SEAToday.com, Depok – The MILBoard team from the University of Indonesia (UI) has made Indonesia proud by winning the UNESCO Youth Hackathon 2024.

“We are honored to represent Indonesia on the global stage and to contribute to advancing media literacy for the younger generation,” said Muhammad Rafi Aurelian R., a team member from FISIP UI’s class of 2022, in a statement on Saturday. This achievement highlights the ability of Indonesian youth to compete internationally and encourages other young people to keep innovating.

The MILBoard team hopes this win will pave the way for further achievements to elevate media literacy in Indonesia. “With MILBoard, we aim to empower children and teenagers to filter information effectively and distinguish between facts and hoaxes in the digital world,” Rafi added.

Organized by UNESCO, the hackathon gathered young innovators from across the globe to propose creative solutions for enhancing media literacy. A total of 203 projects from 68 countries entered the competition, addressing the challenges of a digital world dominated by content creators, influencers, and the rising threat of AI-driven misinformation.

Winning this competition also earned Team MILBoard an invitation to present at the 2024 UNESCO Global MIL Week Feature Conference in Amman, Jordan. At this event, they showcased their innovation aimed at building media literacy skills among young people.

The six-member MILBoard team included Muhammad Rafi Aurelian R. (FISIP UI), Sobarisar Al Fariz Nasution (FEB UI), Salma Noorfitria Ningrum (FIA UI), and FASILKOM UI students Dien Fitriani Azzahra, Dwiky Ahmad Megananta, and Muhammad Faishal Adly N. They developed an educational tool combining a board game with a mobile app, designed to help the younger generation critically assess information.

The game integrates traditional board game elements, like those found in snakes and ladders, with interactive features like challenge cards and QR codes. The accompanying mobile app offers users mini-games and exercises, creating a dynamic and engaging learning experience.

“By merging traditional learning with technology, we aim to reach youth across Indonesia, in both urban and remote areas,” explained team member Salma Noorfitria Ningrum.