Lilyana Sapunova
2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: Media Literacy Lessons with GrandparentsBulgaria
Lilyana Sapunova has a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in management of social organizations from Plovdiv University, Bulgaria. Currently, Lilyana is a chairperson of the Career Development and Training Association, an NGO working in the field of non-formal education. Her team at Career Development and Training Association works with people of all ages and backgrounds.
2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: Media Literacy Lessons with Grandparents
This project consisted of three discussion-based trainings on media literacy for 105 senior citizens in three local libraries in Karlovo, Sopot, and Asenovgrad. Each session included lectures on the basics of media literacy, how to use media literacy to discover disinformation, and an introduction to artificial intelligence in the media. The trainings raised awareness of the different objectives pursued through media and the senior citizens received handouts and other tools so that they can continue practicing media literacy in their daily lives.
"I am very interested in the topic and very concerned about the unfair practices. Political propaganda is also very dangerous nowadays and most of the people feel confused reading the news. I liked very much the structured approach of the training…and the key questions of media literacy do help to critically assess content.” - Project Participant
2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: 21st Century Literacy Skills
This project raised awareness of modern media’s strong influence and the importance of media literacy. Twenty librarians were trained to go out into their communities and teach media literacy to senior citizens. After the initial training, five librarians organized workshops with more than 90 participants in their respective community centers. A media literacy guide called “The Smartphone Booklet” was produced and distributed to all participants and at 15 community centers in Bulgaria. The project trainings fostered media literacy by encouraging participants to deconstruct and analyze media information and use digital devices safely. Emphasis was put on the authorship and purpose of texts, analysis and critical approaches to drug and health advertisements, and verifying online information through websites of state agencies, national statistical registers, and official state and municipal portals.
"I myself have trusted shared publications just because I know the person who had shared it. After checking some of them again, I could not find either the initial source or the author. This should be the first signal not to accept the information in the publication as an unconditional truth." - Project Participant
IVLP Exchange Experience
Lilyana participated in the IVLP Project 21st Century Change Makers: Countering Disinformation among Older Adults, in 2022 organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education, in partnership with World Affairs Council – World Affairs Council – Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky & Northern Kentucky, WorldBoston, World Affairs Council - Seattle, the U.S. Department of State Office of International Visitors program branch in New York City, WorldChicago and World Partnerships, Inc. In 2023 her IVLP of the same name was organized in partnership with World Trade Center Institute, World Partnerships Inc, San Diego Diplomacy Council and WorldChicago.
U.S. Communities Visited in 2022
San Diego, CA; Washington, DC; St. Petersburg, FL; Chicago, IL; Baltimore; MD
U.S. Communities Visited Virtually in 2021
Washington, DC; Tampa, FL; Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; New York City, NY; Cincinnati, OH; Seattle, WA