United For Information

20/09/2021

Special Announcement: Workshop Opportunity

Workshops 🎨are not only exercises in community-building and artistic expression: they can also be powerful tools to raise awareness about the climate crisis. 📣🌿

One such amazing artistic workshop is taking place❗️THIS Wednesday September 22nd 2021, from 11am to 2pm, at the KlimaCamp in Berlin.❗️Clare Celeste, a mixed media artist, is offering YOU the opportunity to create nature-inspired hats and headpieces 👒 completely FREE of charge!

If you’re in Berlin 📍why not seize this chance to meet like-minded creatives mobilising for the climate 🌍 and wear your headpieces at the global KlimaStreik in Berlin on Friday, 24th September 2021!

Click this link (https://bit.ly/3lGyDLh) to sign-up for the workshop - and be sure to sign-up as soon as possible, because spaces are limited! 🙋🏾‍♀️🙋🏼🙋🏻‍♂️

For more info and inspiration, check out Clare Celeste on instagram

09/08/2021

23/07/2021

✊🏻✊🏼✊✊🏾✊🏿

United4Information is joining forces with incredible creators, to combat discrimination and support positive social causes.

🗣 With the evolution of online media and digital activism today, we can all take part in the fight to eradicate discrimination once and for all.

👉 Follow these warriors against discrimination and stay tuned for upcoming collaboration content we are preparing with them.

💫 Join us in the journey to a create a powerful platform for activism!

16/07/2021

🏋️‍♀️🏋🏻‍♀️🏋🏼‍♀️🏋🏽‍♀️🏋🏾‍♀️🏋🏿‍♀️
To continue our last post, today’s post will also focus on recent controversies surrounding the Olympics, and the backlash they have received for making certain decisions.

🏅The Olympics were made for people to come together and play sports together, unbiased of any kind of discrimination. The Olympics code of ethics state they reject “discrimination of any kind on whatever grounds, be it race, colour, s*x, s*xual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status”
Yet the on-going discussions are calling the Olympics racist, transphobic, and inhumane.💔

⚠️Let’s not forget that these are humans before they are athletes, and all of them should feel they are treated fairly and with respect ✊🏼

⁉️What do you think? Should the Olympics change their rulebook? Were these any athletes treated unfairly, discriminated against?⁉️

💬Tell us in the comments below!💬
🚴🏻‍♀️🚴🚴🏼‍♂️🚴🏽‍♀️🚴🏾🚴🏾‍♂️🚴🏿‍♂️

14/07/2021

🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏾‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️
With the start of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo right around the corner, there are many controversies on the fairness of the games. Our post today and on Friday will focus on these recent issues surrounding the Olympics, and the backlash they have received for making certain decisions.

🚫From banning athletic wear adapted for certain athletes’ hair and head shape, or ruling athletes ineligible to compete due to the ‘unfair advantages’ that their hormone levels could bring to the sport - there have been many cases of questionable decisions. And because most of the athletes involved in these controversies were BIPOC and of the LGBTQ+, some turned to call the Olympics racist, transphobic, and inhumane.🗯

💫Humans, athletes, come in all shapes and sizes, as well as various levels of hormones. That’s the beauty of the Olympics - coming together and celebrating diversity under the name of sportsmanship. Banning athletes for their differences defeats that diversity, and who is to say what “normal” looks like, and which level of hormones qualify as “natural” or “female” enough?💫

❗️Let’s fight to end discrimination and white societal standards.❗️

United4Information stands with Soul Cap and supports athletes of all racial background.
🏊🏻‍♀️🏊🏼🏊‍♂️🏊🏽‍♀️🏊🏾🏊🏿‍♂️

24/06/2021

🌈Let’s take action on LGBTQI+ mental health!🌈

🏳️‍🌈In the current era of digitalization where technological advancements are changing the shape of the world’s thinking we are still stuck in past somewhere. Being a part of LGBTQIA+ community was considered to be a disease and mental sickness.

🏳️‍🌈In this so-called advanced technological progress where people are trying to find life on mars, some of the people are trying to give conversion therapy to the people who are also the same but with different s*xual preferences.

🏳️‍🌈The “conversion therapy” sometimes also known as “reparative therapy” is a toxic attempt to wrongfully change a person’s gender identity or s*xual preference which brings drastic effects on an individual’s mental health. These practices have been rejected from medical and mental health institutions but due to stereotypes and societal biases these therapies are still existing in the societies.

🌈Let’s join our forces to end conversion therapy!🌈

+ + +pride

23/06/2021

🙌Let’s welcome our new interns!🙌

It’s incredibly empowering to have such talented, enthusiastic and passionate people as part of the U4I team. We are all working together towards a new way of digital activism.

Welcome aboard!🚀

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18/06/2021

🏳️‍🌈Green‑washing, pink‑washing and now rainbow‑washing: why authenticity is key when it comes to corporate responsibility?

🏳️‍🌈Once outlawed and forcibly outcast, Pride is now popularly supported by both public institutions and private corporations, and is a widespread celebration for individuals and families from vast backgrounds and contexts. And this is of course a great thing, as a reflection of the incredible leaps the LGBTQ+ community have conquered in the last decades in terms of political, social and cultural transformations.

🏳️‍🌈Scrolling through your social media feeds, you're likely to spot more and more rainbows as everyone celebrates Pride Month. Some change their profile picture to signal they are part of the LGBTQ+ community, others to show their love and support. And then others, like massive corporations (that often have a history of discriminatory policies) try to use the rainbow flag as a Band-Aid to cover up their discriminatory behavior during the rest of the year.

🏳️‍🌈That’s not to say brands can’t do it right. But they must pay attention to what consumers actually want - and these are generations that not only want transparency in their marketing, but to see brands take very clear actions to back up their statements of support.

🏳️‍🌈Lets not forget that every month of the year is a great opportunity to support the community. Show tolerance and kindness to every human being, every day!

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17/06/2021

🏳️‍🌈 Today in collaboration with  , let’s talk about a story of an Italian Le***an who feels threatened to take a walk with her partner on the street and may be rejected or kicked out of the house, because her parents might not accept the fact that their kid is "normal".

🎗️ Human rights accommodate the right to free s*xual orientation. Over the past decade; le***an, gay, bis*xual, transgender, and q***r (LGBTQ+) people have made significant legal and political gains, including the freedom to marry in some countries.

🚨 However, daily discrimination occurs in the fields of employment, education, housing, healthcare, adoption, foster care, and public accommodation against the LGBTQ+ community. It remains a widespread threat to the well-being, health, and economic security of the community.

🕊️ As a society, it is time to shoulder responsibility. We should combat systemic discrimination and stigmatization against the community which could trigger depression, anxiety, and emotional distress.

🌈 Do you agree with the interviewee that LGBTQ+ community is disregarded and alienated? Do you think discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community needs individual or collective solutions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

                                          ***an             

16/06/2021

❤️If you want to be an ally for the LGBTQ+ community, getting to know the terms might be a good first step!

💛Many people refrain from talking about s*xual orientation and gender identity or expression because it feels taboo, or because they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing.

🧡This glossary was made to give people the words and meanings in order to help make conversations easier and more comfortable.

💜LGBTQ+ people use a variety of terms to identify themselves, not all of which are included in this glossary. Always listen for and respect a person’s self identified terminology.

💙This list is by no means exhaustive, and some of these terms – because they are so personal – likely mean different things to different people.

💚If you're puzzled by a term and feel like you can ask someone you love in the LGBTQ community to help you make sense of it, do it.

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11/06/2021

🗯Let's take action on racial stress!🗯

❗️It is vital that we all realize the consequences of racial stress and trauma, particularly when that trauma occurs on a daily basis.

💢Racial stress is stress caused by occasional incidents or situations of low severity which can cause physical, emotional, spiritual and health effects on individuals.

💢The body’s response to the experience of racism can make accessing resources to cope with the situation difficult. Race-related stress is unique in that it threatens psychological resources that are needed to cope and fulfill basic needs such as financial support, housing, access to jobs, etc.

💢What we want our children, family, friends, and the society as a whole to have a happy and satisfying future without experiencing racism, discrimination and racial stress related to those. Furthermore, society benefits when each individual realizes his or her full potential and is not restricted in his or her ability to contribute to the province's well-being.

❗️Adaptive strategies are band aids masking the underlying, deeper wounds of systemic racism. As long as systemic racism exists, racial stress will persist. Take care of yourself and your surroundings and let's fight against systematic racism together!

07/06/2021

🤖Coded Bias🤖
▪️Humans can be biased, but that doesn’t mean that algorithms are necessarily better. These systems like Facebook and Instagram can be biased based on who builds them, how they’re developed, and how they’re ultimately used.

▪️AI systems learn to make decisions based on training data, which can include biased human decisions or reflect historical or social inequities, even if sensitive variables such as gender, race, or s*xual orientation are removed. Another source of bias is flawed data sampling, in which groups are over- or underrepresented in the training data.

▪️The notion of Algorithmic Bias is not new, as experts have been warning us about it for years. What makes it more dangerous nowadays is the importance of algorithms in our everyday lives and decisions. In fact, if this problem is not addressed properly, algorithmic prejudice can further amplify human prejudices, discrimination and racism.

▪️After all, we should admit that Algorithmic bias is a human problem, not a technological one, and the right approach is to begin eliminating prejudice in all aspects of our personal and social life. AI can help humans with bias — but only if humans are working together to tackle bias in AI.

06/06/2021

What is your story?
Tell us in the comments!

04/06/2021

📚 School is the place where children learn how to socialize, how to build relationships and are free to express their ideas. In these critical developmental years, the ability to notice differences — not just what things are, but what they aren’t — leads to more discovery. Unfortunately, some of them have to face discrimination already in this early stage of life because of their race, gender or disability.

🗣 Discriminatory words are often picked up by kids in social settings such as schools. This can harm their mental health and cause trauma that affects their future. Harmful words and hate-speech strengthen stereotypes, which are discriminatory to other communities or students at an individual level.
Systemic racism is a corrosive and widespread problem in our society, and we all need to do a better job of confronting it — in our communities, in our schools, and even in ourselves. As we are emerging from the COVID crisis we have the ideal opportunity to tackle entrenched issues such as bias and discrimination relating to race, gender and other forms of diversity.

🙌 Want to be part of the solution? 🙌

Let's take action together and fight against discrimination in the German school systems!

Share your thoughts & experiences in the comments!

16/04/2021

The COVID19 pandemic has significantly disrupted the daily operations and strategic goals of civil society organisations and the non-profit sector. How can organisations prepare and strategise for the transition to the post-COVID19 world?

The expert presentations aim to build capacity within civil society to help them prepare and manage the transition successfully.

Check out .incubator to find out more about the event.

09/04/2021

Media literacy is the ability to recognize different types of media and understand the messages they're sending. In the digital age of today anyone can create media. This makes media literacy an essential skill to help us filter the real from the fake.

Media literacy helps us to:

Learn to think critically: It helps us in deciding whether messages make sense, why certain information was included, what wasn't included, and what the key ideas are. This enables us to identify false narratives and messages.

Become a smart consumer of products and information: Enables us determine the "persuasive intent" of advertising and resist the techniques marketers use to sell ideas or products.

Recognize point of view: Every creator has a point of view. Media literacy helps us in identifying an author's point of view. It also puts information in the context of what one already knows or thinks they know.

Create media responsibly: Recognize ones own point of view, and realize that our messages can have an impact on the audience.

Identify the role of media in our culture: From celebrity gossip to magazine covers to memes, media is telling us something, shaping our understanding of the world, and even compelling us to act or think in certain ways.

source: commonsensemedia.org

Quiz: Check out our stories to test your media literacy on covid-19

08/04/2021

They Need Us!!!

Healthcare workers are a vital force to ensure that all of us can access the care and services we need.

Let us all acknowledge them and show our support because not all heroes wear capes some are wearing masks and gloves.

Check out the LINK IN BIO to see how you can support them.

31/03/2021

Media literacy is the ability to recognize different types of media and understand the messages they're sending. All media content are created specifically for reasons and aim at disseminating messages. Understanding the underlying message behind this is the basis of media literacy.

Media literacy helps us to:

Learn to think critically: It helps us in deciding whether messages make sense, why certain information was included, what wasn't included, and what the key ideas are. This enables us make informed decisions.

Become a smart consumer of products and information: Enables us determine the "persuasive intent" of advertising and resist the techniques marketers use to sell products.

Recognize point of view: Every creator has a point of view. Media literacy helps us in identifying an author's point of view, helps one appreciate different perspectives. It also puts information in the context of what one already knows -- or thinks they know.

Create media responsibly: Recognize ones own point of view, and realize that our messages can have an impact on the audience.

Identify the role of media in our culture: From celebrity gossip to magazine covers to memes, media is telling us something, shaping our understanding of the world, and even compelling us to act or think in certain ways.

18/03/2021

🤓Educational Thursday - When fake news has real consequences🤓
Do you trust your friends’ political Facebook posts more than your public institutions? Do you know a climate change or COVID-19 denier? Well, you are not alone! False information has fooled us all! It has made us believe in information that is not true, impacting negatively our health, our behaviors towards important issues and our society.
Impact on Democracy
Misinformation is a threat to democracy;
▪️It makes people doubt the legitimacy of the electoral process, elected officials, and governments.
▪️It creates confusion about what is right and wrong, increasing social tension and division.
▪️Malicious and foreign actors misinform people susceptible to manipulation, making them believe stories that benefit specific agendas.
Impact on Media Institutions
Misinformation decreases trust in legitimate information sources by;
▪️Fooling people into believing falsehoods.
▪️Making people unsure about which facts and sources to believe.
▪️Obstructing the role of the media (Watchdog) as an observer of governments.
Impact on Human Behavior
People are more likely to believe news coming from people in their social network as;
▪️It enforces filter bubbles making people fall for fake news aligned with their views.
▪️Misinformed one sided opinions promote hatred, fears and biases towards minorities.
▪️False information divides people into opposing political groups.
Impact on Public Health
Health misinformation poses a potential threat to public health and can result in physical harm or even death.
▪️Misinformed people are becoming hesitant towards life-saving treatments because of something they read online or heard from someone.
▪️Fake health news promotes doubt about promising medical discoveries.

16/03/2021

🗣Activist of the week - Nemonte Nenquimo🗣
In 2018, Ecuador’s Minister of Hydrocarbons wanted to auction off 16 new oil concessions, covering seven million acres of Indigenous land in the hopes to attract investment by oil companies, including Exxon and Shell. Seeing this as a direct violation of Indigenous rights, Nemonte knew she had to lead the fight against the concessions to save the land and her tribe. 
Nenquimo launched “Our Rainforest is Not for Sale”, a digital campaign which collected 378,000 signatures globally that opposed the auction. By gathering people together in region wide assemblies she was able to link together various tribes in addition to elders and youth, bringing unity where there was once division.
Simultaneously, she helped tribes maintain their independence by installing rainwater harvesting systems and solar panels. Not only that, but she arranged for training for the Waorani youth to film and document compelling images and videos to support the campaign.
Most recently, Nemonte was one of six recipients of the 2020 Goldman Prize that honors grassroots environmental activists. She was also listed in TIME 100's most influential people of 2020 along with BBC's 100 Women of 2020 for her commitment to defending her ancestral territory, culture, and way of life in the Amazon rainforest.

11/03/2021

🤓Educational Thursday - Spreaders of Misinformation🤓
Human psychology is designed in way which triggers them to respond to emotional cues and reinforce beliefs which align with their existing beliefs. Knowing the perpetrators will save you and people around you for falling in the trap of misinformation.
Bad Bots
▪️There are both good and bad bots, on social media, these bots can pretend to be someone real.
▪️These bots are specifically created to push a certain agenda, gain followers, or make profits.
▪️On social media, they are used to run automated fake accounts that post, share, and like to amplify a message or spread disinformation.
Celebrities and Politicians
▪️Some high-level politicians, prominent public figures, and celebrities with millions of following on social media are considered super-spreaders of Misinformation.
▪️They are accounted for 2/3 of engagement around coronavirus misinformation.
Fake News Sites
▪️These are the sources that completely fabricate information, share deceptive content, and distorting of facts and news reports.
▪️Some of the fake news websites (abcnews.com.co) are mirror images of established media houses (abcnews.go.com).
Individual Hoaxers and Purposeful Spreaders
▪️Individual hoaxers and purposeful spreaders are those who are actively spreading fake stuff with the clear intent of misleading people to push a specific agenda.
Unintentional Propagators
▪️One of the most common sources of misinformation is those people who just share things without any idea of the true nature of the post.
Tools recommended by us
1. Media Bias fact check: This website will let you know the bias and credibility of a news source.
2. Hoaxy: This tool lets you visualize the spread of news and differentiate bots from real users.

09/03/2021

🗣Activist of the week - Shamma bint Suhail Faris Mazrui 🗣
After an impressive academic career that includes a bachelor's degree from New York University Abu Dhabi and becoming the United Arab Emirates' first Rhodes Scholar, which earned her a master's in public policy from the University of Oxford, Mazrui was appointed as Minister of State for Youth Affairs when she was just 22.
The nod earned her a spot on Forbes Middle East Arab 30 under 30 list, but she describes her role as a much larger effort to empower young people in the UAE to be active in their society and government.
"In the UAE, Arab youth are similar to youth around the world," Mazrui told the Los Angeles Times of how she seeks to boost fellow young people's abilities. "They all want to go to the best universities. They all want to have stable careers. They want lives of purpose and they want to feel part of a cohesive community and family."

04/03/2021

🤓Educational Thursday - Types of Misinformation🤓
We are living in the age of information. In this era of technological advancement, tons of information are being shared every second all around the globe.
Understanding the types of misinformation and disinformation and applying them to different examples can be the first step in navigating through the world of false information.
Being able to distinguish the different types will allow you to have a more critical eye, ensuring that what you consume and share is real.
Learn more at www.united4information.eu/infohub
Clickbait (False Connection)
▪️Clickbait posts are designed in a way to entice users to follow a certain link and read, watch, or listen.
▪️They are a deliberate attempt of increasing traffic on a certain webpage which results in profit.
Imposter Content (False Content)
▪️This type of content is deliberately fabricated for the sole purpose of making money or creating confusion.
▪️Most of these stories are originated from fake news sites or imposter websites which are designed in a way to be perceived as established news sources.
Satire
▪️Satire news stories contain lots of irony and humor.
▪️These websites usually disclose the satirical nature of their articles but as they are mostly shared on social media, so some users forgo the additional verification and share them as real news.
Yellow Journalism (Sloppy Reporting)
▪️Yellow journalism refers to a type of journalism where journalists use different tactics to engage users.
▪️Different techniques are used to increase the exaggeration of events, sensationalism, and scandalmongering

02/03/2021

🗣Activist of the week - Amika George🗣
After Amika read an article about poor British women missing school due to stigma around menstruation, or because they were unable to afford sanitary products, the then 17-year-old started , a campaign to end period poverty in the UK. What began as a petition soon became an online movement and in March 2019 the government pledged to provide free menstrual products to all secondary schools and colleges across the country, to help less well-off students.
Amika has received global recognition for her campaigning work: TIME magazine included her in their Most Influential Teens of 2018 list and The Big Issue placed her in their Top 100 Changemakers.
She’s even written a step-by-step guide to campaigning for anyone who has ambitions to be an activist, entitled “Make it Happen”.

27/02/2021

Hey!👋🏼 Did you know that we recently launched our weekly U4I newsletter?😎 Subscribe and get this week's edition through our website or here: http://eepurl.com/hpOrCD
It's full of interesting news, useful tips & tricks around misinformation and memes of course!😉

25/02/2021

🤓 Educational Thursday - Filter Bubbles & Echo Chambers🤓
We find ourselves in a filter bubble any time we’re only surrounded by views and opinions we agree with, while being sheltered from opposing perspectives. Filter bubbles distort our understanding of the world and hamper our ability to make balanced decisions. 
These bubbles are the result of a filtered social media news feed, based on predictions on what information you want rather than what is important for you.  
Many sites offer personalized content selections, based on our browsing history, age, gender, location, and other data. The result is a flood of articles and posts that support our current opinions and perspectives to ensure that we enjoy what we see.
That might not sound so bad, but filter bubbles create echo chambers. We assume that everyone thinks like us, and we forget that other perspectives exist.
▪️Filter bubbles prevent you from acquiring new knowledge because you end up being exposed always to the same content.
▪️Filter bubbles create environments with provoking and viral content (often fake news).
▪️It makes you ignore information, which is opposing your views, thus favoring living in an enclosed bubble (echo chamber) and prevents the formation of objective beliefs , leading to social polarization.
▪️Filter bubbles push you towards extreme views about people with different viewpoints.
▪️Filter bubbles interfere with your democratic right to information by providing you biased content.
Learn more about filter bubbles on our InfoHub!
And don’t forget to