In an age of ongoing mass media disinformation and information, the Shaasan team has deemed it necessary to educate youth in regards to digital media. Digital Media Literacy has been described as a subject focused on the study of digital media and its various forms and nuances. This teaching of digital media literacy was chosen as the solution to ongoing mass media disinformation in Nepal as well as the rest of the globe by Shaasan.
With this in mind, the Shaasan team has come up with a one-day course designed and targeted to cater towards high schoolers to recent graduates of high school. With elections coming around the corner, and political maneuvering from all sides, informing citizens and youth in regards to digital media literacy is of the utmost importance. Shaasan selected the chosen age group since they were likely to be experiencing their first election in which the participants could vote. Digital Media literacy in itself is a subject that is virtually untaught in Nepali education. With the aid of the Digital Media Literacy course designed by Shaasan, youths are being trained in regards to understanding the different nuances of media, the importance of sources and citations as well as differentiating misinformation/disinformation from factual information. The course further adds interactive sessions where youth identify various forms of media and partake in debates regarding whether the information presented before them is reliable or not.
Through the course of two successful cohorts, the Shaasan team has been able to teach Digital Media Literacy to youths living in the Kathmandu Valley. Shaasan will be continuing this workshop in the near future with further iterations. In the future, Shaasan also has plans to introduce a wide range of workshops regarding the civic sphere for all age groups and demographics.