With misinformation increasingly spread through digital media, the USAID-funded Access to Information (A2I) Program is committed to helping audiences in Central Asia understand how to discern true information from false. As young people most actively use digital media for communication and information consumption, they are a key target group.

In February and March 2019, the Access to Information program partnered with U.S. Embassies and the American Corners in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to deliver a training of trainers to volunteer citizens. The goal was to develop a pool of young media literacy trainers who could then provide practical sessions on media and digital literacy, critical thinking, and fact-checking exercises to interested audiences in their home communities.

In just six months after completing their training, 25 citizen trainers led media and digital literacy workshops in their own communities, reaching over 1,000 people across Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. These trainings introduced participants to fact-checking, ethics in social media, hate speech, and modern approaches in teaching media literacy.

The Access to Information Program was implemented by Internews and supported efforts in Central Asia to promote media and digital literacy among youth and the wider public. The program ended in September 2019.