IM Cultural Institute

Author: network

  • Decolonize

    Decolonize

    Proposal: Decolonize and deconstruct narratives by building an inclusive educational history

    Implementation: 2025 to 2027

    Call: CERV-2024-CITIZENS-REM – European Remembrance – 2024

    Topic: CERV-2024-CITIZENS-REM-HISTMIGRATION

    Type of Action: CERV-LS – CERV Lump Sum Grants

    Proposed Budget: 192 915,00€

    Keywords: Decolonization, Colonialism, Equality, Inter-cultural dialogue, Minorities, Migration, collection of testimonies, digital storytelling, raising awareness, uncovering the colonial narratives, historical roots of racism, anti-racist education; deconstruct narratives, inclusive society.

    Objective: This project addresses the historical silence surrounding colonial legacies in Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, with the aim to confront their influence in contemporary structural racism. As such, this project tackles the 3rd priority of the 2024 CERV call: Migration, decolonization and multicultural European societies, as it focuses on exploring the enduring effects of colonialism and decolonization processes.

    The collection of testimonies of first, second and third generation African immigrants amplifies the power of their voices and illustrates the impacts of decolonisation processes felt today. This entails the use of digital storytelling into a documentary to bring together the narratives of African immigrants across generations. Through this, the project promotes an inclusive understanding of colonial history, as the power of testimony is seen as a tool for raising awareness on the experiences of African immigrants in a culturally sensitive way. In this sense, the project aims to uncover the colonial narratives intertwined with the historical roots of racism, which fuel today’s inequalities and discrimination.

    At its core, the project promotes anti-racist education to deconstruct these narratives and contribute to a more inclusive society. Through transnational workshops and memory forums, it raises awareness and empowers various target groups (parent’s associations and school communities, high school students, civil society organisations, current teachers at the secondary level and university students who are pursuing their career in Teaching History) to challenge personal biases and advocate for anti-racism within their communities. In the case of the memory forums, there is an emphasis on a gender-based approach to further explore the specific experiences of women. In general, the project bridges the gap between past colonial narratives and present-day manifestations of racism, advocating for anti-racist education.

    Partners:

    • IM Cultural Institute
    • Universidade Do Minho
    • Multikulti Media 
    • Público-Comunicação Social Sa
    • Eekhout Academy
    • Stichting Caat Projects
  • DeCol

    DeCol

    Proposal: DeCol – Decolonize and deconstruct narratives by building an inclusive educational history

    Implementation: 2025 to 2027

    Call: CERV-2025-CITIZENS-REM – European Remembrance – 2025

    Topic: CERV-2025-CITIZENS-REM-HISTMIGRATION

    Type of Action: CERV-LS – CERV Lump Sum Grants

    Proposed Budget: 256 365,00€

    Keywords: Decolonization, Colonialism, Equality, Inter-cultural dialogue, Minorities, Migration, collection of testimonies, digital storytelling, raising awareness, uncover the colonial narratives, historical roots of racism, anti-racist education, deconstruct narratives, inclusive society

    Objective: This project addresses the historical silence surrounding colonial legacies in Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, with the aim to confront their influence in contemporary structural racism. As such, this project tackles: Migration, decolonization and multicultural European societies, as it focuses on exploring the enduring effects of colonialism and decolonization processes.

    The collection of testimonies of first, second and third generation African immigrants amplifies the power of their voices and illustrates the impacts of decolonisation processes felt today. This entails the use of digital storytelling into a documentary to bring together the narratives of African immigrants across generations. Through this, the project promotes an inclusive understanding of colonial history, as the power of testimony is seen as a tool for raising awareness on the experiences of African immigrants in a culturally sensitive way. In this sense, the project aims to uncover the colonial narratives intertwined with the historical roots of racism, which fuel today’s inequalities and discrimination.

    At its core, the project promotes anti-racist education to deconstruct these narratives and contribute to a more inclusive society. Through transnational workshops and memory forums, it raises awareness and empowers various target groups (parent’s associations and school communities, students (18 to 25 years old), civil society organizations, current teachers at the secondary level and university students who are pursuing their career in Teaching History) to challenge personal biases and advocate for anti-racism within their communities. In the case of the memory forums, there is an emphasis on a gender-based approach to further explore the specific experiences of women. In general, the project bridges the gap between past colonial narratives and present-day manifestations of racism, advocating for anti-racist education.

    Partners:

    • IM Cultural Institute
    • Universidade Do Minho
    • Alda – Association Européenne Pour La Démocratie Locale
    • Multikulti Media
    • Público-Comunicação Social Sa
    • Eekhout Academy
    • Stichting Caat Projects
    • European Research Center for Social Development
    • Intersectionality Lab – Research Center
  • Audience Development and Film Education

    Audience Development and Film Education

    Proposal: Strengthening Civic Responsibility and Engagement through European Network for Youth

    Implementation: 2025 to 2027

    Call: CREA-MEDIA-2025-AUDFILMEDU – Audience Development and Film Education

    Topic: CREA-MEDIA-2025-AUDFILMEDU

    Type of Action: CREA-PJG – CREA Project Grants

    Proposed Budget: 1 091 116,45€

    Keywords: Film Education, Film education, Civic participation, Youth engagement

    Objective: The project will try to redefine what it means to experience cinema. Many children, particularly in peripheral and marginalized areas, have never had the opportunity to watch a film in a cinema, or, in some cases, to view a film in its entirety. Reintegrating this experience is crucial to promote a more comprehensive and holistic development of young people’s skills. Engaging with film language promotes students’ awareness of media tools. By serving as an educational practice that encourages attention and reflection, it creates a shared space where personal experiences can be compared with the stories depicted on screen. Moreover, this process prompts critical reflection on European cultural identity and the students’ regions of origin. The general objective of the action is defined as promoting EU films among primary and middle school children, as a tool to reinforce their civic participation and their preparedness to discuss issues that affect the world around them. Therefore, the project not only will let younger audiences discover cinema (developing a passion for it and having the skill to see movies with a critical approach), but it will also make them better citizens, more aware and more engaged in the public discussion.

    Partners:

    • Ratatoj Aps
    • Im Cultural Institute
    • Beactive, Producoes Interactivas Sa
    • Espacio Rojo
    • Kauno Kino Centras Romuva
    • Roundstone Media Ltd
    • Universidad Complutense De Madrid
    • Università Degli Studi Di Torino
  • Associations Between Teachers’ Beliefs and their Perception of Hate Speech in School: A Study in Germany and Switzerland

    Associations Between Teachers’ Beliefs and their Perception of Hate Speech in School: A Study in Germany and Switzerland

    Teachers’ perceptions of hate speech in schools is an issue that should be increasingly relevant, given the prevalence of hate speech among adolescents and the need for educational responses. While teachers are expected to address hate speech as part of their professional role, little is known about the beliefs that shape their early perceptions and intervention decisions, which can be crucial in the quality of their approach.

    For this reason, this study investigates the associations between teachers’ social dominance orientation, pluralist attitudes, and their perception of hate speech in school.

    Empirical data was collected through a self-report survey of 471 secondary school teachers from Germany and Switzerland, and matched with data from 3,560 students in grades 7 to 9 to control for students’ perceptions of hate speech. Fixed-effects multilevel regression analyses were conducted, accounting for demographic variables and student perceptions.

    Study results show that teachers perceive offline hate speech as more frequent than online hate speech. Contrary to expectations, higher social dominance orientation was positively associated with both offline and online hate speech perception. As hypothesized, teachers’ pluralist attitudes were also positively linked to their perception of hate speech in both contexts.

    Nonetheless, the study concludes by emphasizing the need for further research on how teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of hate speech relate to other dimensions of professional competence in educational settings.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1432013

    Reference

    Kansok-Dusche, J., Wettstein, A., Fischer, S. M., Wachs, S., & Bilz, L. (2024). Associations between teachers’ beliefs and their perception of hate speech in school: A study in Germany and Switzerland. Frontiers in Education, 9

  • The Media Literacy Theory of Change and the Message Interpretation Process Model

    The Media Literacy Theory of Change and the Message Interpretation Process Model

    In this article, the authors offer an examination of the Message Interpretation Process (MIP) model, originally developed to explain how young people interpret entertainment media messages and make judgments about reality and behavioral choices.

    As the model has evolved, its core principles have contributed to the development of a complementary framework referred to as the Media Literacy Theory of Change. Both models are grounded in the view that media literacy involves cognitive and affective components of message interpretation, and that these skills can be taught, practiced, and adapted as individuals develop physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. The authors provide an explanation of both models, and also a review of related research.

    In short, it is concluded that the Media Literacy Theory of Change, rather than replacing context-specific literacy models, provides a shared perspective grounded in cognitive and affective message interpretation and decision-making.

    In conjunction with the Message Interpretation Process model, this framework offers a flexible and evidence-based foundation for future research, educational practice, and media literacy interventions aimed at supporting critical thinking and informed decision-making in complex information environments.

    Learn more abou this article here: https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtae018

    Reference

    Erica Weintraub Austin, Shawn Domgaard, The media literacy theory of change and the message interpretation process model, Communication Theory, Volume 34, Issue 4, November 2024, Pages 167–177

  • From Hate Speech to HateLess. The Effectiveness of a Prevention Program on Adolescents’ Online Hate Speech Involvement

    From Hate Speech to HateLess. The Effectiveness of a Prevention Program on Adolescents’ Online Hate Speech Involvement

    In this study, the impact of online hate speech on adolescents was examined, and the effectiveness of HateLess – Together Against Hatred, a school-based intervention designed to reduce hate speech engagement and promote counter-speech.

    Using a quasi-experimental design, the research involved 820 adolescents aged 12 to 16 from 11 German schools, divided into an intervention group that participated in a one-week anti-hate speech program and a control group. Multilevel mediation analyses were used to assess the program’s effects.

    It was shown that participation in the program significantly reduced online hate speech perpetration and victimization, while increasing countering behaviors. These effects were partly mediated by increases in empathy, which were associated with lower perpetration and higher counter-speech, and by enhanced self-efficacy, which was linked to reduced victimization and greater countering of hate speech.

    Overall, HateLess appears to be a promising approach for reducing online hate speech and fostering more respectful online interactions among adolescents.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108250

    Reference

    Wachs, S., Wright, M. F., & Gámez-Guadix, M. (2024). From hate speech to HateLess. The effectiveness of a prevention program on adolescents’ online hate speech involvement. Computers in Human Behavior, 157

  • Citizen Journalism

    Citizen Journalism

    Proposal: Citizen journalistic empowerment and sustainable transformations

    Implementation: 2024 to 2026

    Call: CREA-CROSS-2024-MEDIALITERACY – NEWS – Media literacy

    Topic: CREA-CROSS-2024-MEDIALITERACY

    Type of Action: CREA-PJG – CREA Project Grants

    Proposed Budget: 640 983,50€

    Keywords: Training, Citizen Journalism, Sustainability, Media Literacy

    Objective: The project deals with the communication gap that exists in regional discourses and especially in social media regarding the challenges of sustainable transformations. Socio-ecological major challenges such as the climate crisis, digitalization, demographic change and others are accompanied by immense media interpretations and fake news orchestrated under the influence of algorithms, bots, and AI-generated content. They demand self-organized civic communication, especially from young change agents.

    The project activates the potential of citizen journalism in that part of civil society that productively promotes sustainable change in Europe by qualifying them to create their own media. The project’s overall objective is to empower citizens, particularly youth, to communicate sustainable transformations. Sub-goals include qualifying young individuals engaged in climate initiatives with communicative competences and media literacy skills, emphasizing citizen journalistic forms of communication. The project addresses the gap in knowledge-based regional communication, counteracts polarization, and aims to diversify content on platforms like Instagram, Youtube and TikTok. 

    By fostering citizen journalism, the project seeks to facilitate democratic, diverse, equal, and sustainable transformations in public discourse. The project aims to gradually expand in Europe, connect with similar projects and contribute to a global climate protection movement. To achieve these objectives it uses the transdisciplinary method of the real-world laboratory including: Regional focus groups involving young change agents, media and participatory journalism experts, a blended learning program with a transnational face-to-face encounter on media literacy and citizen journalism competences regarding climate crisis and socio-ecological cultural transformation, a digital european exchange platform lead by the young ambassadors and a media literacy handout for youth workers and media professionals.

    Partners:

    • Kolleg Für Management Und Gestaltung Nachhaltiger Entwicklung
    • IM Cultural Institute
    • Glocal Factory Societa Cooperativa Sociale 
    • Athens Network Of Collaborating Experts Astiki Etairia
    • Predict Csd Consulting Srl
    • Hmkw – Hochschule Für Medien Kommunikation Und Wirtschaft