26 March 2021

Be Internet Citizens online training

Our team has attended the live Be Internet Citizens training organized by our Young Digital Leaders partners- Institute for Strategic Dialogue and YouTube where we've been equipped with new tools and skills to be able to better support our GEYC Community and the Romanian youth in their online journey.

Be Internet Citizens has been designed to teach teenagers about media literacy, critical thinking and digital citizenship, with the aim of encouraging young people to have a positive voice online. 

The training has been delivered by two amazing and very experienced trainers, Efe Ezekiel and Alain 'Fusion' Clapham.

Quick conclusions:

  • 55% of youngsters 12-15 are getting their news on social media
  • 58% of youngsters choose to ignore hateful content on social media
  • What is the difference between disinformation and misinformation? The first one is intentional while the second can be spread unknowingly (for example, sharing just a scene of a video and drawing conclusions without knowing the whole context).
  • Apply the 7 second rule- thinks for 7 seconds before sharing content on social media, using the time to ask yourself: should I share the content? Is it believable? Do I have any previous info about the subject that could help me decide if the info is reliable?
  • If the used language is exaggerated or very emotional, it should trigger your critical thinking and have you pay more attention to the content you're consuming.
  • filter bubbles and echo chambers can and will have a negative influence when they are limiting your views by feeding you only information presenting only one side of the problems. 
  • try to avoid making generalizations about individuals and groups to avoid polarizations
  • listen to other people's opinion without judging them to avoid discrimination
  • embrace diversity
  • Stereotyping occurs when we categorise or make assumptions about people based on basic characteristics, for example their age, gender identity, skin colour, physical ability, sexuality, religion or even location. A stereotype presumes that everyone who shares these characteristics is the same, or that superficial aspects about a person can reveal their deeper likes, abilities, preferences and habits.
For more information about the initiative, you can visit https://internetcitizens.withyoutube.com/