United 4 News | Building Democratic Resilience against Disinformation – Full scholarship
01/02/2022 - 03/01/2024
The program is addressed to 15 political and social leaders interested in building resilience against disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe. During three in-person sessions (Warsaw, Prague, Kyiv (tbc)), one online session (Warsaw), 15 local workshops (conducted by each participant in his/her local community) and an online course (preparation) the participants will discuss country-specific challenges and successful examples of building democratic resilience to “fake news” and propaganda.
The main objective of the program is to build resilience against disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe. During all meetings and workshops, 15 political and social leaders in the Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Poland will discuss country-specific challenges and successful examples of building democratic resilience to “fake news” and propaganda. The program will also offer practical training on disinformation, which will include topics such as the impact of disinformation and media propaganda on society, politics and international relations; recognizing disinformation and disinformation campaigns; strategies for countering official propaganda; tools of manipulation: cultural differences in creating disinformation and censorship of the media; and disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe in the last decade in the context of political interests.
The organization will promote best practices among a new generation of activists from V4 countries and Ukraine. It will create a learning and networking platform and a new online course for participants specialized in building response mechanisms and fostering resilience against disinformation and train 300 activists.
The program will be divided into 4 stages.
– Creating learning, networking & experience-sharing platform for 15 civic and political activists from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine, specialized in building response mechanisms & fostering resilience against disinformation.
– Training a new generation of 300 civil society and political activists (from high-schools and universities) from Visegrad countries and Ukraine (approx. 60 leaders per country) in the area of countering disinformation and propaganda by raising awareness, promoting high-quality journalism, media literacy and careful fact-checking.
– Online course which allows everyone to receive in-depth knowledge about fake news from different perspectives and how to fight with disinformation.
– Preparing a comprehensive curriculum to be implemented by the whole network of the 21 Council of Europe Schools of Political Studies.
During 24 months (1 February 2022 to 31 January 2024) the project will engage 15 leaders from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine in:
1. Preparatory and brainstorming sessions
- Warsaw (September 17-19, 2022)
- Prague (December 2022)
- Online (January 2023)
- Warsaw/Kyiv (September 2023)
2. 2 open webinars for the public (March and November 2023)
3. 15 one-day “Act locally” workshops (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine) – each organized by one project leader (February – April 2023)
4. Preparing materials and content for the online course (May – October 2023)
5. Participation in the World Forum for Democracy 2022 for selected participants (subject to availability of spaces offered by the Council of Europe)
Please note that the structure of the program might change due to SARS-CoV-2 restrictions for the safety of the participants.
The program will offer a selected group of 15 civic and political activists:
- Knowledge of how to understand disinformation tools and methods;
- Discussions on country-specific challenges and successful examples of building democratic resilience to “fake news” and propaganda;
- An opportunity to establish a regional network of leaders, ready to take responsibility for promoting a more mature political culture in their respective countries;
- Involvement in a discussion about disinformation in Europe.
The program is a full scholarship initiative with all fees, such as the following, covered:
The Warsaw, Prague, Strasbourg and Kyiv (TBC) session
- Accommodation
- Travel reimbursement
- Tuition fee
- Workshop materials
- Coffee breaks, lunches or dinners
The Online Meetings and Sessions in 2022 and 2023
Please note that the structure of the program might change due to SARS-CoV-2 restrictions for the safety of the participants.
The admission criteria/application requirements will include:
- Citizen or permanent resident of one of the following countries: Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland
- Minimum 20 years of age
- Working experience and proven track history of involvement and engagement within their community (i.e. involvement in the NGO sector, civil society organizations, etc.)
- Proven track record and/or interest in themes related to countering disinformation
- English language competence: C1
Participants will need to submit an online application form including:
- CV
- Letter of motivation
- Essay
The program is a full scholarship initiative.
Candidates will be selected based on the information provided in their online application form, as well as provided in a ZOOM/Skype interview which will follow.
The recruitment process has now concluded. If you are interested in applying to future editions of the project or have any additional inquiries, please contact us at info@visegradschool.org
The project is organized thanks to the support of the National Endowment for Democracy.
