On March 4, the 18th webinar of the Academy of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ was held within the Safe Information Environment for Children community. The guest speaker was Alesya Degtyareva, the federal coordinator of the youth media movement known as “Cybers,” young leaders of the digital space.
According to the speaker, the initiative is just over two years old. It originated within the walls of a Moscow school but quickly spread to other regions thanks to its relevance and popularity among young people. Today, the Cybers movement has developed into a subculture that brings together young bloggers, journalists, and media enthusiasts.
Participants in the movement can study at an online school offering courses on digital literacy and digital culture, create their own media content, take part in major federal events, and interact with opinion leaders and industry experts. Particular attention is paid to developing so-called media skills: the ability to create content, recognize fake information, and work with modern digital tools, including AI assistants.
“The Cybers movement emerged in response to children’s request to create a safe space for developing media skills. Today we unite more than a thousand young activists across 50 regions of the country. We are currently actively inviting media activists from the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, as well as the Sverdlovsk, Vladimir, and Magadan regions to join us.For schoolchildren, this is a unique opportunity not only to develop professional skills but also to become part of a large community where complex topics are explained in simple language, and media literacy goes hand in hand with creativity. Our participants create content that is watched by their peers, parents, and a wider audience, which means they have a real impact on the information space,” Alesya Degtyareva said.
The speaker also invited schoolchildren and students interested in journalism to take part in the National Media Content Festival, dedicated to the Year of National Unity. Participation in the festival offers the opportunity to create meaningful media content, receive free training in media literacy, work with mentors – such as journalists, bloggers, directors, and media producers – and learn about the cultural diversity of Russia’s peoples and real stories from different regions of the country. Registration for the festival closes on March 15.
Webinars organized by the Coordination Center Academy on the Safe Information Environment for Children platform are held several times a year and traditionally bring together engaging speakers for a live discussion of current issues and educational initiatives related to the development of the modern digital space. Videos of all sessions can be found on the Coordination Center’s official VK page.
