An exciting gathering of educators, global leaders, policy makers, and organizations will take place in Sao Paolo, Brazil from November 2-5, 2016 for the Global MIL (Media & Information Literacy) Conference. The conference is part of Global MIL WEEK whose purpose is to promote MIL connections across educational institutions, organizations, policies, professions, initiatives and nations.
Sessions and keynotes will consider how alliances among all MIL stakeholders can improve and enhance the development of global citizenship, human rights and education. How can MIL work to address such issues as poverty, countering hate speech and preventing violent extremism within societies? What is the role of the public policy in this regard? Can a media and information literate citizenry help to create equitable, inclusive societies? What role can the media, technology and information industries play in achieving these goals?
Sherri Hope Culver, director of the CMIL, has been invited to moderate a session exploring how GAPMIL (the global alliance of partnerships on media and information literacy) members can encourage key stakeholders to work together to build capacity and make a stronger case for MIL from a business perspective.
The session will consider the role of information/library, media and technology specialists, educators, artists, activists, researchers, policy makers, NGOs, associations and other groups integrating MIL in an innovative way in their work and related activities. Key questions for this session include: How do we ensure that we are building capacity in the area of teacher education and MIL? What is the role of policy makers in MIL? What are the key components for making a case for MIL, from a business perspective, for media and information industries? How can partnerships among multiple stakeholders drive a business development model? An education model? A sustainable development model? Are there existing models that could be replicated?
Culver will also participate in a session on the development of the North American GAPMIL chapter. The chapter is a cooperative effort by Canadian and U.S. MIL advocates with support from UNESCO. The session will explore the work evolving in each of the priority areas for the chapter, including Policy Development, Professional Network, Funding, Teacher Education, and Strategic Partnerships.
The Global MIL Week 2016 includes the feature event, UNESCO – UNAOC UNITWIN Universities Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Conference and the first General Assembly of the Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy. The event will explore the great potential of MIL to enhance new, trans-disciplinary paradigms for intercultural dialogue, human rights, social inclusion, and countering hate speech.