Why Our Everyday Digital Choices Matter

“Media and information literacy has never been so vital to build trust in information and knowledge at a time when notions of ‘truth’ have been challenged.” — Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO

Technology has become part of almost everything we do, from how we communicate to how we understand events around the world. Nowadays, we can absorb lots of information through digital tools such as short videos, memes, or artificial intelligence (AI). When we find a short video interesting, we might share it with our friends, and if the information is useful, we repost it on our social media channels. However, before we choose to share or repost, have we considered whether the information is factual and reliable?

UNESCO describes digital literacy as the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate, communicate, evaluate, and create information safely and appropriately through digital technologies. It goes beyond knowing how to use technology; it involves thinking critically about the information we encounter, verifying sources, protecting our privacy, and understanding the impact of our online actions. This highlights why digital literacy is not just about knowing how to use technology, but also about questioning information, verifying sources, and understanding the impact of our online actions.

Every year, Global Media and Information Literacy Week (October 24 to 31) raises digital awareness of the skills needed to access, evaluate, and use information responsibly. The 2026 theme, “We All Play a Part – Media and Information Literacy for the People,” highlights that building a more trustworthy information environment is a shared responsibility. As the current UNESCO Director-General emphasizes, “On this Global Media and Information Literacy Week, UNESCO reaffirms its commitment to empowering everyone to navigate information critically, participate freely and contribute to a more trustworthy information environment.” This message brings us back to the idea at the heart of our opening quote: at a time when truth can be challenged and misinformation can spread quickly, media and information literacy empowers us to question what we see, make informed decisions, and contribute to a digital environment built on trust. Whether we check a source before sharing a post, protect our privacy, or respect different opinions online, we all have a role to play in making that environment safer, more inclusive, and more reliable.

Building a better digital future begins with the decisions we make every day. But how can we put digital literacy into practice? We can start with simple activities, such as comparing how different media outlets report the same event, checking the source of a viral post, discussing how social media influences our opinions, or exploring online safety through interactive resources. Cornell University's Youth Development Program offers useful activities and resources that educators, parents, and young people can explore to develop media literacy and encourage more responsible digital participation.

Young people are at the forefront of digital participation. As active users and creators of digital content and emerging technologies, students need opportunities to think critically, recognize bias, and engage with information from different perspectives. Through digitally facilitated IVECA’s intercultural virtual exchange, students connect with peers across cultures, exchange ideas, and explore global issues together. These direct daily interactions give them opportunities to question assumptions, develop intercultural understanding, and communicate responsibly in an increasingly connected world.

By thinking before we share, questioning what we read, and respecting others online, we can turn these interconnected digital spaces into opportunities for learning, meaningful dialogue, and positive change. Every informed choice matters, every responsible voice counts, and we all play a part in shaping a better-connected world.

#GlobalMILWeek #WeAllPlayAPart #IVECA #DigitalLiteracy #MediaAndInformationLiteracy #GCED #GlobalCitizenshipEducation #DigitalCitizenship

IVECA Global Youth Mentorship: Collaboration for a Sustainable Future

“I hope to use my passion for international affairs to help mentor young people, learn a lot myself, and contribute to their academic growth.” This is how one mentor participating in the IVECA Global Youth Mentorship Program (iGYMP) described her hope for participating in this unique opportunity. This fall, iGYMP brings together over a dozen mentors from universities in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States to explore the theme “Youth Innovations for a Sustainable Future”. Through the IVECA Virtual Classroom, mentors will connect with South Korean high school students to foster collaboration, intercultural understanding and creative approaches to global challenges.

Meeting with the IVECA team at the end of September, mentors were introduced to the program’s goals and approach to intercultural communicative competence (ICC), their roles and responsibilities. Through the program, mentors will play a large part in supporting students as they develop their ICC by sharing their diverse perspectives on global challenges, modeling how to communicate ideas across cultural and linguistic differences, and encouraging students to reflect on their experiences as they develop solutions. When asked about their experiences with intercultural communication, one mentor aptly summarized, “[ICC] is the ability to communicate, work, and build real connections across different cultural backgrounds in a respectful way.”

These principles will guide mentors as they work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams, drawing from their varied educational expertise and lived experiences to develop projects related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Focusing on the the United Nations’s priorities for 2027, including those highlighted at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and the UN General Assembly’s SDG Summit, participants will investigate challenges in their communities, developing evidence-based proposals while exploring issues such as education access, inequality, responsible consumption, environmental protection, and climate action. 

By sharing their project-building process and exchanging ideas, both mentors and mentees will take part in a rare opportunity to learn from their global peers, consider how challenges present in different communities, and recognize the importance of international partnership in sustainability efforts. Mentees will receive constructive feedback, explore new perspectives on local challenges, and strengthen their ability to research issues, evaluate possible solutions, and communicate their ideas. For mentors, the experience offers an opportunity to share their knowledge, develop their leadership and collaboration skills. Culminating in a virtual Live Class meeting at the end of the year, these participants will present their final projects to one another. 

The iGYMP program aims to encourage young people to see themselves as contributors to a more equitable, sustainable future now. The mentors’ and mentees’ efforts to work together across language barriers, geographic borders, and cultural differences remind us that we are all global citizens today, regardless of our age or location. As active members of a global community, we learn that change does not have to wait when we collaborate. Capturing the program’s spirit of innovative collaboration for a sustainable future, one mentor shared, “I hope to contribute my personal experiences to help others and also grow alongside everyone as I learn more about engaging globally through this program.”

#iGYMP #GlobalYouthMentorship #InternationalCollaboration #UniversityMentors #InternationalMentorship #YouthLedInnovation #YouthDrivenChange #GCED #GlobalCitizenship #GlobalCitizenshipEducation #iGYMPOrientation

From Empowering Youth to Innovative Food Systems

“You can't build peace on empty stomachs.” Lord John Boyd Orr, the first Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) urged the world to respond to the catastrophic food shortage in the post-World War II. It highlights the truth that food security is essential to human well-being, social stability, and peace.

Today, technological development and globalization have transformed how food is produced, distributed, and consumed. Although access to food has increased in many parts of the world, hunger and unequal access to nutritious diets remain persistent global challenges. In 2025, approximately 645 million people faced hunger, while an estimated 2.69 billion people could not afford a healthy diet. This systemic failure of the food system is not simply about producing enough food. It requires ensuring that everyone can access sufficient, diverse, and safe food through sustainable and resilient food systems.

Climate change results in droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events that threaten agricultural production and undermine the livelihoods of communities that depend on natural resources. In particular, in Southern Brazil, droughts disrupt the production of rice, maize, and soybeans, leading to significant economic losses. Therefore, transforming how food is produced, distributed, and consumed is essential to building a more sustainable future.

To promote a sustainable food system, World Food Day, annually on October 16, calls for collective action to address hunger and transform global food systems.  It aims to ensure access to sufficient, diverse, safe, and nutritious food while safeguarding the planet for future generations. This year’s theme, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.”, emphasizes the importance of innovation, partnerships, and inclusive approaches. Beyond technological breakthroughs, innovation involves applying local knowledge, rethinking existing practices, and developing solutions that respond to the needs of different communities.

Young people have an important role to play in this transformation. As future leaders and innovators, they can question existing practices, explore the challenges within their communities, and propose creative approaches to making food systems more sustainable and inclusive. In Mauritius, the World Food Forum's Mauritius Youth Chapter was launched to advance youth-led action for sustainable agrifood systems, including strengthening resilience in the context of climate change and the blue economy. 

Youth-driven innovation often begins from the classroom. IVECA provides students with opportunities to explore sustainability challenges with global peers from different cultural backgrounds. Last spring semester, using a STEAM-based approach, high school students and youth mentors investigated local food systems, examined the journey food takes from production to consumption, and analyzed challenges across the food supply chain. By comparing experiences and exchanging ideas with international partners, IVECA students developed a broader understanding of how local food challenges connect to global sustainability issues. Through collaboration with global peers, students designed innovative and contextualized solutions that can contribute to healthier and more sustainable food systems.

By connecting students with global efforts to build sustainable food systems, IVECA reaffirms its commitment to empowering young people as innovators and action-makers for a more sustainable future. By empowering youth to innovate today, we can help build food systems that nourish both people and the planet tomorrow.

#WorldFoodDay #IVECA #GCED #GlobalCitizens #GlobalCitizenshipEducation #FAO #FoodandAgriculture #STEAM #FoodSecurity