“Youth vs Disinfo” in Cyprus

“Youth vs Disinfo”

Youth exchange

3-11/3/23

Pervolia, Cyprus

 

The project “Youth vs Disinfo” bring together 40 young people from Cyprus, Greece, Poland,Lithuania, and Romania for discussing and addressing the necessity of media literacy promotion for youth.

The Objectives of the Project:Improving the media literacy, critical thinking and research
skills of participating young people. Promoting intercultural communication and combating bias.
Development of international youth networks for media literacy. Increase participants΄discussion,
debate, interaction and self-expression skills. Promotion of active and responsible citizenship.
The seven participants from PRAXIS describe their experiences:

Anastasios Gelastopoulos

I participated in the project “Youth vs Disinfo”, in Cyprus and it was a unique experience. We were around 40 people from 5 different countries (Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Lithuania, Poland) in a beautiful village by the sea. We started the project with activities to get to know each other and start to feel comfortable.The subject was very interesting and we had fun learning more about it with the various activities. The best one was when we went to Nicosia at the facilities of a TV & Radio station and saw the “behind the scenes”, while the people working there, talked to us regarding the difficulties of their job on identifying and stopping fake news. The intercultural nights were a lot of fun, we did quizzes, shared our food and drinks and learned traditional dances from other countries. The Greek intercultural night was voted as the best in the award activity that we did on the last day, which filled all of us with joy. I would definitely participate in the project again, the facilitators were amazing, the accommodation and the food quite good for a youth exchange.

 

Markopoulou Christina

My first time in Erasmus+ and certainly not the last. An incredible experience in which we met new
people and cultures for 10 days. 10 days to become more social than you already are and to develop
other skills (team work, cooperation, creativity etc.). The theme of the project was “YOUTH VS
DISINFO”. Through workshops and activities, we learned to be more responsible for our behavior in society and social networks in order to avoid electronic violence and more easily detect fake news and disinformation. It is well understood that nowadays, all people and especially young should check the news from various sources multiple times.The role of education is crucial and that’s why I think this project helped us strengthen our perceptive and critical thinking. Furthermore, I would like to mention our visit to a local channel, where the journalists informed us about how the stories from their sources are processed and how they try to avoid fake news. This was very informative because media play a significant role in the manipulation of the truth sometimes. Finally, I would like to give congratulations to Emily as a host. She was very good and was there for any problem that occurred during the project.

 

Panagiota Mpaxa

Hello! My name is Panagiota and for the first time I experienced Youth exchange in Cyprus. The name
of the project was “Youth vs Disinfo”. In this project the main purpose was how people nowadays face the problems that are created from fake news. More and more people use technology and primarily social medias as a result to spread information at high speeds and many don’t filter which of this information is valid and which is not. In the beginning of this project we played games to get to know others participants better and every day we were doing groups and analyze how to avoid fake news and use social medias properly. Through these tasks we created strong bonds with youth people from another countries. The countries that participated were: Greece, Cyprus, Poland, Romania and Lithuania. Also, in tasks we discussed,created, and conveyed through art the messages we wanted to transfer to those around us. We had cultural nights that we share our differences, music, facts, dances and we tried to learn numbers and phrases. There were 2 educational trips in Cyprus. We visited Nicosia and Larnaka. In Nicosia we visited museum and local TV, Dias. In Dias, we saw how people in TV programs and radios work. How they handle information everyday and how they promote them to people outside. Also, we had workshop by CSI academy (Professional and personal growth through knowledge). What I gained from this project are soft skills like communication, public speaking, problem solving,patience, organization skills etc and digital skills like video editing, social media, chatGPT, kahoot,cyber security etc. I thank the Praxis and Cyprus community that gave me this opportunity and I hope I will experience projects like this in the future. I had so much fun in workshops and with people which I cooperated.

 

Nikoleta Papathanasiou

During the week 3-11/3/23 Praxis Greece gave me the chance to participate to the Erasmus Youth
Exchange hosted by Youth Dynamics. The project was about disinformation and took part in Pervolia, Cyprus bringing together almost 40 young people from Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. It was a unique experience which actually improved the media literacy, critical thinking and research skills of participating young people and which also increased participants discussion, debate, interaction and self-expression skills through open- dialogue activities, interactive workshops and in general non-formal learning methodology. For me the highlight of the project was the intercultural nights, where we had the chance to know more about other countries, interact with other cultures and have fun with the participants. I also got excited about very our national workshop which was concentrated on conspiracy theories. I am very glad that our whole team worked together to structure a funny and interactive activity about conspiracy theories which other participants enjoyed as well. Overall, this youth exchange was a very fruitful and joyful experience that offered me various unforgettable moments.

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Ntepi Papagiannopoulou

Through the Praxis Organization we were given the opportunity to travel to Cyprus and participate in
the “Youth VS Disinfo” program, in which we were filled with unprecedented experiences and met
people with different cultures and distinct beliefs. From the very first day, those in charge, made sure to create a friendly atmosphere through the activities. As the result all the participants were in the mood to open up and socialize. In the following days, all the participants regardless of origin , got to know each other and developed bonds . This program gave us the opportunity to realize how important it is to check our sources of information, and not to trust any website that give as a news. This knowledge was given to us through the programs we carried out on a daily basis. We also had a talk from the CSI Organization, who updated us on the current state of affairs regarding fake news and how easily a public figure’s words can be distorted. In addition, during the week we had two days which we dedicated to educational excursions. On the first excursion, we had the honor of visiting the largest television station in Cyprus. The employees of the station were kind enough to inform us and integrate us into today’s way of information, as they emphasized to us the difficulty that exists in terms of separating true news from fake news. One the second excursion, the overseers showed us some of the monuments of Cyprus and explained to us the way the people were informed in earlier years.

 

Vasilis Zafeiris

Η συμμετοχή μου στο Erasmus+ στα Περβόλια, μου άφησε μόνο θετικές εμπειρίες .Οι υπεύθυνοι του
προγράμματος ήταν πάντα πρόθυμοι να βοηθήσουν και να παρέχουν πληροφορίες σχετικά με το θέμα.
Οι συμμετέχοντες ήταν κοινωνικοί και για αυτό οι αλληλεπιδράσεις μεταξύ των χωρών, ήταν ευχάριστες. Τρίτη και Πέμπτη υπήρχαν 2 εκδρομές σε Λευκωσία και Λάρνακα αντίστοιχα, οι οποίες
προσέφεραν πληροφορίες και εμπειρίες για την ζωή στην Κύπρο. Στο τέλος του προγράμματος όλοι μας, είχαμε μια καλύτερη ιδέα του θέματος(Νέοι εναντίον παραπληροφόρησης)μέσα από τα workshops και είχαμε ανταλλάξει κουβέντες, απόψεις και κουλτούρες με τους υπόλοιπους συμμετέχοντες από τις άλλες χώρες. Η εμπειρία σε πρόγραμμα του Erasmus+ είναι ανεπανάληπτη και οι ορίζοντες που διευρύνονται είναι πολλοί. Συνιστώ ανεπιφύλακτα την συμμετοχή των νέων στα προγράμματα αυτά.

 

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Nikolaos Syropoulos

My name is Nikolaos Syropoulos and this is my summary for the «Youth vs Disinfo «project in
Pervolia, Cyprus. While I have been to many projects, I dare say this was one of the most
memorable ones. Engaging activities, beautiful scenery and an amazing facilitator, all factors that made the experience memorable. From scouring through media to identify fake news, to creating our own videos this project had it all. 5 different countries, all with very different cultures, yet when push came to shove, we all came down united to cooperate in fighting disinformation. Erasmus+ projects are an unforgettable experience and I would recommend this to everyone. I have gained so many things from going in these projects that it would take me pages just tobegin describing them. One final thanks to Emily, our facilitator for organizing everything and Praxis for selecting me to participate in this wonderful project. Until next time!

 

Athanasios Kargios

Participating in an Erasmus project in Cyprus was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
From the moment I arrived in Cyprus, I was captivated by the country’s rich history and culture, and I was eager to learn more. The Erasmus program allowed me to meet people from all over the world and make lifelong friends. We worked on various projects together, and I was able to learn about different perspectives and ways of thinking. Moreover, we had the opportunity to travel to different parts of the country and explore its stunning landscapes and beaches. The traditional Cypriot food was also a highlight of the trip there and I enjoyed trying new dishes and learning about the ingredients.
Overall, the Erasmus project in Cyprus was a wonderful time full of learning, exploration, and friendship. It broadened my horizons and allowed me to experience a new culture and way of life. I am
grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a fantastic program and will cherish the memories and friendships I made during my time in Cyprus for years to come.

 

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