Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2018 Celebration

24 October 2018

The yearly Global Media and Information Literarcy (MIL) Week, initiated in 2012, is led by UNESCO in cooperation with GAPMIL, UNAOC and the MUIL and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) University Network. It unites diverse actors committed to promoting MIL as a way to foster social inclusion and intercultural dialogue.

The seventh annual global celebration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week is being prepared. The Week will be celebrated from 24 to 31 October 2018, under the theme "Media and Information Literate Cities: Voices, Powers, and Change Makers". Global MIL Week 2018 highlights will include the Eighth MILID Conference and the Youth Agenda Forum, planned to be held in Lithuania and Latvia, from 24 to 25 October 2018 and on 26 October 2018, respectively.

In Central Asia, MIL is traditionally supported by universities, libraries and non-governmental organizations. Since 2018, a number of new initiatives and projects have been added to the process, supported by media institutions and the donor community.

The topic of media and information literacy was discussed at regional conferences as a tool to combat propaganda and fake news, in the context of the confrontation of xenophobia and the hate speech, as well as MIL gender aspects. Kyrgyzstan presented its practical experience in piloting MIL curriculum in non-formal education at school level.

What is MIL City?

Cities around the world have benefitted hugely from the digital revolution. Information about transportation, health care, entertainment, news, the private sector, civil society, and government has increased efficiency, opened up new economic, social and cultural possibilities, reduced pollution, and enhanced transparency and participation. A growing number of stakeholders are championing “smart cities” initiatives, which seek to make better use of information and communication technology to boost efficiency and quality of life in respect to security, health, recreation, community services, and government to citizens interaction and vice versa.

Global MIL Week 2018 will highlight that smart, sustainable cities must also be media and information literate cities (MIL Cities). MIL Cities put people at their heart by helping everyone, through creative means, throughout their lifetimes, develop the competencies required to make the most of media, information, and technology. They enable citizens to make better use of the practical possibilities a connected city can provide, and engage more creatively, critically and effectively in it.

Such actions advance the achievement of SDG 11, Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; SDG 4, Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; SDG 5, Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women; and SDG 16, Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

MIL City Festival: Global MIL Week 2018 Banner ©UNESCO

In this regard Feature Conference in Kaunas, Lithuania will take place on 24-25 October, 2018, where you can submit a paper proposal and participate as a speaker under the following themes:

MIL Cities as creative and engaged communities for the sustainable development goals
MIL enabling civic engagement in city elections
Uniting power: Roles and responsibilities of key city actors in MIL (policymakers, educators, civil society organizations, academics)
MIL relevant industries as changemakers for MIL cities (communication agencies, media outlets, technological intermediaries, film industries, gaming sector, content industries, etc.)
Engagement in MIL movement as corporate social responsibility
Training and capacity-building for future MIL cities
Public policy discourses in MIL, algorithm, and automation in journalism and media production
MIL and news in the era of algorithms
Youth, Social media activism and change makers
Defining identities, privacy management, crime and cyberbullying in the (dis)connecting digital universe
Programming, artificial intelligence, surveillance, and virtual reality: Strengthening impact of digital environments with MIL
Hate speech and radicalization in public space
Propaganda, misinformation/disinformation, and persuasive technologies
Cultural and linguistic barriers to communication: MIL enabling contact between people on and off the web
MIL to build smart, secure, tolerant, and socially inclusive cities
Revitalizing city libraries and archives through creative MIL actions
Let the voices be heard: empowering active, resilient, engaged communities through MIL
MIL in the workplace
MIL Partnerships for education
Evolution of peoples’ information needs throughout their lives in cities
Better city governance: MIL as e-governance participation and learning
MIL as a tool to build trust in media in cities
Using MIL to bridge cultural industries with grassroots city life
MIL as “stoplights” in cities: Meaning-making in music
Imagining city transportation and healthcare systems that stimulate MIL education
Stimulating entrepreneurship in cities through MIL
Theorizing MIL cities with a people focus: Reflections on the Five Laws of MIL

Where: Kaunas, Lithuania.
When, local time:
- Wednesday, 24 October 2018 - 9:00am to
- Wednesday, 31 October 2018 - 6:00pm
Contact: Sergey Karpov (Email: [email protected])