by Taya Amit, Lara Arekat, Haneen Khano and Emma Todres
Social media has become a fertile place for spreading information and news. This has led to ignorance, biases, polarisation and discourages conversation. Hence, it has become responsible for increased anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. We are here to address the dangers of misinformation, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia by teaching media literacy which will foster a more productive, critical, and thoughtful environment surrounding conversations and opinions of Israel and Palestine. This is invaluable for real life circumstances and in school and affects everyone.
In this project, we are designing an extracurricular workshop for British A-level and GCSE students studying humanities courses such as history, politics, media, philosophy, religious education, English, and geography. We aim to implement 4-6 workshops around the UK with a particular focus on London.
The workshop will focus on the development of media literacy, source analysis skills, and linguistic examination in the context of political, religious, and cultural biases. The interactive workshop will l be rooted in interactive sessions with substantial student-led dialogue and group activities. Anticipated outcomes include heightened awareness of the real-life impact of disinformation, the fostering of open dialogue about Palestine and Israel in targeted schools, and the enhancement of media and social media literacy skills—a highly valuable transferable asset crucial for the younger generations who are constantly immersed in online spaces.