We’re thrilled to announce a new collaboration between Transitions and Google in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This joint venture will further bolster our pioneering media literacy program for seniors and the elderly, a critical initiative to empower this demographic in the digital age.
The program has already made significant strides. Now, with Google’s partnership, we look forward to reaching new heights, extending our reach to local regions, developing fresh learning resources, and engaging new trainers to widen our impact.
We’re pleased to collaborate with our esteemed project partners Elpida in the Czech Republic and MEMO98 in Slovakia. These partnerships not only strengthen our collective efforts to improve media literacy but also provide a solid base to expand our innovative programs.
We believe that media literacy is a critical skill in today’s interconnected world, and we’re excited to bring this to even more seniors and elderly in the coming months.
For more information about our activities, please visit medialka.elpida.cz. You’ll find details on our projects, resources, and how you can get involved. Should you require further details or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Please contact Jaroslav Valůch at jaroslav.valuch@tol.org.
Senior Prague BARCAMP – October 3-4, 2024
Developing seniors’ skills with artificial intelligence
Transitions collaborated with the Elpida Center and Google on 13 June 2024 for the very first meeting of the Expert AI Seniors Group in Prague. This marked the start of a new project focused on artificial intelligence for seniors. The first meeting generated many practical ideas on how AI can simplify our daily lives.
This is another development in our long-term activities aimed at enhancing media literacy among seniors, and across other demographics, through discussions on current topics and practical solutions. Our work with seniors has continued to build, as evidenced by the breadth of projects we work on with this focus, and we plan to continue collaborating with this group both online and in person. The ideas that arose from this group will be further developed at the upcoming “Barcamp” workshop on 3-4 October at Elpida’s Prague office.
The media have shown a growing interest in our activities, and we welcome new volunteers from the journalism world and other professions who would like to learn and share with the project. We believe the best ideas come from discussions among people of different ages and expertise.
Engaging Seniors in the Fight Against Misinformation: How Verification Workshops Transform Media Literacy
In collaboration with Český rozhlas, we launched a series of Verification Workshops across Ostrava, Olomouc, and České Budějovice, building on a pilot form last year in Prague. This year, with support from Google, the initiative sought to equip individuals, especially seniors, with essential skills to identify and fight disinformation. The workshops engaged seniors in practical scenarios, guiding them through the process of fact-checking current news, for example, deceptive health product ads or verifying the authenticity of videos showing alleged violence in various European cities.
Under the expertise of the “Ověřovna” team from iRozhlas.cz, participants employed investigative methods to peel back layers of misinformation. Whether dissecting false endorsements by renowned journalists or conducting OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) to authenticate videos, the workshops covered a broad spectrum of misinformation, showcasing the problem’s complexity.
The initiative, in partnership with the non-profit organisation Elpida, aimed to enhance media literacy among older adults. Beyond the hands-on sessions, a monthly verification club continues to provide challenges and learning opportunities, helping participants refine their fact-checking abilities.
Feedback from the workshops has been overwhelmingly positive, reflecting the significant impact of these sessions on improving the ability of the public to navigate a complex information landscape. By involving seniors in these critical exercises, the initiative highlights the vital role of education and cooperation in creating a more informed society.
As the information verified by the seniors was often hot off the press, it sometimes emerged that these stories had yet to be checked by others. ČRo’s “Ověřovna” will continue to publish verified information, in the coming days, contributing further to the fight against disinformation.
Senior Bratislava BARCAMP – January 25-26, 2024
Discover Our Media Literacy Project for Seniors
Transitions organized events for further community development around media education projects for seniors. The main activity was Barcamp, which took place on 19-20 October 2023 in Prague. Over 30 participants from 20 organizations and institutions actively participated in the two-day program, which was a mix of panel debates, workshops, and joint development of methodologies. In the Czech Republic, we prepared an unprecedented package of educational materials, which was accompanied by a campaign video. The entire concept is based on the proven “5 key questions “methodology. The five instructional videos also feature five interactive online courses, complete with additional manuals and recommendations. Landingpage offers a fun quiz, and videos and then leads to the new e-learning portal of our partner the Elpida organization. Please feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested. It was only thanks to the support of Google that we were able to create such a comprehensive concept of interrelated interactive materials after years. In Slovakia our project partner MEMO98 is working with a group of students who were identified in recent months and are educating them. We also cooperate with members of Demagog.sk (MEMO98 in cooperation with demagog.sk connects experiences from various fields and strengthens the capacities of lecturers in the field of fact verification), and a new segment of the project is cooperation with libraries and librarians. We organized one training course for lecturers as planned. It was held on 7.12.2023 with the participation of 9 individuals. The main lectures were Jaroslav Valůch, head of the Czech program, and Marek Mračka from the partner organization MEMO98. It was a key event that helped to redefine the Slovak approach, also with regard to the changing political and social context in the country.
