National Media Education Week to be held November 2006

Ottawa, February 6, 2006 – The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) and the Media Awareness Network (MNet) are pleased to announce a partnership to launch and promote National Media Education Week to be held the week of November 19-24, 2006. The first of its kind in Canada, this week will highlight the importance of media literacy and Web literacy as key learning areas in the information age.

"According to our 2003 Kids' Take on Media survey, media are a powerful force in the lives of youth," says CTF President Winston Carter. "To be media literate in this environment, young people need to develop knowledge, values and a range of critical thinking, communication and information management skills. Teachers play a critical role in this process but require carefully developed tools, resources and professional development opportunities. This is where MNet's valuable insight, knowledge and state-of-the-art resources come into play."

For her part, MNet Executive Director Michelle Scarborough believes that media education is an essential tool to help young people acquire these skills. "Our studies show that young people are immersed in media – especially when it comes to digital culture. Our most recent findings from our 2005 Young Canadians in a Wired World found that today’s students are connected, active and going online at younger than ever ages."

Thanks to federal funding provided by Public Safety Canada, MNet and CTF are currently working with provincial and territorial teacher organizations, the Canadian Association of Media Education Organizations (CAMEO), the Association for Media Literacy (AML) and Concerned Children’s Advertisers (CCA) to develop and promote a wide range of media education programs and professional development opportunities.

"I encourage every Canadian teacher to mark their 2006 calendar and to visit the CTF Web site to obtain more information on how they can take part in National Media Education Week," concludes Carter.

CTF is the national voice of over 215,000 teachers across Canada. MNet is a Canadian not-for-profit centre of expertise and excellence in media education.

Related links:
Portal Page of the National Media Education Week
http://www.mediaeducationweek.ca

Young Canadians in a Wired World survey
/english/research/YCWW/index.cfm

CTF's Kids' Take on Media survey conducted in 2003
http://www.ctf-fce.ca/documents/Resources/en/MERP/kidsenglish.pdf

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Comments:
Michelle Scarborough, MNet Executive Director, (613) 224-7721
Winston Carter, CTF President, (613) 232-1505

Contact:
Julien Lavoie, Director of Marketing and Communications, MNet, (613) 224-7721, ext. 223
Cathy Wing, Acting Director of Education, MNet, (613) 224-7721, ext. 227
Francine Filion, CTF Director of Communications, (613) 232-1505, ext. 130