Ongoing projects

Funded by Canadian Heritage (Digital Citizen Contribution Program)

Few studies take into account existing best practices against online misinformation or provide specific insight into the current use of the Internet and social media by young people from Francophone minority communities (FMCs), or their skills in this regard. Yet, it is very important to link the use of the Internet and these media (the type of media, language used, frequency and various other sociological factors) with concerted action on online misinformation for youth who have fewer resources in French outside Quebec and who may be at a disadvantage with respect to developing their digital citizenship. This project seeks to fill this research gap by proposing a study of digital literacy and citizenship among FMC youth aged 16 to 25 who attend a secondary school or post-secondary institution (university, college) in the Canadian Francophonie.

More specifically, the project aims to:

1)    provide a synthesis of innovative practices implemented by or for youth in minority language settings in Canada and elsewhere;

2)     paint a portrait of the uses that young people make of the Internet to inform themselves or transmit information to their peers by means of a survey, as well as to use discussion groups to identify perceptions of the role of teachers and parents regarding the use that young people make of the Internet in a context of misinformation;

3)     present, during a webinar, the preliminary results of the research and propose avenues of reflection and recommendations to a group of FMC actors and partners who are committed to the fight against online misinformation.

Partners: to come