Rosa Koian is a journalist and development specialist. She has worked as a journalist and editor for Wantok Niuspepa, the only Tok Pisin newspaper, and has worked with various civil society groups in the environmental sector for many years. For the last 10 years, she has been working with university students and young people in various training and mentoring initiatives. Recently, she ran three trainings on disinformation for young journalists and church communication producers in Papua New Guinea.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Media Literacy for Change

The project improved literacy levels and helped younger generations and their teachers learn how to utilize digital media tools. Several training workshops were organized to educate youth on media literacy, message coding, social media safety, and other relevant technological topics. To complement the workshops, practical activities were designed, such as the students teaching other students how to use social media to produce videos on climate change. Two additional workshop sessions were organized for teachers and staff that focused on training interventions to support youth.

"I... hope that this initiative will help the education system in Papua New Guinea take up social media as a unit of study and as a medium for delivering learning for teachers." - Rosa Koian

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Rosa participated in the IVLP Project Countering Disinformation in the Pacific organized by the U.S. Department of State and Cultural Vistas in partnership with the World Trade Center Institute, International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles, Northern Nevada International Center, Iowa International Center and Global Ties San Francisco.

Rosa's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "Monica from the Center for Media Literacy inspired me as I was already thinking about a media literacy [training] in Papua New Guinea. "

U.S. Communities Visited

Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Des Moines, IA; Baltimore, MD; Reno, NV

Country: Papua New Guinea

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