Banned Books & Events: From Censorship to Access with Drag Story Hour

In an era where the landscape of censorship is rapidly evolving, libraries and educational institutions face new challenges in promoting freedom of expression and media literacy. This panel discussion explores how the concept of banned events is emerging as the next iteration of the long-standing issue of banned books.

With a focus on Drag Story Hour, panelists will delve into how these events navigate the complexities of media literacy in a polarized United States. Experts will discuss the strategies employed to uphold the values of inclusivity and diversity, the role of libraries as bastions of free thought, and the impact of media literacy on fostering a more informed and accepting society.

This session aims to provide insights and practical approaches for educators, librarians, and community organizers to effectively respond to and counteract the challenges posed by modern censorship. Register for free as a 2024 U.S. Media Literacy Week participant, and you will automatically be registered for this event.

Media Literacy Resource Showcase

Are you unsure how to incorporate media literacy education into your classroom for Media Literacy Week? Are you looking for something new? This event is for you! Register for free as a 2024 U.S. Media Literacy Week participant, and you will automatically be registered for this event.

Join us virtually for a day of short, rapid-fire showcases featuring resources from our members, partners, and sponsors that you can bring into your classroom during U.S. Media Literacy Week, October 21-25, 2024. All showcases will offer practical information from educators on how to incorporate the resource into your classroom and curriculum. Check out the full schedule here and check out the resource descriptions for more information about each. Showcases will run continuously throughout each window, so feel free to pop in at your convenience to learn more!

School Librarians as Leaders for Media Literacy

School librarians are the information literacy experts in all schools that have a librarian. They often build relationships with all students in their schools across many years, and they have relationships with all educators in their buildings and awareness of all curricular areas. They are trained in the pedagogy of inquiry and deep experience in collaboration. And school librarians have the commitment to being the guardians of well-reasoned thinking about credibility, sourcing, and truth. This interactive webinar will showcase the work of Project Look Sharp in training and supporting school librarians to be leaders for media literacy in their schools, including PD resources and information about efforts to scale this work up on a national level.

When you register as a 2023 U.S. Media Literacy Week participant here, you’ll automatically be registered for this event.

UNESCO Chair in Democracy, Global Citizenship and Transformative Education (DCMET) Symposium 2023

Structure, Organization and Activities
The 2023 International Symposium will involve a hybrid series of presentations, dialogues, keynotes, cultural activities and engagements over a four-day period focused on Peace, Culture and Social Justice.

Everything will be disseminated open-access via ZOOM and Facebook Live, then uploaded to DCMÉT’s YouTube channel with the consent of presenters.

We are planning for roughly 18 sessions in English and 7 in French and 10 in Spanish. We will also have approximately10 sessions in Korean as well as 4 keynotes that will be simultaneously interpreted.

The one-hour sessions will be structured as dialogues with 3-4 presenters around themes that will be cultivated and developed through several meetings before the Symposium. A central focus will be on peace, culture and social justice with critical overlapping analysis and engagement emphasizing overlapping themes, such as democracy, global citizenship, transformative education, Indigenous knowledge, rights, development and reconciliation, social media, the environment, and solidarity.

Two program coordinators for each language are responsible for developing the sessions, and they are also members of the Organizing Committee, which will be led by Paul R. Carr (the Chair-holder of the UNESCO Chair DCMÉT) and co-chaired by Gina Thésée (the Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair DCMET). There is also a local organizing committee in Seoul, and a communications sub-committee that will coordinate media relations and dissemination in the four languages ​​of the Symposium.