WCC NEWS: “Big Issues in Small Bytes” kicks off digital literacy course

Ecumenical partners released on 2 July “Big Issues in Small Bytes,” the first module of “Just Digital,” an online course on digital literary and advocacy. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 02 July 2024 Created by the World Association for Christian Communication, with support from the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany and the World Council of Churches (WCC), the course covers topics from protecting data online, to recognizing fake news, to exercising the right to freedom of expression responsibly. World Association for Christian Communication deputy general secretary Sara Speicher said the aim of the new online learning resource is to help individuals and communities around the world be informed users and advocates for digital justice. “We wanted to provide something different to other courses out there which might focus on how to use digital tools, or specific concerns about them which might be more relevant to particular users or geographical regions,” said Speicher. Pastor Rainer Kiefer, Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany general secretary, reflected that in an increasingly interconnected world, it is essential not only to understand digital communication but also to critically scrutinize it. “A global perspective can help us to recognize the dimensions of justice that are hidden in everyday interactions and information and to advocate for their preservation and find ways in which we can take these dimensions into account in our daily lives and actions,” said Kiefer. Marianne Ejdersten, WCC director of communication, welcomed the “new and very timely” Just Digital online course.  “Digital technologies have already transformed the world for many of us in all the places we live and work,” she said. “We have new ways to communicate, but we also need new ways to navigate the world so that we ensure that multiple voices are heard.” Just Digital is being offered at the Centre for Communication Rights, WACC’s learning and research platform. Learn more and register: justdigital.ngo   For more information:  Digital Justice: A Study and Action Guide (WCC/WACC) (EN, FR, ES) Central Committee Statement on the Unregulated Development of Artificial Intelligence Executive Committee Statement on New and Emerging Technologies, Ethical Challenges (November 2022)  A New Communications Paper for the 21st Century: A vision of digital justice Manifesto of the symposium, “Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age” Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age: Presentations and Resources See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland