EPIC - Education for Correct Information

The E.P.I.C. - Education for Correct Information project is run by the Active Yourope Association and funded through the Efectiv Civic programme, developed by the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society (FDSC) in partnership with the Romanian American Foundation (RAF) and with the support of the Center for Independent Journalism (CJI).

The target group is 800 young people aged 14 to 19 from urban and small-urban areas of Dolj County.

Why this project is needed

The project responds to the need to give young people practical tools for navigating, consciously and responsibly, the flood of contradictory and sometimes false information. Still developing their critical-thinking skills, young people are more easily influenced by online news sources and social media.

E.P.I.C. sets out to build the skills and knowledge young people need to become critical consumers of information - able to recognize and counter disinformation and fake news - contributing to media literacy among youth and to the principles of a healthy democracy.

Project activities

Over six months of interactive sessions, the project delivers:

“Developing Media Skills” workshop

Young mentors in action: participants learn how to become mentors for other young people in media literacy, how to answer questions, and how to offer ongoing support.

Interactive media and information workshops

These cover the types of information chaos, persuasion messaging, facts versus opinions, fact-checking and message analysis, freedom of expression, and the deconstruction of media messages. The activities combine theory with hands-on workshops based on active-participatory methods and non-formal learning:

• a meme-creation contest;
• a debate about a film featuring a real historical figure, preceded by a workshop on the established historical facts;
• a study visit to a news studio and discussions with TV staff about how media is produced behind the scenes;
• a workshop identifying facts and opinions in articles by Craiova bloggers, run with the support of the Oltenia Bloggers Association.

Awareness campaign

“Be Aware! The Fight Against Disinformation” is an online initiative dedicated to educating the public about countering disinformation and building the skills to navigate a digital environment full of contradictory information.

About the Efectiv Civic programme

Efectiv Civic is a civic-education and intercultural-dialogue programme for young people, developed by FDSC - the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society in partnership with RAF - the Romanian American Foundation and with the support of CJI - the Center for Independent Journalism.