Contact
Tbilisi 0144,
59/4 Ketevan Dedofali Ave/ Lekh Kaczynski Str., 0144, Tbilisi
Tel/Fax: +995 32 2921667
E-mail: post@comcom.ge
Phone number
+995 32 2921667
ComCom Holds Media and Information Literacy Forum
As part of UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week, the Communications Commission organised the forum “We All Play a Part – Media and Information Literacy for the People,” which brought together local and international partner organisations, representatives of the education sector and other stakeholders.
The forum was opened by ComCom Chairman Goga Gulordava. Participants were also welcomed by Mariam Lashkhi, Chair of the Parliament of Georgia’s Committee on Education, Science and Youth Affairs; Tamar Makharashvili, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia; and Alexandru Nartea, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Georgia.
The forum was organised around this year’s central theme of Global Media and Information Literacy Week, “We All Play a Part – Media and Information Literacy for the People.” It aimed to highlight the role of different sectors and every individual in building a media-literate society, facilitate the exchange of experience, and strengthen cooperation.
As part of the event, a panel discussion entitled “Media and Information Literacy as a Shared Responsibility” was moderated by ComCom member Natia Kukuladze. The panellists included Irma Bolkvadze, a representative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia; Maia Kurtsikidze, Head of UNICEF’s Communication Programme; and Ani Gvetadze, Associate Professor at Alte University and head of its psychology programme. The discussion focussed on the role of different sectors in fostering a media-literate society, the existing experience, and opportunities to strengthen cooperation.
An important part of the forum was dedicated to the presentation of the new national media literacy standard and guidelines. Mariam Dakhundaridze, Head of ComCom’s Media Literacy Development Department, presented the results of integrating media literacy into formal education, along with the growing figures for the elective media literacy subject. Irma Bolkvadze, representing the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth, provided teachers with a detailed overview of the key concepts of the new media literacy standard.
One of the forum’s distinctive features this year was a series of interactive activities specially designed around the event’s central message. The forum’s concept revolved around three symbolic superheroes – Media Guru, Digital Sherlock and Cyber Expert. Each represented an important aspect of media literacy: Media Guru embodied the creation of responsible content, the sharing of verified information and ethical communication; Digital Sherlock represented critical thinking, recognising disinformation and manipulation, and fact-checking; while Cyber Expert stood for digital safety, personal data protection and the responsible use of technology.
Forum participants actively engaged in the themed activities. Through an interactive quiz entitled “Which Superhero Are You?”, they discovered which superhero best matched their skills and interests, while at the Superhero Badge Stand they could wear a badge featuring their preferred character. As part of the “One Tip to Send” activity, participants wrote their own tips on postcards about information verification, online safety and responsible communication.
The interactive activities were designed to help participants recognise that everyone has an important role to play in creating a safe and trustworthy information environment.
The forum once again highlighted the importance of critical thinking, information verification, digital safety and responsible communication in today’s digital environment, where people are not only consumers of information but also its creators and distributors.
Global Media and Information Literacy Week is an international UNESCO initiative aimed at raising awareness about the importance of media literacy and promoting cooperation among government institutions, educational organisations, civil society, the private sector and citizens. The Communications Commission joined the initiative for the sixth consecutive year.
