
Additionally, during the camp, young people had the opportunity to socialize, get to know different cultures and customs, present their talents, spend the evening by the camp fire, participate in sports and competitive activities, as well as to visit the city of Prizren and learn about certain cultural-historical and religious landmarks of that city.
“This camp allowed me to make new friends, to learn something new about fake news, because I think it is a big problem in our country that we should start dealing with right away. When I return to my country, I will gather my peers with whom I hang out and convey to them the impressions and knowledge I have gained through participation in this camp” – is the statement of one of the camp participants.
The project “Giving and receiving – young active citizens for peace and prosperity” is implemented by the International Association “Interactive Open Schools” (MIOS) Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with partner organizations, Organizata Kosovare për Talent dhe Arsim (TOKA), Kosovo and Forum youth and non-formal education (MNE Forum), Montenegro.
