Equipped for the Election: Media Literacy and Voting

Equipped for the Election: Media Literacy and Voting is a two-part non-partisan webinar series that highlights the voices and perspectives of adult learners and provides resources and strategies for developing media literacy and critical thinking skills towards being an informed and active participant in the upcoming election. 

Part 1: Building Media Literacy in an Election Year (September 20)

Join Cynthia Peters and Jen Vanek as they share effective teaching strategies and practical classroom resources to build critical thinking and media literacy, especially important during national election cycles. The need for this has intensified with the rise of AI and the omnipresence of smartphones and social media. Participants will gain concrete strategies to enhance learners' digital resilience and media literacy, equipping them to navigate and benefit from the digital world while improving their critical thinking and media consumption skills. 

Part 2: Get Out the Vote! (September 27)

Join Cynthia Peters, Nancy Flores, and an adult learner leader as they share valuable classroom and program resources designed to teach basic skills while encouraging adult learners to engage in the democratic process. Participants will learn how to motivate learners to register to vote, understand key issues, advocate, and continue raising their voices beyond the election. The webinar will provide access to free PDFs of learner-written articles, audio versions, and Google Slides useful for both classroom and remote teaching. These materials include standards-aligned activities that teach basic skills, digital and media literacy, and civics, while supporting learners in concrete tasks such as registering to vote, helping others to register, and critically analyzing election issues. The webinar will also illuminate potential roles for non-citizens; while they may not be able to vote, they can assist their communities in the registration and voting process. 

Webinars are sponsored by World Education and the National Coalition for Literacy, presented in collaboration with ProLiteracy, TESOL International, the New England Literacy Resource Center, and the National Partnership for New Americans. Join us in supporting multiple literacies for adult learners by registering here.