Lviv, Ukraine, 13 November 2023 ㅡ NGO "Detector Media", with support from UNDP in Ukraine, held media literacy training for youth from Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, and Odesa oblasts. 18 participants, who were selected from 88 applicants, completed training within the "Contradeza" educational programme. 

In addition to living in one of the above-mentioned regions, the participants had to be aged from 18 to 25 years. To be selected for the educational programme, they also had to create a story or a post about media literacy and publish it on their social media accounts. 

During the three-day training, the participants attended lectures on the psychological impact of propaganda, life hacks on multimedia countering disinformation, methods of expanding their social media audience, public speaking, disinformation in social networks, and much more. According to the programme requirements, participants will now share acquired media literacy knowledge with the peers in their home regions. 

Among the programme's speakers were leading Ukrainian journalists, authors, producers, TV and radio presenters, media researchers, and media trainers.  

"It is important not only to educate youth, but also to give them the tools and motivation to pass on this knowledge, so that our young people could recognize misinformation and know how to deal with it," noted the "Detector Media" programme director Vadym Miskyi. "One cannot overcome disinformation without our joint efforts," ㅡ says the "Contradeza" motto. Because only together, only by sharing knowledge with each other, only by making active efforts to counter the informational operations we will be able to form collective immunity and withstand,” he added. 

Student of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Journalism of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University Michelle Bondar, who is originally from Dnipro, said she learned more in these three days than in the entire second year of studying journalism. "The programme got my interest straight away, as to apply for it we had to complete a practical task, not just write a motivational letter. I’ve already got a lot of pleasure while creating my content, so I have fantastic impressions after the programme. It combined everything: useful real-world cases, experienced trainers, motivated fellow participants, and, of course, beautiful Lviv," ㅡ Michelle Bondar said. 

"I had plenty of impressions! Alyona Romanyuk gave us a lot of practice, which is easy to remember and can be applied immediately. She is an excellent speaker: she knows how to hold our attention and shares her thoughts based on her own experience’s examples. And it was amusing," ㅡ noted Kostyantyn Pavlov, head of the Novopokrov Youth Council of the Kharkiv Region. 

"I also liked Victoria Polchenko, who has an excellent voice. She shared her experience and encouraged us to work. Anastasiia Shymchuk's advice was also valuable. It is impossible not to mention Ms. Lydia (Smola - author's note), who perfectly structures information and finds relevant examples to convey it to us," ㅡ he added. 

The educational programme "Contradeza" was held within the framework of the grant competition "Civil Society Involvement in Countering Disinformation and Media Literacy Development in the Circumstances of War" of the UNDP in Ukraine project "Promotion of human security in Ukraine through responding to the multidimensional crisis caused by the war", financed by the Government of Japan. 

Media enquiries: Yuliia Samus, Head of Communications at UNDP Ukraine; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org