The annual Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week will be celebrated this year from 24 to 31 October under the theme “Media and Information Literate Cities: Voices, Powers and Change Makers”. UNESCO, UNAOC, the Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) University Network, the UNESCO-initiated Global Alliance for Partnership on MIL (GAPMIL), in partnership with local hosts Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania) and University of Latvia (Latvia), are pleased to invite proposals for academic papers and case study/project-related presentations for the Global MIL Week 2018 Feature Conference, the Eighth MILID Conference. It will be held from 24 to 25 October 2018 in Kaunas, Lithuania.

- How?
Online submissions (500 words maximum including references) together with a short biography of each author and 3-5 keywords should be made via this online form: https://bit.ly/2HjHugr. Deadline: 30 May 2018.

A Scientific Committee will evaluate and select proposals based on their relevance to the sub-themes outlined, among other criteria. The authors of selected papers and presentations will be invited to present at the Global MIL Week 2018 Feature Conference in Kaunas, Lithuania. Selected authors will also be invited to submit full versions of their papers for publication in the MILID Yearbook 2018.

- When?
Deadline for submission of abstract: 30 May 2018
Notification of acceptance: 15 June 2018
Deadline for submission of full paper for MILID Yearbook 2018: 31 August 2018

- Who?
All stakeholders from the MIL community across the world, including academic community, research centres, think tanks, governments and public policy makers, United Nations and other international organizations, MIL-relevant industries (communication and media companies, technological intermediaries, advertising, film industries, gaming sector, content industries, etc.), private sector, city officials, networks of mayors, smart cities, and creative cities, associations of election officials, voter education associations and knowledge networks, education institutions, youth organizations, libraries, museums and archives, social media influencers, information and media professionals, civil society groups, as well as stakeholders of city planning, security, entertainment, health, transportation, and housing.

- Rationale
Global MIL Week 2018 will address the concept of MIL Cities and citizens at their heart. A “smart city” needs faster cables or powerful transmitters and more. To be truly sustainable, smart cities must also be MIL Cities. By helping everyone, through creative means, to develop the skills required to make the most of media, information and technology throughout their lifetimes, MIL Cities enable citizens to make better use of the practical possibilities that a connected city and ever-flowing information can provide, engaging more creatively, critically and effectively in them. Global MIL Week 2018 is a moment to celebrate MIL and intercultural dialogue with the aim to innovate MIL Cities while revitalize global, regional and local partnerships for sustainable development of MIL communities and informed citizenry.

With this in mind, what is needed for the global community to join hands and minds to promote universal, user-centred MIL, bridging the three interrelated sets of competencies – information, media, and technology? Who, in cities are the “change breakers” or change makers? What innovative steps could be taken to promote MIL cities, especially in communal areas? Who are the key stakeholders in realizing MIL cities?

Topics for papers and presentations should be within the fields of MIL and their connection to MIL Cities as dynamic environments of media, information and technology as well as innovative ways to advance MIL development among people.

Abstracts submitted will also be considered for the MILID Yearbook 2018. Submissions could be about MIL-related research, good practice, programmes, policies and other work. We are particularly interested in the multiple literacies and stakeholders, youth critical civic engagement, creative and sustainable cities, voter education, informed citizenry and online participation, freedom of expression, media pluralism, diversity, dialogue, and tolerance. (Please see full list of sub-themes here: https://bit.ly/2HjHugr).

In addition to the Feature Conference, Global MIL Week 2018 also features a Youth Agenda Forum to take place on 26 October at the University of Latvia in Riga.
Follow the Global MIL Week 2018 official website for updates. The website is coming soon.

- Contact
For more information, please contact Alton Grizzle (a.grizzle@unesco.org), Xu Jing (ji.xu@unesco.org), or Wang Xiaotong (x.wang2@unesco.org).