Mission
Founded in 2009 on the joint initiative of its first permanent members, the Informal Group on Media Literacy (GILM), as its name suggests, is a informal network of partners who decided to come together to debate, collaborate and articulate ways of promoting media education and media literacy in Portugal, and, in this sense, contribute to strengthening both in terms of public policies.
In the first years of its existence, GILM’s work was driven by the conviction that it was necessary to put the importance of media literacy on the national public agenda. And that’s the direction its activity has taken over the years. In this context, it is important to highlight the “Braga Declaration – Media Literacy”, a document that contributed and contributes to explaining the objectives that have guided GILM’s activity over time. It was ratified in April 2011 by the organizers of the first edition of the Literacy, Media and Citizenship Congress (an initiative that the Group considers one of its brand images).

Currently, at a time when the importance of this literacy is being taken on board by decision-makers at national and international level, the Group continues to consider it important to fight for the promotion of media literacy as one of the key literacies for the education of all citizens without exception and as an instrument for guaranteeing democratic participation and the true exercise of citizenship.

Informal nature and mode of operation

It is up to each GILM member institution to decide who the person(s) representing it within the Group are.
A permanent member remains a permanent member until the group decides otherwise.
Within GILM, its members organize their work on the basis of working groups (WG), which are open to members who are interested in collaborating. These WGs are responsible for implementing an annual work plan proposed internally, the final version of which is defined and approved at a plenary meeting.
In May 2022, GILM will also have an Advisory Board, whose purpose will be to support the Group in identifying challenges and opportunities for action, taking into account its mission, as well as in articulating new possibilities for collaboration.
The following permanent members are currently part of GILM
Since its foundation, GILM has focused on integrating, as permanent membersof public entities with responsibility and interest in the area of media literacymedia literacy, although it has also associated individuals in this capacity, as invited experts.
- Lusa News Agency
- Safe Internet Center (from the National Cybersecurity Center)
- UNESCO National Commission
- National Education Council
- Directorate-General for Education
- Media Regulatory Authority
- School of Social Communication
- Film and Audiovisual Institute
- Communication Observatory (OberCom)
- National Reading Plan
- Radio and Television of Portugal
- School Library Network
- General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers
- .PT
In addition to the representatives of these fourteen institutions, the Group also includes Vítor Tomé as a guest expert.
GILM members over time
GILM has five public institutions as founding members :
- O
Center for Communication and Society Studies at the University of Minho
(through which, in 2018, MILOBs – Media, Information and Literacy Observatory – would also be associated)
Media, Information and Literacy Observatory
) - O
National Education Council
- A
UNESCO National Commission
- A
Media Regulatory Authority
- The Media Office (GMCS), which was abolished in 2015 and has since been replaced by the
General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers
(which now integrates the GMCS service that was linked to GILM)
In the meantime, GILM’s membership has been opened up to new interested partners:
- UMIC – Knowledge Society Agency, later replaced by the
Foundation for Science and Technology
(following the merger between the two) - A
Directorate-General for Education
- A
Radio and Television of Portugal
- A
School Library Network
- O
Safe Internet Center
- O
National Reading Plan
- A
Directorate-General for Books, Archives and Libraries
Two guest experts were also permanent members of GILM: Maria Emília Brederode Santos and Teresa Calçada. Both would eventually join the Group as institutional representatives. Maria Emília Brederode Santos as President of the National Education Council and Teresa Calçada as Commissioner of the National Reading Plan.
At the end of 2021 they joined the group:
- A
Lusa News Agency
- O
Film and Audiovisual Institute
- O
Communication Observatory (OberCom)
- The School of Social Communication
In 2023, .PT would join the group.