Yüsra Taş, the international relations student at Van 100th Yıl University, refers to the two-day Youth Forum on ‘Critical Thinking for the Digital Age,’ organised by the European Union (EU) Information Centres in Antalya in spring 2024.  “I was familiar with the concept of disinformation, but I had no idea how it’s created or the extent of its negative impact on our lives,” says Yüsra.

EUROPEAN UNION, 2024

Yüsra Taş

Following the forum, university students from across Türkiye have been equipped with the skills to check the sources of the social media messages they encounter, verify the credibility of the accounts, and distinguish news from reliable sources.

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Students at the forum

Kadir Karanlık, the radio, cinema and TV student at Şanlıurfa Harran University, reflects: “I now look at social media with a different perspective. I feel the need to confirm the accuracy of what I encounter there, and I recommend this cautious approach to those around me.” Karanlık was particularly impressed by the interactive session at the forum. He describes the session’s format: “For this exercise, a hypothetical country facing a crisis was created. We were tasked with developing solutions to this crisis. Participants were divided into various groups, each proposing different strategies. Our group ranked fourth; however, the true value was found in participating in such an event rather than winning.”

EUROPEAN UNION, 2024

The forum focused on the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital environment

Not everything we see is real

Among those who left the event satisfied was Zeynep Camadan, who has a master’s degree in sociology from Samsun University. “Since my undergraduate education coincided with the pandemic, we could neither attend school nor participate in such events. That’s why I was so excited when I heard about it. I could meet with friends from other departments and participate in rewarding critical thinking discussions. Although the topics discussed were already familiar to me, I appreciated how the forum applied critical thinking to interpret current events. The forum also reminded me that not everything we see with our eyes and hear with our ears is real.”

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Panel discussion

Berkay Karakaya, the Ankara Başkent University’s Department of Public Relations and Advertising graduate, attended the forum because he wanted to experience an EU event. “Countering disinformation is a topic I am fascinated by. I am involved in a confirmation platform project supported by TÜBİTAK to establish the extent to which sustainability campaigns are true to their claims. At the forum, I gained valuable information that I can utilise in this project, plus I met many great people,” says Karakaya.

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Hilal Çelik

Events to develop critical thinking skills

Hilal Çelik, a final year student at Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Department of Radio, Cinema and Television, reflects: “I had previously taken a course on countering disinformation, so I was familiar with the concept. However, the forum opened my eyes to just how pervasive this issue is in our daily lives.”

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Journalist Özlem Gürses at the forum

The event featured panels with prominent names such as journalists Özlem Gürses and Faruk Bildirici, psychologist Beyhan Budak, academic Tirşe Erbaysal and writer Yalın Alpay. Participants had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in understanding and combating the spread of disinformation by taking part in a simulation to counter disinformation. Live audience polls and interactive question-and-answer sessions further developed young people’s critical thinking skills. 

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Ambassador Thomas Ossowski

The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, Ambassador Thomas Ossowski, says: “The EU-Türkiye Youth Forum has taken important steps towards promoting a culture of critical thinking. We are delighted to help young people meet the challenges of the Digital Agenda. We will invite young people to participate in 2025 EU-Turkey Youth Forum, which will be organised under a different theme.”

Fact-checking compass:

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