Modern Challenges
videos & lessons
"Modern Challenges" animated educational videos
deconstruct complex phenomena, providing an explainer introduction to contemporary social issues.
Accompanying lesson plans are designed to assist teachers in facilitating classroom conversations and discussions about these topics, seeking to deepen everyone’s understanding and critical thinking.
Modern Challenge - Polarisation
This short animation introduces the phenomenon of polarisation in society, a sharp division into groups holding opposing values or opinions on politics, ideology, various policies, international affairs, religion, culture – you name it. Why is polarisation a problem and how can we contribute to depolarising our societies?
Modern Challenge - Disinformation
This short animation introduces the phenomenon of disinformation, as an example of harmful information disorders that are on the rise. In what way does disinformation cause harm and how can we protect ourselves from it?
Modern Challenge - Extremism
This short animation builds on the topic of radicalisation, introducing the phenomenon of extremism – active opposition to (European) values such as democracy, rule of law, human rights, to the point of accepting violence as an acceptable means of promoting and fighting for one’s views. What is extremism and how can we be more resilient against it?
Modern Challenge - Radicalisation
This short animation introduces the phenomenon of radicalisation, the process of someone gradually coming to hold radical, fundamentalist or extremist views. How does an individual become radicalised, and how can we prevent or reverse this process?
Modern Challenge - Emigration
This short animation introduces the phenomenon of emigration, the act of leaving one’s country to settle, often permanently, in another. Why do people choose to emigrate, and in what way does emigration impact countries?
Modern Challenge - Mental Health
This short animation broadly introduces the topic of mental health and the importance of destigmatizing the act of seeking help. What are some commonly occurring mental health problems and how can we nurture our mental health?
Modern Challenge - Individual Pollution
This short animation introduces the challenge of individual pollution – all the different ways in which we, individuals, make choices, decisions and perform acts that directly and negatively affect our environment. In what way can we curb and minimize individual pollution?
Modern Challenge - Civic Engagement
This short animation explores the challenge of civic engagement, an individual or group activity that seeks to positively address issues of public concern. Why is civic engagement important and how can we become active citizens who contribute to their communities?
Modern Challenge - Where Are You (really) From?
This short animation explores the seemingly innocent question that many immigrants are asked on regular basis. In what way can this question reduce someone’s identity to a social group, race, nationality or culture, and why does it foster a sense of alienation?
Modern Challenge - Nationalism
This short animation introduces the phenomenon of nationalism, an identification with, support for and love of one’s nation that is coupled with exclusion, rejection, or hatred of other nations. Why is nationalism a problem and how can we move toward patriotism instead?