During the second week of September 2023 the Citizen Journalism Academy for youth leaders took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. This event is part of the Jour-You project, which started April 2022 and was hosted and directed by the Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Culture and Education (FECE). Together with the partner organizations EKO (Greece); EUROSUD (Italy); People in Focus (Albania); MAAT (Egypt); WE CENTER (Jordan); EURO-MED EVE (Tunisia) and with the support and funding of the Capacity Building in the field of Youth/ Erasmus + program 33 active citizens were gathered to learn about media literacy with the goal of promoting community engagement.
This academy’s main purpose was to educate young people in citizen journalism and new media technologies by presenting innovative tools and practices. This allowed participants to develop critical thinking and communicative skills to adopt a participatory attitude towards the reality they face in their countries. In addition, this event gave the perfect possibility for cultural exchange and networking between the different partner organizations and their participants, providing knowledge about the reality and challenges faced in different parts of Europe, Northern Africa and Middle East. It is important to mention that most of the participants already occupy an important social role within their communities in dimensions such as politics, law, journalism or technology, ensuring that the knowledge acquired during the project will reach and benefit the local populations. All the academy members were granted a formal diploma that states their participation in an Erasmus + program and the knowledge acquired.
Regarding the structure of the academy, several theoretical and practical activities took place in the morning and afternoon, while the evening and night-time was free time to allow participants to interact and get to know the enriching city of Sofia. Each day of the week was dedicated to an important dimension of media literacy and citizen journalism.
In summary, the Citizen Journalism Academy served as a dynamic platform for youth leaders from diverse backgrounds to enhance their media literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills, fostering community engagement and cross-cultural understanding. This collaborative effort under the Jour-You project holds the promise of making a meaningful impact in addressing contemporary societal challenges.