Fellowship „Media & Democracy“

Please note: this programme has ended in 2021. The page remains online to give you an idea about the projects that our Fellows have developed during 2020 and 2021. Our 2022 Fellowship Programme can be found here.

In cooperation with SPIEGEL Ed, the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe awarded 4 fellowships to young German-speaking educators in 2020 and 2021. The fellows, aged between 18 and 27, engaged with topics related to the role and responsibility of media and journalism in democratic societies while professionalizing their commitment to low-threshold and diversity-oriented educational work.

Aims

Over a period of 6 months (April to September 2021), the Fellows will develop their own 45 to 90-minute workshops on political media education for students aged 13 and older. Introducing these new formats in classrooms, the program aims to strengthen the democratic competences of students and young adults in the digital age. It creates a space for them to discuss and reflect on questions such as ‘how does the media work?’ ‘What is good journalism?’ And ‘what responsibility does the media have in maintaining a democratic culture?’

Funding and support

The Fellows receive financial support of €450 per month as well as pedagogical counselling from SPIEGEL Ed and the Schwarzkopf Foundation. The program also includes networking events and training seminars in which the Fellows are advised by education experts and media professionals (e.g. journalists, video and audio producers). The Fellows have the opportunity to improve both their didactic and technical skills related to media education.

Project stages

The Fellowship consists of the following project stages:

• During the conception phase, the Fellows develop their workshop idea and test it in heterogeneous learning settings at secondary, vocational and comprehensive schools. Based on the insights gained from this testing, the workshop’s content and didactic methods are evaluated and developed further.
• At the European Summer School, the Fellows present their workshops to experienced Peers from our network. In an open discussion, the new formats are examined together to provide the Fellows with more perspectives and ideas on how to improve their projects.
• At the end of the program, the workshops are published and made available as an Open Educational Resources in order to benefit as many students as possible.

How can I become a Fellow?

The next call for applications is expected to take place in early 2022. If you have any questions before then or need more information about the program, please feel free to contact our project manager Evin Demir.