... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: HEINDERYCKX François < FHEINDERYCKX [ at ] admin [ dot ] ulb [ dot ] ac [ dot ] be> Date: Sep 29, 2006 10:04 PM Subject: [ecrea] The European Charter for Media Literacy To: ecrea [ at ] listserv [ dot ] vub [ dot ] ac [ dot ] be The European Charter for Media Literacy is now open for signature ( http://www.euromedialiteracy.eu/ ) Reading and writing are no longer enough to achieve the internationally agreed literacy objectives, which are "to achieve one's goals, to develop one's knowledge and potential, and to participate in society" (OECD 2003). European nations think that they have literacy levels of well over 90% in their populations, though definitions of "literacy" are still based on 19th century concepts. To play a full role in 21st century European culture, democracy and social life, European citizens need a broader portfolio of literacy skills, such as: - Accessing a wide range of content across television, Internet, film, press and radio - Choosing their media consumption - Challenging biased or offensive media representations - Taking full advantage of increasing opportunities make and distribute their own messages and ideas Media education in Europe has depended for too long on short-term projects and time-limited investments. There have been remarkable achievements, but little coherence of approach, insufficient networking and a lack of consensus on good practice. To raise the profile of Media Literacy in Europe and to offer citizens a broader and more empowering vision of what it means to be literate in the 21st century, an 8-nation group has established The European Charter for Media Literacy. The Charter challenges national governments in Europe to integrate media literacy in their school curricula, and to invest in the necessary training, resources and assessment that will sustain education in the longer term. It also challenges media producers to ensure their audiences' access to diverse cultural and informational sources, and support and foster their understanding of media content. By signing the Charter, organisations and individuals endorse a specific definition of "media literacy" and commit to actions that will contribute to its development. The Charter thus facilitates consensus and networking amongst those working in the field in different countries across Europe. The Charter website at www.euromedialiteracy.eu has been online since April 2006 and has already collected over 100 signatories from a wide range of countries, institutions and individuals. A press conference to launch The European Charter for Media Literacy will be held in Brussels on Thursday 28th September 2006. A panel with representatives of the European Commission and of the Steering Group will present the Charter, and explain the next steps in its development. ______________________________________ François Heinderyckx President ECREA European Communication Research and Education Association Postal address: Université Libre de Bruxelles Dept of Information and Communication Sciences Av. F. D. Roosevelt 50/123 BE-1050 Brussels, Belgium ecrea [ at ] ulb [ dot ] ac [ dot ] be ---------------- ECREA-Mailing list ---------------- !!!!!!NEW!!!!!!!! ECREA Communication Doctoral Summer School information at: http://www.comsummerschool.org/ & http://www.ecrea.eu/summer.html --- This mailing list is a free service from ECREA. --- To unsubscribe, send an email message to majordomo [ at ] listserv [ dot ] vub [ dot ] ac [ dot ] be with in the body of the message (NOT in the subject): unsubscribe ecrea --- ECREA - European Communication Research and Education Association Postal address: ECREA - P.O. Box 106, B-1210 Brussels 21, Belgium Email: ecrea [ at ] ulb [ dot ] ac [ dot ] be URL: http://www.ecrea.eu ---------------- ...