STORY PREVIEW

2026

Social Me-Dia

Gimnazija Stevan Jakovljevic

Srbija

MENTOR

Biljana Pipović

Step 1 FEEL

While working together with their peers from Germany, students from Gimnazija “Stevan Jakovljević” in Vlasotince explored the digital world and openly discussed what bothers them in their online environment. As the project started within the subject language, media and culture, the initial phase was dedicated to getting to know each other and reflecting on digital habits, tools, and online experiences. This exchange helped two groups of students from different cultural backgrounds identify common challenges they face in the virtual world. The discussions revealed several important and concerning issues. Students emphasized the constant pressure to be available online at all times, which creates stress, guilt, and a lack of personal peace when they do not respond immediately. They also highlighted the spread of fake news and misinformation, which often confuses users and makes it difficult to distinguish between reliable and unreliable information. Another major concern was the unrealistic and “perfect” image presented on social media. Students observed that online content often creates false standards of beauty and lifestyle, leading to insecurity, stress, and a distorted perception of reality. They also pointed out the addictive nature of social media, which can reduce time spent on real-life activities and hobbies. In addition, students expressed concern about the influence of algorithms and online platforms in spreading extreme or harmful content, which can negatively affect opinions and even democratic values. The growing presence of artificial intelligence was also discussed, with attention given to both its positive use and its risks, including misinformation, overuse, and the loss of creativity and independent thinking. Overall, students concluded that the virtual world, while powerful and useful, also presents significant challenges related to mental well-being, truthfulness of information, self-image, responsibility, and the impact of technology on everyday life. These shared reflections formed the starting point for further work in the project and guided the selection of the main problem to be explored.

Students first participated in an online brainstorming activity using Tricider, where they shared and collected a wide range of issues that bother them in the virtual world. The suggestions included constant pressure to be available online, fake news and misinformation, social media showing only perfect lives, addictive scrolling, extremist content, pressure on older generations to be online, unrealistic beauty standards, as well as concerns about artificial intelligence, including its environmental impact and misuse. After this initial collection of ideas, students engaged in a deeper discussion in the Forum space within eTwinning TwinSpace, where Serbian and German students exchanged opinions and reflected on the suggested problems. This step allowed them to better understand different perspectives and recognize shared concerns across cultures. Finally, based on all collected ideas, students completed a Google survey, where they voted for the issue they considered most important and most relevant to their everyday lives. The chosen problem was: Social media showing only perfect lives and unrealistic body image. This problem was selected because students recognized its strong influence on young people’s self-esteem, mental health, and perception of reality. They expressed concern that social media often presents carefully curated and unrealistic images of life, beauty, and success, which leads to comparison, insecurity, and pressure to meet impossible standards. Students also emphasized that modern digital culture, including AI-generated images and influencer content, often promotes superficial values focused on appearance, popularity, and validation through likes. This can distort authentic self-expression and shift attention away from real-life values such as honesty, kindness, and personal growth. By selecting this problem, students aimed to explore how social media shapes identity and to develop ways to encourage a more realistic, healthy, and positive digital environment for young people.

The people affected by this problem are primarily young social media users, especially teenagers, but also children who are becoming active online at an increasingly early age. In addition, the issue also indirectly affects older users who feel pressure to maintain an online presence and adapt to digital trends. Their primary concerns are closely related to self-image, mental well-being, and social pressure. Many young people feel insecure when comparing themselves to idealized and often unrealistic images presented on social media. This leads to lowered self-esteem, constant comparison, and a feeling that they are not “good enough” in terms of appearance, lifestyle, or success. Another major concern is the distortion of reality online, where edited photos, AI-generated images, and influencer content create unrealistic standards of beauty and life. Users often struggle to distinguish between what is authentic and what is artificially constructed. Students also highlighted the pressure for validation and acceptance, such as the need for likes, followers, and online approval, which can negatively affect confidence and emotional well-being. Overall, those affected are concerned about the impact of social media on identity formation, mental health, and values, as well as the increasing difficulty of maintaining authenticity in a digital environment dominated by idealized and manipulated content.

Step 2 IMAGINE

The IMAGINE phase took place during an online meeting where students from Serbia and Germany met face to face for the first time. Having already identified and voted for the problem of unrealistic body image and “perfect lives” presented on social media, students worked together to think of possible solutions. During the meeting, they shared ideas, listened to different perspectives, and discussed how they could raise awareness among their peers about the negative effects of unrealistic online content. Their common goal was to reach as many social media users as possible and encourage them to think more critically about what they see online. To support collaboration, students were divided into 12 international groups, each consisting of members from both countries. Through brainstorming and discussion, they generated a variety of ideas for awareness-raising activities. These included creating posters to be shared online and displayed in schools, developing interactive quizzes, producing videos, and organizing workshops for younger students and their peers. Students agreed that combining creative digital content with educational activities would be the most effective way to encourage reflection on social media influence, unrealistic beauty standards, and the importance of authenticity online. These ideas became the basis for the actions they later implemented in the DO phase.

Rather than choosing a single solution, our students decided to approach the problem from different angles. During the IMAGINE phase, the 12 international teams identified a variety of ways to raise awareness about unrealistic body image and the “perfect lives” often portrayed on social media. As a result, each team selected the solution they believed would have the greatest impact on their target audience. The DO phase developed simultaneously online and in both countries. Students continued collaborating with their German partners through digital communication tools while also implementing activities in their local communities. Some teams focused on educational workshops. For example, one international team designed and delivered workshops for fifth-grade students in a local primary school, combining presentations and interactive quizzes created jointly by Serbian and German students. Another team adapted their materials for preschool children, helping them understand that the images and lifestyles presented on social media are not always realistic. Other teams chose to raise awareness through presentations and discussions with older students. One group delivered presentations to sixth- and eighth-grade students, addressing unrealistic beauty standards, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, prevention, and the importance of seeking support. Their goal was to help younger students recognize the influence of social media on mental health and develop a healthier relationship with online content. Some teams created awareness-raising materials such as posters. One international group designed a poster called REPORT, presented as a police investigation into unrealistic body images on social media. Using a creative format, they encouraged students to critically examine beauty standards and their consequences. Across all teams, the common goal was to reach as many young people as possible and encourage critical thinking about social media content. Workshops, presentations, posters, quizzes, and other materials were chosen because they were interactive, accessible, and could be adapted to different age groups. Together, these activities enabled students to spread their message far beyond the project participants and create a broader impact within their communities.

Step 3DO

After developing their ideas in international teams, students collaborated online with their German partners to prepare materials, activities, discussion questions, quizzes, posters, and presentations. While the German students actively contributed ideas and suggestions, the Serbian students took the initiative in implementing many of the planned activities in their local community. Students contacted local kindergartens, primary schools, and teachers in their own school to organize awareness-raising activities. They conducted workshops, lectures, interactive presentations, and discussions with different age groups, including preschool children, 12- and 13-year-old primary school students, and 16-year-old secondary school students. The international teams adapted their materials and messages to suit each audience. For younger children, activities focused on recognizing that images and lifestyles presented on social media are not always real. With older students, discussions addressed unrealistic beauty standards, self-image, mental health, and the influence of social media on everyday life. Through these activities, students transformed their ideas into concrete actions, reaching a large number of young people and encouraging critical thinking, media awareness, and healthier attitudes toward social media.

The project had a strong impact on both students and the wider school community, but one of its most significant outcomes was the development of student initiative, independence, and responsibility. During a key part of the implementation phase, Serbian students worked with a high level of autonomy, as their teacher was on professional development training in the USA. Despite this, they continued to plan, organize, and carry out project activities independently, while maintaining regular communication and updating their teacher on their progress, decisions, and results. The students demonstrated strong teamwork, commitment, and ownership of the project. They successfully coordinated workshops, presentations, and interactive activities in local kindergartens and schools, reaching preschool children (20 preschoolers), 12- and 13-year-old primary school students (212 students who attended three different workshops and interactive presentations), and 16-year-old secondary school students (20). This experience significantly strengthened their confidence, leadership skills, and ability to take responsibility for meaningful real-world action. It also showed that students are capable of independently driving social change when given trust, space, and international collaboration opportunities. Overall, the project’s impact goes beyond awareness-raising. It empowered students to become active change makers, capable of planning, implementing, and sustaining educational activities with real social value. This project proved that when students are trusted with responsibility, they do not simply participate in change — they lead it.

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REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A JOINT WORKSHOP General Information Title of the Workshop: Social Media Portrays an Illusion of a Perfect Life and Unrealistic Appearances Date of Implementation: May 21, 2026 Location: Classroom 6, Vlasotince Coordinator: Biljana Pipović Participants Preschool Institution "Milka Dimanić", Vlasotince Educational Group: Mixed Preschool Group Preschool Teachers: Zorica Petrović Maja Kocić Dragana Stanković "Stevan Jakovljević" Gymnasium, Vlasotince First-Year Students: Iva Krajinović Sonja Krajinović Teodora Stojanović Mina Stanković Report On May 21, 2026, a joint workshop entitled "Social Media Portrays an Illusion of a Perfect Life and Unrealistic Appearances" was successfully conducted through the cooperation of the Preschool Institution "Milka Dimanić" and "Stevan Jakovljević" Gymnasium in Vlasotince. The workshop was designed to encourage children to develop an early awareness of the influence of social media on perceptions of reality, self-image, and interpersonal relationships. Through carefully adapted activities, discussions, and examples appropriate to the children's developmental level, the participants explored the difference between real life and the idealized images often presented online. The first-year gymnasium students demonstrated a high level of preparation, responsibility, creativity, and confidence while working with the preschool children. They successfully adjusted the content to the children's age and abilities, creating a positive and engaging learning environment. Their interaction with the children contributed significantly to the effectiveness of the workshop and encouraged active participation. The topic of the workshop is of particular importance, as awareness of mental health, emotional well-being, and healthy self-perception should be developed from an early age. By addressing these issues through age-appropriate educational activities, children are better prepared to understand and critically evaluate media content as they grow older. The workshop also highlighted the value of cooperation between different educational levels. The direct interaction between preschool children and secondary school students provided mutual benefits: younger participants developed social and emotional skills, while the older students strengthened their communication abilities, responsibility, empathy, and leadership skills. Overall, the workshop achieved its intended objectives and represents an excellent example of successful cooperation between educational institutions. The participants expressed great satisfaction with the activity, and there is a strong interest in continuing similar collaborative projects in the future. Teacher's Evaluation As a teacher of the preschool group involved in this workshop, I would like to express my appreciation for the exceptional commitment and professionalism demonstrated by the gymnasium students. Their preparation, maturity, and ability to communicate with young children contributed greatly to the success of the activity. The workshop addressed an important topic in a manner that was understandable and meaningful for preschool-aged children. It also emphasized the importance of early education regarding media literacy, emotional well-being, and healthy social development. I am highly satisfied with the cooperation that was achieved and sincerely hope that similar initiatives will continue in the future. Dragana Stankovic, preschool teacher "Although I became a teacher of the subject language, media, and communication at the final stage of this team’s work, my first encounter with the “Social Me Dia” project left a strong impression on me. What immediately intrigued me was the exceptional relevance of the topic the students had chosen. Within the subject language, media, and culture, we theoretically deal with deconstructing media messages, but this team went a step further. They recognized and directly confronted one of the greatest challenges of their generation — digital identity and the unrealistic beauty standards imposed by social media. The fact that they identified how social networks often present an “illusion of a perfect life” testifies to their high level of analytical maturity. I would especially like to highlight the design for change methodology they used. As a teacher, it seems to me that this approach is ideal for the subject LMC, because it transforms students from passive observers into active agents of change. Through the phases “Feel, Imagine, Do, Share,” they learned how to turn their critical thinking into concrete action — whether through educational workshops, interactive presentations, or digital content that reached thousands of views. Although I joined later, I saw a group of young people who had already matured through this process. Their motivation to influence the awareness of their peers and their willingness to develop their perspectives through international collaboration show that they have fully adopted the values promoted by this subject. This project is living proof that change truly begins “with a single question and collective action,” and I am proud to be able to support such an initiative. Aleksandar Zdravkovic, Serbian language and literature, and language, media, and culture teacher

During the implementation of the project, we encountered two major challenges that significantly tested the continuity and resilience of our work. The first challenge occurred when the Serbian teacher was abroad for professional development for two months. During this period, students continued all project activities independently in both national and international teams. Communication was maintained through WhatsApp, and coordination with the German partner teacher ensured continuity. This phase clearly demonstrated the students’ strong sense of ownership, as they fully took responsibility for planning and carrying out ongoing activities without direct supervision. The second challenge arose due to a change in the teacher’s professional assignment and school allocation. The project initially began within the elective subject language, media, and culture, which was fully integrated into the project design. However, after the first term, the teacher was no longer assigned to teach this subject, as part of her workload was redistributed across schools. She now works 55% at the school in Vlasotince and the remaining time at another school in a different town. As a result, the project could no longer continue within regular lessons and was moved to an extracurricular format based on voluntary student participation. In this situation, students faced significant uncertainty and discouragement regarding continued participation in activities outside formal classroom instruction, and their involvement in the project was questioned and strongly discouraged within the school context, including pressure to discontinue participation. Despite these circumstances, the students made a conscious decision to continue. Driven by commitment, teamwork, and belief in the value of their work, they persisted in implementing planned activities, maintaining international collaboration, and delivering workshops and educational outputs in their communities. These challenges became a defining part of the project experience, highlighting not only student resilience but also their exceptional ability to sustain meaningful educational work under complex organizational conditions. Ultimately, they reinforced the importance of student agency, responsibility, and persistence in real-world learning.

MORE THAN 30 DAYS

Good health and well being

Through our work, we focused on the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on mental health, self-image, and emotional well-being, especially among young people. We explored how unrealistic beauty standards, constant comparison, and digitally manipulated content can influence self-perception, increase stress, and affect confidence. At the same time, the students demonstrated a mature understanding that social media and AI are an integral part of modern life and will continue to be widely used by both young and older generations. Therefore, the goal of our project was not to reject these technologies, but to promote their conscious, responsible, and beneficial use. Through workshops, presentations, and interactive activities, we encouraged critical thinking and helped learners understand how to navigate digital spaces in a healthy way, protecting their well-being while making positive use of technology. In this way, the project contributes to fostering mental well-being, emotional resilience, and responsible digital citizenship, which are key aspects of good health and well-being.

Step 4 SHARE

The SHARE phase began from the very start of the project, as students regularly exchanged ideas and results with their German partners and shared their activities with the wider community. The project was disseminated through multiple online channels. A special Instagram profile, Design Thinkers for Tomorrow (@designthinkers), created by students during an earlier Design for Change project, was used to document activities and showcase project outcomes. Additional dissemination took place through the professional Instagram profile English Club Serbia, the YouTube channel Jezik, mediji i kultura, and the professional TikTok channel Teacher Biljana. The final project video was also shared through the school's official Instagram and Facebook pages. The response from the online community was very positive. Project videos received thousands of views, numerous likes, and encouraging comments, demonstrating that the topic resonated with a wider audience beyond the participating schools. The project was also shared directly within the school and local community. Students organized workshops, presentations, and awareness-raising activities for preschool children, primary school students, and secondary school students. In addition, they involved many first-year students from their own school in creative activities such as Draw Yourself, which encouraged participants to celebrate individuality and recognize that differences in appearance are natural and valuable. This spontaneous activity, organized in the school hall, attracted considerable attention and generated meaningful conversations among students about self-image and unrealistic beauty standards. Overall, the project reached hundreds of young people through face-to-face activities and many more through social media, helping to raise awareness about the influence of social media on self-esteem, body image, and mental well-being. The overwhelmingly positive response confirmed that these issues are highly relevant to young people and that peer-led initiatives can be a powerful tool for creating positive change.

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We believe that the impact of the project will continue long after its official completion. Throughout the project, students showed genuine enthusiasm for the topic and actively engaged in discussions about social media, self-image, and digital well-being. As a result, we expect these conversations and the critical thinking skills developed during the project to remain part of their everyday lives and future interactions online. The materials created during the project, including workshops, presentations, posters, quizzes, and videos, will remain available for future use in educational and awareness-raising activities. The teacher who currently teaches the subject Language, Media and Culture has been informed about the project and its outcomes and will continue using the materials in his future work with students. The social media profiles and online channels used for dissemination will also continue to serve as platforms for sharing project results and promoting responsible digital citizenship. Perhaps the most promising sign of sustainability is that the students themselves expressed a strong desire to meet their German partners in person. Their enthusiasm has already inspired discussions between the Serbian and German teachers about developing the partnership further through an Erasmus+ student mobility project. Such a project would allow students to deepen their intercultural cooperation while providing an opportunity to share the Design for Change methodology with a wider group of educators and students. Most importantly, the project demonstrated that young people are capable of identifying real problems, designing meaningful solutions, and taking action in their communities. We hope that this experience will encourage them to remain active, responsible, and confident change makers in the future. The fact that students continued working despite organizational challenges and obstacles they encountered shows that the project has become more than a school assignment—it has become a mindset that will stay with them long after the project ends.

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