Erasmus+ "Youth in Social Media" Project: October 2017

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Researches shows that new communication technologies provide people an environment in where participation and discussion is the basis and where people can share their thoughts, ideas and creations. This virtual environment ‐ that is called as social media ‐ is a user based environment and seems to be important in terms of bringing crowds and people together and increasing the interaction among them. Most studies in the field indicate that people spend more and more time in this environment, try to meet their real life necessities in this virtual reality, and they prefer to live in this virtual reality by rebuilding a new world for themselves. Sometimes it is even observed that the border between the virtual and the real world appears to blur. Moreover, it is possible to find new friends in this world, share your social and political opinions with others, and even to take serious decisions so as to get married with the ones whom you meet in this world. Social media, which is on a rapid rise especially among youngsters in terms of usage value, seems to be a serious competitor to today's traditional media and even threaten it. (Journal of Yasar University 2010 20(5) 3348‐3382)

Our project aims to contribute to youngsters’ social, individual and professional improvement and by making them to use social media more conscious, effective and productive and their employability. Project mobility activity will be held in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey in September 2017 with participation of 7 youngsters and 1 group leader from Macedonia, 7 youngsters and 1group leader from Slovakia and 7 young participants and 1 group leader from Turkey, 24 participants in total. During 12 days participants will do researches in the fields of culture, art and youth, collect information, take photographs and video, share on social media after they edit all those. At the end of activity, pages and blogs on social media will be created. Participant will take training of Google Apps for one day do to all of those. Employability of the participants will be increased by providing professional improvement of participants. Adult education method, individual learning method and peer learning method will be used during the activities.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE:

Sexual equality will be provided in project activities. 4 female and 4 male participants, including group leader, from each country will take part in the project. 24 participants in total will take part in the project activities.

Youngsters, who have geographical, economical and social obstacles, have priority. Participation of unemployed youngsters has a significant role to achieve project objectives. Participants are supposed to be active, social, interested in project theme, to be able to do group/team work and to take responsibilities. Participants should be sensitive on problems about culture, art, youth and social media and contribute to solve those problems. Although it is not a significant criteria for selection of participants, all participants are supposed to be interested in ICT and have experience on this area. At least one person in each country group needs to know how to use graphic and design programs.