In August 2021 we sent 6 German participants to a Youth Exchange in Passignano sul Trasimeno, where our friends from Associazione Kora hosted the Youth Exchange ESCAPE FROM THE NET CAVE.

ESCAPE FROM THE NE CAVE directly involved 36 young people from six different countries in a multicultural experience where they learned about Media Literacy and Critical Thinking in a modern context. A new generation of technological advancement has promoted media, through smart devices such as laptops, televisions and smartphones, to a position of omnipresence in our lives. Alongside these developments we open up new channels for polarisation and manipulation through misinformation, and find ourselves more likely to encounter radical ideologies.

The project created a safe learning environment where people from different backgrounds, cultures, origins, and traditions could share their ideas and experiences, learn and appreciate the viewpoints of others, leave with a stronger and clearer idea of the subject, and feel more confident navigating the ocean of information we find ourselves surrounded by in the modern era.

• Develop in the participants a filter for media consumption, and a toolset for verifying and interpreting information presented by the media.
• To educate about the dangers of polarization, presented by social media especially.
• To develop the confidence of each participant in the forming and expressing of their own ideas and points of view.
• To redefine the relationship that participants have with media and media consumption in order to develop a healthier modern communication technology. To cultivate a broader knowledge of the world we live in and encourage both, a more active effective involvement within it.
• To build skills in the field of critical thinking, in theory, and in application. To develop cooperation and teamwork skills.
• To promote self-awareness and soft-skills learning.