This project is an extension of work to promote media literacy for the elderly in urban and rural areas of Thailand. The output is ready to be applied to elderly leaders in five locations. Project preparation time was from 1 February 2021 to 30 April 2022 and involved creating "Wai Phet Curriculum" and designing learning activities to create media literacy that corresponds to the characteristics of the Thai elderly. This was achieved by strengthening learning management skills to expand media literacy among senior groups, including the Wai Phet Health Communicators who are the product of the “Elderly do not consume media randomly project” that aimed to train seniors as “Wai Phet“teachers and create a media literacy curriculum (Wai Phet Ru Khun Media curriculum).
The target group were the leading aging health communicators who had participated in the media literacy enhancement project from its early stages and elderly students who volunteered for training to enhance their potential to transfer skills and learning management according to the Wai Phet Ru Khun Media curriculum. After completing the training, they hoped to become Wai Phet Teachers at five schools for the elderly namely: Wisdom Institute for the Development of the Life of the Elderly in Chiang Mai; School for the Elderly in Sakon Nakhon Province; Chalerm Phrakiat Senior Citizens School in Suphanburi Province; Resort for the Elderly in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province; and the Elderly School in Yannawa District, Bangkok. A total of 72 were trained - 47 Wai Phet teachers and 25 volunteers. The results are divided into three phases as follows;
- Short term: Wai Phet teacher A can teach the Wai Phet media literacy curriculum in senior schools. At national level, an increasing number of the elderly have better understanding of media literacy and obtain information on the media use and the impact of using media.
- In the medium term: Wai Phet teacher A has the potential to be a leader in transforming the elderly group in her area using guidelines to prevent negative impacts from using media.
- Long-term: Thai elderly are aware of the impact of media on their lives and are media literate. Thai elderly are aware of their own power to be leaders of change to make Thailand's aging society a strong and happy one. Aging members of society can take care of and help themselves, and monitor their own media consumption in a timely and sustainable way.
The media literacy program for the elderly has created a curriculum and expanded the network of health communicators. It meets the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligns with SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being in building capacity in advance notification risk reduction and managing health risks at national and international levels. It also addresses SDG 4 on quality education, specifically the aim of 4.7 to ensure that all learners receive the knowledge and skills necessary to promote sustainable development, including education for sustainable development and sustainable livelihoods, human rights and gender equality. In so doing, it promotes a culture of peace and non-violence, the notion of world citizenship, enthusiasm for cultural diversity and recognition of the contribution of culture to sustainable development by the year 2030.