Press Release: US Embassy Finland grants Bloom US$17,000 for media literacy workshops
Contact information:
Bloom ry
Attn: Kelly Keodara, tampere@bloomtogether.fi, +358 44 9771 977
Kehräsaari, A-rappu, 214, www.bloomtogether.fi
Bloom ry receives US$17,000 Grant for producing Bloom Media Literacy workshops
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tampere, Finland, October 14, 2021 - Bloom ry, a leading association with a mission to build the bridge between internationals and locals in Finland through empowerment events, received a US$17,000 grant on October 12, 2021. The grant was endowed by US Embassy Finland of the Public Affairs Section for the purpose of producing the Bloom Media Literacy workshops beginning this autumn.
The goal of the project is to strengthen the Transatlantic relationship, increase collaboration and exchange between American and Finnish students and teachers, and address media literacy and critical thinking in the age of disinformation. The workshops will be for Finnish high schools and US high schools, simultaneously. Funds will be allocated to marketing, sales and operational departments, to pursue this goal. The programme will run from November 2021-May 2022.
The project will be headed by Kelly Keodara, Juha Hemanus, Katarina Jurisic, and Shruti Dharwhadkar. Kelly and Juha are the speakers. Kelly Keodara holds a B.A. in Media Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and she pursued her Master's degree in Media Education from Tampere University. She is active in media-related engagements. Currently she is working in the marketing communications field for critical industries. Juha Hemanus started his career as a radio newscaster and foreign news reporter at YLE TV News in Finland. He is one of the founders of the first Finnish independent radio station, Radio City. Later on, he ran entertainment experience research as a Principal Researcher at the Nokia Research lab in Hollywood. He’s studied social sciences, performing arts and digital design and also has an extensive international career as an opera and musical director. Katarina and Shruti will be assisting with marketing, communications and qualitative analysis.
“It is with great honour to produce this media literacy workshop for our community in Finland and abroad. Media literacy is the ability to identify different types of media and the messages that they are sending. In this day and age, media influences us every day, yet we do not realise just how big of an impact it has on our psychological well-being, directly and indirectly. We especially want to share this with the high school students so that they are able to make rational decisions when it comes to consuming the content from media. If your high school, in Finland or USA, is interested in participating, we do have a few spots left, please do send us an email to: katarina.jurisic@bloomtogether.fi. Thank you to US Embassy Finland for this opportunity to strengthen our community. We look forward to a successful programme ahead!” -Kelly Keodara
Bloom ry is an association with a mission to be the bridge between internationals and locals by providing integration support through empowerment events that help members grow, personally and professionally.
