Rezekne leads young people to learn media literacy and critical thinking

In October of the year, the Rēzekne Technology Academy (RTA) launched a project supported by the British Council in Latvia, Stockholm Economics Schools, Rēzekne Municipality and the Rēzekne Technology Academy. 35 young people aged 11-19 took part in the project to learn to express their opinions, discuss, take photos, film, mount. Young people gathered UNDER THE guidance OF RTA and five experienced teachers. In each lesson, theoretical basics were given to enable young people to work on the work they like most. The author of the project's idea - Inta Rimšāne says that the idea of such a project was long ago: while working in the municipality of Rezekne and organising various events, we noticed that our young people have a lot of new and enthusiastic ideas, but lack the skills and the opportunity to justify these ideas, tell others and thus obtain followers. Any idea requires an animator, or an initiator, but if there is no follower, the idea will simply disappear in the air.
The project gathered a great team that is not only specialists in their field, but also educators - the communication instructor Sandra Murinska, journalist Diana Selecka, photographer Eduards Medvedev, video operator Maris Justs. We realised that we can help young people express their opinion and prepare them for publication in various media - social networks, radio, television. '
Half a year later, the teachers had learned much from the school students. The photographer Eduard Medvedev says that contemporary young people are lacking patience: “we learned to do rather than listen to some boring lecture.” Young people are accustomed to doing everything quickly, if the result is not achievable at once, they often lose their interest in continuing. We had a great challenge to work with young people and think about tasks that would be a quick result, but also reminder that not everything in this life can be achieved at once. '
Very different young people were involved in the project, some were already very motivated and willing to work, and the most interesting was communication with peers. League Runchis studied AT Maltas in secondary school, and in the future, like his brother, the popular group Borowa MC, Aigars Runchis, wants to study communication science at the University of Latvia. The League acknowledges that the participation in the project is very interesting: “I have long been interested in journalism, communication, in the project i developed my existing skills and acquired new knowledge, new friends. The communication must be done, and i was very shy at first, and it was difficult for me to speak to people, but thanks to my brother, who was involved in various events, and, of course, for the project, i have become much more open and able to communicate and express my opinion. '
Nadejda Kuznesov studied at Verham's primary school, working in a group to obtain information about the field of journalism: I learned to film and mount a video, learn the principles of photography.
It was my skill in media literacy before i believed in what i read, but i now know that not all the information available can be trusted. I will be instrumental in the skills acquired during the project to better communicate with others and analyse more critically the information available. '
Jānis Andra and Walter Viestura Kačkane Mama Meldra Gailāne welcome the participation of their sons in the “opinion leaders' school”: “I very much like it. such projects should be more because it is an opportunity for children to work together, while knowing interesting things and doing it in practice. Children have learned to create videos, select and evaluate information, collaborate, think scenarios. He is able to assess his options. There has been an improvement in the skill of the debate, there is more confidence in themselves, safer ones remain. Thank you all for this project!“ It must be continued! ”
The last project performance and release was scheduled for 28 March, but due to emergency situations it had to be organized in video format. Pupils' certificates for the completion of “opinion leaders” will be received in their schools after the end of the emergency.
Diana Selecka
Project pedagogist