Andy Demeulenaere

Andy Demeulenaere heads the team of Mediawijs, the Flemish Knowledge Centre on Digital and Media Literacy at imec vzw, since 2015. He is well-versed in non-profit and educational organisation management as the former educational coordinator of the largest youth movement in Belgium (Chiro) and the main digital youth work organisation in Flanders (Mediaraven). He has presided over the board of the Flemish support organisation for youth participation, youth work and youth information (De Ambrassade) and advice or working groups in youth policy like the steering group for the Flemish youth and children's rights policy plan, the commission for Experimental youth work and the Flemish No Hate Speech Platform for the regional coordination of the Council of Europe movement. He was a member of the board for the main Flemish film education organisation (JEF) and the Flemish Federation for Open Scouting (FOS) and is an active member of the board of the main youth work organisation for socially vulnerable youth in Ghent (vzw Jong).

Mediawijs is the independent Flemish Knowledge Centre for Digital and Media Literacy at imec vzw on the initiative of and funded by the Flemish Minister for Media. It helps the citizens of the Flemish community in Flanders and Brussels to use digital technology and media actively, creatively, critically and consciously to participate in society.

To that end Mediawijs:

• sets up consultation, networks and cooperation,
• inspires with training, knowledge sharing and practice development,
• stimulates citizens to act digitally and media literate with information and campaigns,
• keeps tabs on all things digital technology, media and digital and media literacy,
• plays an active role in developing policy on digital and media literacy in Flanders, Brussels and Europe.
   

Mediawijs is made up of a team of professional experts in digital and media literacy as a whole, each with specific expertise in themes like education, youth work, research, lifelong learning, project management, digital inclusion, news and information literacy, fake news and propaganda, hate speech, cyber-bullying, secondary sexting, privacy, algo- and AI-literacy, digital skills, media parenting and more. 

At Mediawijs Andy Demeulenaere is responsible for the strategic, financial and day-to-day management. Next to that, he works mainly on participating in and supporting policy and networks, both regionally, like through the Flemish Strategic Advice Council for Culture, dept. Media (SARC-Media), the Belgian Safer Internet Centre, Betternet, and the Flemish-Dutch hub for the European Digital Media Observatory, BENEDMO, and internationally as a member of  the steering group of the EMIL working group at EPRA, the Board of the Media and Learning Association, the Digital Citizenship Working Group of European Schoolnet, and the Media Literacy Expert group of the European Commission.