Citizens are the first to deal with the effects of earthquakes and other natural or man-made disasters, until professional help arrives. Hence, it is extremely important to increase the awareness of citizens in better preparation before the occurrence of these disasters, as well as in dealing with them.

In the era of rapid technological advancements and digitalization, disinformation has emerged as a global threat with far-reaching political consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have exposed the dangers of disinformation and its potential to undermine trust in institutions and spread false information with serious consequences.

The media have a relatively low capacity to recognise femicide, as the most severe form of gender-based violence, i.e., recognise that it is the killing of a woman because she is a woman, with an intention to commit the murder.

The master classes are a combination of lectures, discussions, exercises and practical work. They will be held during March and April, lasting three days, through presentations and discussions with experienced journalist-trainers, after which the participants, working in teams with mentor support, will create media products.

The director of ICS, Zaneta Trajkoska, opened the event and presented the objectives of the symposium, and emphasized that in today's media-saturated world, media literacy is a key competence for everyone, so educational programs and initiatives must be inclusive to reach as many people as possible.

The Institute of Communication Studies (ICS) and IREX have the honor of inviting you to attend the second annual international symposium, "Reclaiming the Digital Information Space," organized within the USAID Media Literacy project "YouThink.”

The five courses are designed both theoretical and practical, including collaborative online learning. The participants work interactively on different case studies and prepare team tasks weekly, led by professors who are specialists in the field.