Background
European policy on Media Education is going through a
crucial phase of emergence that makes it necessary to bring
together experiences and exchange good practices within the
framework of an open dialogue. Consequently, on Thursday 2
and Friday 3 December 2010, 300 experts from more than 30
European and extra-European countries gathered in Brussels
to participate in the international conference “Media
Literacy for All”, organised by the High Council for Media
Education (CSEM) of the French-speaking Community of Belgium,
within the framework of the Belgian Presidency of the
Council of the European Union.
The conference “Media Literacy for All” intended to bring
together all the actors involved in the implementation of
lifelong media education: educators, trainers, media
industries and institutions, educational organisations (school
and non-school ones), people responsible for educational
policies, research institutions, etc.
The objective of that European conference was to generate
links between practical experiences and policy
recommendations in order to stimulate the implementation of
lifelong media education, for the benefit of all European
citizens. These activities have resulted in the Declaration
of Brussels for Lifelong Media Education, written in
collaboration with the
eight international experts who
attended the whole conference.
This declaration takes into consideration:
- The definition of media education as proposed in the
recommendation
2009/625/CE of the Commission of 20
August 2009 on media literacy in the digital environment
for a more competitive audiovisual and content industry
and an inclusive knowledge society. In it, Media
literacy is defined as being “the ability to access the
media, to understand and critically evaluate different
aspects of the media and media content and to create
communications in a variety of contexts.”. It is so not
limited to access problems but encompasses all media.
“The aim of media literacy is to increase people's
awareness to the many forms of media messages
encountered in their everyday lives. Media messages are
the programmes, films, images, texts, sounds and
websites that are carried by different forms of
communication.”
- The definition of “media literacy”, that designates
all informational, technical, social and psychosocial
competences of a user when he consumes, produces,
explores and organizes media.
- The necessity to integrate media education in the
framework of lifelong education and training, as defined
by the European reference frameworks (Lisbon Strategy
and the “Education and Training 2020” strategic
framework). The aim is to enable, persons, at every
stage of their life, to participate in stimulating
learning experiences and to contribute to the
development of the education and training sector in
Europe.
- The necessity to warrant access for citizens to
media diversity, beyond the market, and when needed
through the intervention of public authorities when this
diversity is threatened.
The preparatory activities of this declaration have shown
that it is necessary to consider that conception differences
as regards media education are enriching dialogues and
reflection and not hasty solutions to shy away from debates.
This declaration is aimed at offering a whole of
recommendations related to education actions to be initiated,
to the media competences of any citizen to be developed, to
the access of citizens to media education, research and
European policies. The implementation of these
recommendations regards the local level as well as the
regional, national or European ones.
Recommendations
1. Leading actions in favour of media education
- Single out media education as a mission of general
interest pertaining to ambitious public policies and to
volontarist public financing devices with full respect
for the operational autonomy of beneficiaries.
- Develop and promote various pedagogies adapted to
each audience, to all ages of life, to varying social
and cultural backgrounds.
- Favour the production and dissemination of
pedagogical resources in the field of media education
adapted to specific groups of beneficiaries.
- Provide school and association circles with
equipment adapted to media education practices.
- Develop training to media education for media
professionals.
- Identify and implement, for each education action,
qualitative and quantitative evaluation criteria.
- Warrant media diversity through an appropriate
device with public and private means, among other things
as concerns media partners who are useful for media
trainers.
2. Developing media competences in all citizens
- Identify and care for the updating of a large range
of necessary media competences, all life long, for
everyone, for all media.
- Validate these competences through a concerted
process including civil society.
- Adapt this range of media competences to the various
education and training actors, in function of the role
they play.
3. Promoting the access of the citizen to media
education
- Enhance the citizen’s awareness of media education
through, for instance, the organization of a European
Day for Media Education, a European Week for Media
Education at school …
- Promote the public visibility of media education
actions.
4. Developing research in media education and media
literacy
Supporting permanent extensive research on
- the appropriation of media through social groups
and communities, at all age,
- the evolution of formal and informal practices
of media education.
5. Leading media education policies
Giving force without delay to the resolution of the
European Parliament of 6 November 2008 wishing: “Media
literacy to be made the ninth key competence in the
European reference framework for lifelong learning set
out in
Recommendation 2006/962/EC” .
Brussels, 18 January 2011
The High Council for Media Education of the French Community
of Belgium
