KOSOVO INNOVATION SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION PROJECT

KOSOVO INNOVATION SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION PROJECT

The KIST project aims to promote digital education by providing instructions and digital materials for schools, in addition to cultural and artistic activities, with the aim of increasing the active participation of students in civic life, addressing misinformation, and developing critical thinking, in facing the challenges of the 21st century.

The project is financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kosovo and implemented by Dokufest and the Center for Education of Kosovo. HOW WILL THIS PROJECT BE IMPLEMENTED? Joint intervention in the schools will be the main ground of our cooperation. While KEC will train school teachers and students about how to use digital content for creative educational purposes, DokuFest will increase their capacities to use visual storytelling to develop human-interest stories focused on positive alternatives and inspirational counter-narratives to hate speech. The project will start its training, during July-August 2022, when students and teachers will be invited to attend a summer school with a joint program for teachers and students on digital literacy. This summer school will focus on digital literacy for educational purposes. The summer school will be organized as an integral part of the DokuKids program of the 22nd Edition of DokuFest. 

The training has as its aim to help the participative school to develop the capabilities eligible to participate in the Digital Transformation Challenge,organized as part of our project, that includes categories such as animation, interactive presentations, games, short films, comic strips, funny rhymes and/or rap songs etc. Students will be encouraged to select one or more topics of interest and, through their project, raise awareness among their peers about fake news, disinformation, various forms of extremism etc. The steps that the project foresees to fulfill the training are as follows: Translating and subtitling of the selected films from the Digital Library to then be prepared in long and short versions for classroom screenings. Develop Film Guides on Radicalization Prevention and Digital Media Literacy for films to be used in the classroom. Screenings of films in the project locations facilitated by trained teachers, utilization of film guides in practice, and preparation. The aim is to prepare the participating schools to run the program independently, and ensure their access to film guides and films from DokuFest’s Online Teacher Resource (includes discussion before the screening, after the screening and practical exercises). Production of human-interest stories by the 10 selected schools. Organizing of a 10 two day training sessions for School Clubs which entails training of the students and teachers of partner schools on building narratives to fit the social media distribution model and will include how to properly use filming equipment, pre and post production techniques, and storytelling. 

The project is set to conclude in April 2023, with an event where the winners of the challenge will be announced. The winners will receive prizes in the form of cameras, laptops and other digital devices, which will become property of the school for similar activities in the future.

"Educational films serve as key tools to inspire change and promote intercultural dialogue in schools. They offer a unique opportunity for students to develop critical thinking skills, increase awareness about social and cultural issues, and encourage a more open and inclusive approach to learning. Through their powerful themes and impactful narratives, these educational films are rich resources that support innovative teaching and contribute to building a more informed, conscious, and democratic society."