In recent years, the exchange of good practices and experience between the organizations participating in programs such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps has been of key importance for the development of the youth and educational sphere in Bulgaria. In this context, recently a representative of the Open Space Foundation had the honor of participating in a special event organized by the HRDC – the National Agency for Bulgaria of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programs.

The meeting was focused on the presentation of good practices by various organizations that are active in the field of youth and educational programs in Bulgaria. We are proud to share that the Open Space Foundation was selected among the top three organizations this year that presented their successful practices to the audience.

Pepa Peneva – representative of the Open Space Foundation had the opportunity to present to colleagues from the NGO sector and youth workers our innovative work in the field of media literacy among students. “The media literacy program known as MOLA has been successfully piloted by our organization,” she says. “But not only that – we were able to adapt and optimize it for self-learning via mobile phones.”

Over the past two years, we have worked closely with partners such as HESED and neXus. Our mission was to develop an innovative media literacy method that would be easily accessible and usable by students of different ages and cultures. With the help of volunteers from Germany, Bulgaria and Greece, we managed to translate and adapt the program materials into a specially developed application (App F.I.R.E.), which will soon be available in a fourth language: Greek (English, German and Bulgarian are available already).

 

This achievement not only expands the scope of the program, but also makes it more accessible and convenient for students looking for interactive and innovative methods of learning media skills. Creating a mobile app enables users to learn wherever and whenever they want, creating flexibility and easy access to educational resources.

 

This collaboration and achievement demonstrates not only the commitment of the Open Space Foundation to the development of the youth sphere, but also our constant willingness to innovate and develop educational programs that meet the needs of modern society.

The next steps include wider distribution of the application and constant enrichment of its content with new and up-to-date materials. “I believe that a sustainable development of media literacy is key to the formation of informationally competent and responsible citizens – says Pepa Peneva.”

The Open Space Foundation continues to engage with innovative projects and initiatives aimed at supporting the development of educational standards and preparing young people for the challenges of the modern world. And more information about the ACTIon project and our results can be found on the project page: https://www.erasmus-action.eu