Your Europe, your say (YEYS) – visit to Eugen Kumičić Vocational School in Rovinj

There is no doubt that we have never had so much access to information as young people do today. However, the amount of (dis)information has also taken on unprecedented proportions. Therefore, the YEYS event will model the design and development of a fake news campaign and find tools and arguments against them.

Who participates from Croatia

Eugen Kumičić Vocational School from Rovinj was chosen from Croatia, which will be represented by three students, with the support of professor Ivana Burić. These are: Damian Bratović, Matea Pavletić and Gabriel Smoljan.

Preparatory work

Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, a member of the EESC, visited the selected Rovinj school on 14 February 2022 to prepare students for this online event.

About 40 students gathered at the Multimedia Centre Rovinj, and the Headteacher Emil Nimčević briefed them on the purpose of the gathering.

Lidija Pavić-Rogošić gave an interactive lecture in which she briefly presented the purpose of the establishment and achievements of the European Union, EU bodies and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). It was an opportunity to present the students who will participate at YEYS, but also the event itself.  

On disinformation with journalist Igor Franković

The topic of this year’s YEYS is presented through a conversation between Lidija Pavić-Rogošić and journalist Igor Franković, editor, director and founder of Rovinj FM radio. It is one of the most listened radio stations in Istria. According to Igor Franković, the programme basis is aimed at promoting true social values, equality and solidarity, while not neglecting the public good. The features of the Rovinj FM program are, among other things, actuality, pluralism and independence. In their work, they respect professionalism with the truthfulness of reporting.

The determination of the European Commission to constantly improve its action in the fight against disinformation was mentioned in the introduction, inter alia through the development of Guidance for Strengthening the Code of Practice on Disinformation. The EESC’s opinion was also mentioned, as well as the recommendations made, for example, that more emphasis should be placed on tackling the emergence of disinformation than on moderating its content. In this way, preventive and proactive approach is encouraged, which requires more resources, especially for skills.

Some of the recommendations from the meeting are:

• Care should be taken that the fight against disinformation is not used as an excuse to restrict public freedoms, and in particular freedom of expression.
• The importance of improving media literacy of citizens and need of cooperation between civil society organizations and schools, given that the prerequisite for our democracy is that everyone, especially the youngest, can distinguish true from fake information.
• A more proactive, forward-looking approach is needed to take into account potential new ways of spreading disinformation.
• The increase in the amount of disinformation is not only a consequence of the power of social networks, but is also a sign of distrust in official messages, e.g. during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Infodemia”, i.e. the rapid spread of fake, inaccurate or misleading information about a pandemic, seriously endangers the health of individuals, public health systems and effective crisis management.

With the students we also discussed whether they follow the news, the ways in which they distinguish between true and fake news, etc. Teachers also joined the conversation.

What next

The YEYS event will feature 33 schools, including Rovinj’s Eugen Kumičić Vocational School, one from each of the 27 EU member states, five EU candidate countries and European School Brussels. Students will participate in discussions, workshops and interactive activities related to the topic of disinformation. This 13th event in a row will be held remotely due to the pandemic situation.

In the interaction via the Internet, Rovinj students will meet students from other countries with whom they will be able to exchange views and make recommendations on topics related to the event. It is a unique opportunity for young people to become better acquainted with the functioning of the EU and to participate in a multicultural environment.

Participating in workshops with a small number of participants and in the form of negotiations and consensus discussions, efforts will be made to raise awareness of the way in which social contracts are reached between groups with different interests.

YEYS will also be one of the events for young people within the Conference on the Future of Europe. The participating students will draw up recommendations, which will be forwarded to the European institutions and will be discussed at conferences throughout Europe during the next year. YEYS2022 has been flagged as one of the main events taking place during the European Year of Youth 2022.

More photos from the event are available HERE. 

#EGSO #EESC # YEYS2022