From 5 to 8 September 2024, the Center for an Informed Society Summer School offered a unique opportunity for students to meet and discuss current issues in security and European politics. The event was held in cooperation with the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Eurocenter Olomouc and EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in Horka nad Moravou.
The program started on Thursday 5 September with a meeting of participants in Olomouc. Afterwards, they all went to Prostějov, where they visited the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček. In the evening, the participants moved to Horka nad Moravou, where an introductory discussion and competition organized by Kristina Pitoňáková and Antonín Nenutil from Eurocentre Olomouc took place.
Friday morning was devoted to an interactive educational game "European Infoquest", which introduced participants to current European topics and challenges facing the EU. This game, developed as a tool for educators to strengthen resistance to misinformation in the information space, focused in particular on the issue of the European Parliament elections. Participants had the opportunity to practice how to recognize manipulative techniques in the media space, identify false information and better understand how misinformation affects democratic processes. The game was designed not only to deepen knowledge about the functioning of the EU, but also to help develop critical thinking and the ability to counter the information threats often associated with EP elections. In addition, the game is freely available on our website, so that others interested in European issues and resilience in the information space can try it out.
In the afternoon, a lecture on military intelligence in the Czech Republic was given by Libor Kutěj from the University of Defence, who introduced the participants to the functioning of the intelligence community and its role in ensuring the security of the state. The day concluded with a discussion on the impact of the European Parliament elections and the formation of the new Commission with Viktor Daňek from EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, who provided an insight into the current political changes within the EU and the implications for European security in particular.
On Saturday morning, participants focused on strategic communication and effective work with information resources. During his lecture, Ivo Zelinka from the Army of the Czech Republic analyzed the procedures of how to work properly with information in a security context and stressed the importance of strategic communication in the current digital age. The next part of the day was dedicated to the issue of radicalization and the spread of conspiracy theories, led by Petra Mlejnková from the Department of Political Science at Masaryk University. The lecture then stimulated a discussion on how radicalization affects individuals and society and how to counter the growing influence of conspiracy theories that can radicalize individuals.
The summer school was supported by the Hanns Seidel Stiftung in the Czech Republic and was organized in cooperation with EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy and Eurocenter Olomouc. The program was co-funded by the European Union.
