This toolkit was developed as part of the Digital Literacy Forum, a regional project that partnered 40 technologists, educators, and American Spaces coordinators from eight Southern European nations (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia), with experts from the United States and Europe for intensive “design thinking”-styled sessions that produced new programming materials targeting youth.  The materials reflect four primary themes within the field of digital literacy:  Media & Digital Literacy, Understanding Social Media Algorithms, Online Behavior and Future Proofing Through Digital Literacy.  Each module’s mini-lessons can be combined as best suits the need of the audience and program. Since the content was tailored for specific countries, adjustments may be necessary to align it with the other countries’ cultural, legal, and educational context.

Optional companion slides for the “Online Behavior” module of the Digital Literacy Toolkit.

Optional companion slides for the “Future Proofing Through Digital Literacy” module of the Digital Literacy Toolkit.

This toolkit was developed for the “Fake No More Youth Club,” a regional project focused on enhancing media and information literacy among youth in the Balkans, specifically in Novi Sad and Prizren. It aims to equip participants with advanced digital skills to recognize and counter media manipulation, fostering critical thinking and collaboration across diverse groups. While the toolkit is tailored to the unique context of the Balkans, adjustments may be necessary to effectively apply it in other regions, considering local cultural and media landscapes.

This handbook was specifically designed for audiences in the Balkans, focusing on developing critical thinking and media literacy skills among young people. It provides educators with detailed instructions and interactive activities, such as the “Cat Park” game, to help participants recognize and resist media manipulation. Since the content is tailored for the Balkans region, adjustments may be necessary to align it with the cultural and educational context of other regions where it might be used.

The rise of misinformation and disinformation is worrisome. This toolkit is designed to give you the resources to strengthen American Spaces visitors’ critical thinking and media literacy skills. Work with your Embassy or Consulate in collaboration with local partners, U.S. government exchange alumni, and journalists.

In this series on News Literacy developed by VOA Learning English, there are seven videos — an introduction plus six lessons.  Each video is four minutes, and each lesson comes with a transcript and key vocabulary used in the story.

The featured video for this guide is a 7+ minute PBS News Hour video that reports on how and why schools in Washington State are starting to teach media literacy in their classrooms.  This discussion guide provides key vocabulary words, a general media landscape summary, suggested discussion questions, and information for additional media literacy resources and lesson plans.

This media literacy campaign was developed as part of U.S. Department of State’s YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) Network programs.  These programming materials would be suitable for use in American Spaces worldwide.  There are three videos, and each video is 2-3 minutes.  Transcripts are available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  The Event Facilitation Guide provides suggested discussion questions and group activities.

This video has been translated into Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.