Mediajungle encourages digital self-sufficiency with new online platform

Mediajungle's accessible tools

"For more than a decade, I worked as a carer, supporting people with mild mental disabilities. In all that time, social media and online experiences were rarely discussed," says Niels. "It became apparent to me that carers, counsellors and clients were all wanting practical tools for facilitating dialogue regarding digital media. I believe that promoting digital self-sufficiency has to start with clients and their carers talking to each other on an equal basis. When the Media Literacy Network announced the Mediawijzer.net Challenge in 2017, we saw it as the perfect opportunity to focus attention on this important issue. A team of us from the care providers Reik and ASVZ developed an accessible, educational board game and an associated app. We were ready in the nick of time to enter the Challenge. And we got through to the final and won! Using the prize money and additional support from Reik and ASVZ, we were able to refine the board game and make it available to everyone working with people with mild mental disabilities. More than six hundred educational and care institutions now use the game, and people play it every day across the Netherlands and Belgium." "The tools are designed to take account of the cognitive capacities of people with mild mental disabilities, and the way they experience the world. So they're suitable for helping people of all ages become more media-savvy. The game addresses topics such as gaming and online bullying. We've created a web app to go with the board game, so that we can cover new themes and trends as they arise. Being able to discuss things through the neutral medium of the game makes it easier for people with mental disabilities and their carers to talk to each other on an equal footing," adds Niels.

New interactive platform

"Over the last year, we've run a number of successful Mediajungle pilots in special schools. One of the things to come out of the pilots was that schools wanted supporting materials dealing with various topics in more depth. So that's what we're working on now. We're developing a new interactive platform for educational mini-games, videos and games with a teaching purpose, known as 'serious games'. After talking to the educational institutes, we've mapped out the themes for deeper exploration, such as online bullying, digital safety, disinformation, privacy, sexting and grooming. Sexting is sending sexually suggestive or explicit images and messages. Grooming, which often involves sexting, is where an adult with a sexual motive seeks contact with a minor. We've produced a design for the platform, in which the tools, the level of the material and user's setting are all classified. Over the next two years, we'll be working with universities and departments, partners and, of course, people with mild mental disabilities to develop the platform and the various tools. For example, students will be helping us with research and prototype testing. Naturally, if other people and organisations are interested in helping with the development work, we'd love to hear from them."

Support from SIDN Fund

SIDN Fund gave Mediajungle financial support in 2019, as part of the second Taking Control of Your Data funding round. The Fund has also helped to cover the development costs of Mediajungle's various tools, games and videos. Now the project has been awarded additional funding for creation of the interactive platform. "When it comes to the development and testing of new materials, we're partially dependent on help from organisations such as SIDN Fund," explains Niels. "The Fund also plays an important facilitating role. For example, they've helped us develop a future-proof continuity model and introduced us to a variety of useful people and organisations – including three other teams working to assist the same client group." The latest phase of the Mediajungle project is being supported through the Fund's Inclusion and Accessibility - Participating in the digital society programme.

Mieke van Heesewijk, Programme Manager at SIDN Fund, explained what attracted the Fund to the initiative. "Our Inclusion and Accessibility funding programme was set up to address the question of how we can ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to participate fully in the digital society. Mediajungle is a perfect fit, because it enables people with mild mental disabilities – who would otherwise be at risk of getting left behind by technological development – to participate fully in the digital society."

Participating in the digital society

"Digital resources and the internet have the potential to improve the lives of people with disabilities. New technologies allow us to simplify contact and communicate information more clearly, in visual form. However, a lot needs to be done before we can realise that potential. Delivering media education to people with mild mental disabilities requires time, continual repetition and the right tools. In starting Mediajungle and developing the new interactive platform, my aim has been to bring people with mild mental disabilities closer to mainstream society. I want them to be able to acquire the knowledge and skills to become more self-sufficient and participate in the digital world."

Want to contribute to further development of the new Mediajungle interactive platform? Contact Niels Bloembergen by mailing niels@mediajungle.eu, or visit https://mediajungle.eu for more information.