The Online Self-Paced Media Literacy Course is now open! This is a key part of the “EmpowerED: Fostering Youth Media Literacy through V4 Expertise Exchange” project, implemented by The Youth Center for Civil Development (YCCD) in Georgia. This course is designed to help you understand media literacy and disinformation, providing the tools needed to navigate today’s information landscape with confidence.  The information resources is available in English, Georgian, Armenian, and Romanian, making it accessible to a broad audience. Our project is made possible through cooperation with six partners from V4 countries, Georgia, Armenia, and Moldova: Poland – Institute for Discourse and Dialogue – (https://indid.pl/) Slovakia – PDCS, o.z., Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia – (https://en.pdcs.sk/) Hungary – Subjective Values Foundation – (https://szubjektiv.org/) Czech Republic – Choose Your Info – (https://zvolsi.info/) Moldova – Association of Independent Press – (https://www.api.md/) Armenia – “Yeghvard” Youth Ecological NGO – (https://www.facebook.com/YeghvardYouthEcologicalNGO) Supported by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund, and co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. Check out the course: www.empoweredv4.com Stay informed and empowered!

On October 18-20, 2024, a training course in Rustavi equipped rural youth with digital and critical thinking skills to combat disinformation and promote reliable content creation. Part of the “Advocating Truth” project, it aimed to empower participants to actively contribute to European integration efforts. The project was supported by Denmark’s New Democracy Fund.

The Youth Center for Civil Development, supported by the Lithuanian Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Fund, organized a Media Literacy and Advocacy Training in Tbilisi from November 18-20, 2024. The event brought together young people from conflict-affected regions and ethnic minority communities. The training equipped participants with the skills to raise awareness about disinformation and promote democratic values, empowering them to act as peer educators in their communities.

The Youth Center for Civil Development, supported by the Lithuanian Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Fund, hosted a Media Literacy and Advocacy Training in Rustavi from November 9-11, 2024. The event brought together young civiv activists from conflict-affected regions and ethnic minority communities in Georgia. The training equipped participants with the skills to combat disinformation and raise awareness in their local communities, empowering them to become leaders and peer educators in promoting democratic values and European aspirations.

The pilot workshop  “Youth Engagement for European Integration: Countering Anti-Western Disinformation and Propaganda,” was conducted in village Vakhtangisi at Gardabani Youth Center.

YCCD representative Mariam had the amazing chance to participate in a Partnership Building Activity in Kopparberg, Sweden! The event was orginized by Awesome People. She gained valuable insights and practical skills from the Erasmus+ program, which she shared with 15 young leaders in Rustavi. A day full of learning, inspiration, and collaboration!

On July 16-17, 2024, YCCD successfully conducted an online training session focused on fundraising and grant writing. This event, part of our project “Advocacy of Truth: Capacity Development of Youth Organizations for Democratic Sustainability,” brought together representatives from civil society and media organizations. The primary aim of this project is to promote democratic values and combat disinformation by enhancing youth media literacy and advocacy skills. The initiative is supported by the Estonian Embassy in Georgia and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As part of the “Advocating Truth: Capacity Development of Youth Organizations for Democratic Sustainability” project, a training event took place in Tbilisi on July 7-8 and 9-10, 2024. The training covered media literacy, advocacy, and training of trainers, equipping participants to combat misinformation and promote democratic values in their communities. The project, supported by the Estonian Embassy in Georgia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, is partnered with the Estonian organization Noored Ühiskonna Heaks.

In April 2024, Armenian young leaders participated in the international training course and Training of Trainers (TOT) program “EmpowerED: Promoting Media Literacy Among Youth through V4 Expertise Exchange” . As a follow-up, these young leaders conducted meetings and training sessions with local youth in Armenia, focusing on key topics such as media literacy, combating disinformation, fact-checking, and ensuring information security. The sessions were based on the knowledge and methodologies they acquired during the intensive training program held in Rustavi, Georgia. We are deeply grateful to our partner organization in Armenia, Yeghvard Youth Ecological NGO, for their invaluable support and contributions to the project! This initiative highlights the importance of regional cooperation and the impact of youth-led efforts in fostering informed and media-savvy communities across borders. Supported by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund, and co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

With support from the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, YCCD is implementing a project titled “Enhancing Information and Education about NATO in Conflict-Affected Communities near the Occupation Line in Shida Kartli Region”. As part of this project, a reportage was featured on “TV NEO” on 4 July. The reportage aimed to strengthen awareness regarding the importance of countering anti-Western disinformation. The reportage also focused on themes such as NATO’s role in the global security environment, the NATO-Georgia relationship, and Euro-Atlantic integration perspectives. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqpfQHfhRS4