Social Media Influence On Youth

What are the objectives of the project?

We're taking on this initiative in youth work because it's critical to address the ways in which media influences the attitudes, behaviors, and overall condition of young people. The issue is that different media platforms, including social media and conventional media, have a significant impact on how young people perceive the world, form opinions, and experience mental health issues.

This initiative has a variety of objectives. First and foremost, we wish to educate youth about the potential benefits and drawbacks of social media. We want youngsters to be selective about the information they consume, aware of biases, and able to select healthy media. Additionally, we wish to support youth in developing their media literacy. We aim to teach young people how to use the internet sensibly and show them how media can support their development and contribute to constructive social change. Our project also includes a significant component on promoting positive media messages. We want to develop campaigns that address significant issues, involve all people, and inspire youth to contribute to improving social media for their communities and for themselves. We're also investigating the potential impact of social media on mental health. Our goal is to create resources and programs that assist youth in managing the potential harm that media may do to their emotional state.

What activities do we plan to implement? What is the number and profile of the participants involved?

We have designed a comprehensive set of activities for the project. Initially, participants will be introduced to the Youth Exchange and Erasmus+, followed by team-building games to foster a positive group dynamic.

The subsequent focus will be on social media, encompassing an examination of trends in each partner country, a structured debate on the merits and demerits of social media, and a role-playing exercise exploring authenticity online. Small groups will also engage in discussions on current social media trends. Proceeding to the theme of building healthy relationships online, seminars and workshops will be conducted to explore the impact of social media on various relationships, provide practical tips for positive online communication, and facilitate the creation of digital vision boards and a toolkit for digital self-care.

A pivotal section of the project will delve into understanding the impact of violent media on youth behaviour. This will involve in-depth discussions, a media literacy game focusing on distinguishing factual and fictional information, structured debates on the influence of violent media, and a collaborative activity combating misinformation by creating a digital board. Midway through the project, an emphasis on digital safety will be realized through a SafeClick seminar, a media influence trivia game, a case study on the application of SafeClick, and a cyber sleuth challenge. The project's culmination will involve an evaluation and feedback session, allowing participants to provide insights into the project's performance, training sessions, and discussions.

As for the participants, we anticipate a diverse group comprising young individuals. The exact number will be contingent on logistical considerations, with an emphasis on inclusivity and diversity of backgrounds, skills, and interests. All eligible individuals are warmly welcome to participate.

What results and impact do we expect our project to have?

We hope that our effort will have the following beneficial effects and outcomes:

Enhanced Awareness: Our goal is for young people to have a deeper comprehension of the various ways that media affects their life. We want to enable people to make knowledgeable decisions about the media they consume by raising awareness.

Improved Knowledge of Media: We hope that our work will help young people become more media literate. Our goal is for students to acquire competencies that enable them to appropriately navigate the digital environment by differentiating between trustworthy and potentially biased information.

Positive Social Contribution: The goal of our project is to motivate young people to actively participate in creating a more positive narrative on social media platforms by promoting inclusivity and positive media campaigns. We anticipate that this will promote a feeling of shared accountability and community.

Better Mental Well-Being: Through investigating the relationship between media exposure and mental health, we hope to create programs and services that help youth deal with possible detrimental effects on their mental health. The intention is to encourage more positive interactions with media.

Empowerment for Personal Development: Our ultimate goal is to enable youth to see media as a tool for constructive personal growth and social change. It is our aim that people would actively participate in creating a media environment that aligns with their goals and values.

Long-term Cultural Shift: Our project aims to cultivate a generation of young people who are active contributors to a media landscape that benefits individuals, rather than passive consumers, by encouraging them to engage with media more mindfully.

Essentially, the goal of our initiative is to positively influence the way that youth engage with media, therefore producing a generation that is not only media literate but also actively involved in establishing a more welcoming and happy online community. Although this project is only a small step and not enough for a huge change among the youth, but we believe that it will have bigger effects and young people can spread the word effectively, as well as can change their own community.