Process:
Melitopol, as a member city of the Ukrainian ICC network, has managed to establish the useful tradition of hosting annual international Intercultural Forums. Despite the limitations imposed by the pandemic, the city was able to continue this tradition on 18-19 June 2021 and organise the fifth Forum of Ukrainian ICC Network, the focus of which was "Media in Intercultural Interaction. Strategies and practices of trust: a vision for media safety". Key issues addressed by the Forum included the prevention of hate speech, the fight against misinformation and fake news on ethnic grounds, the development of practical skills for meaningful interaction in intercultural environments, media literacy, the use of social media and information and communication technologies in everyday life.
The Forum also addressed the issues of recognising hate discourse and stereotypes in the modern media space, of international standards for media, of ethical journalism as a tool for creating favourable intercultural environments. Scientists' cooperation with the community and journalists was proposed as a way to better understand and operate in the media world today. A number of masterclasses were organised in the form of play and IT Quests to improve computer literacy. National and local ICC coordinators of the Ukrainian Network of ICC cities, city administrators, scientists, educators, journalists, representatives of national minorities took part - on-line or in-person – in the Forum, which brought together nearly 130 participants.
The Fifth Forum of the Ukrainian Network of Intercultural Cities "Media in intercultural interaction. Strategies and practices of trust: vision of media security" is part of the "Action Plan of ICC Ukraine 2021" and was organized with support and in cooperation with the ICCUA national coordinator Dr. Kseniya Rubicondo, the directed by her “Ashburn Institute – Europe”, and with the support of the Mayor of Melitopol, Mr. Ivan Fedorov.
