About us
MILA, the Media and Information Literacy Alliance, is a cross-sector charity bringing together organisations and individuals sharing a common belief in the power of media and information literacy to help people lead happier, healthier, safer and more productive lives. It was registered as charity in December 2023, with an initial board of trustees. Previously, it operated for a couple of years as an informal network, set up initially in October 2021 under the co-sponsorship of CILIP and the CILIP Information Literacy Group (ILG). MILA’s mission is to foster collaborations and education that empower everyone in the UK with the lifelong ability to reach and express discerning views about the information and media that they use, share and create. Its vision is of a society where people engage critically with information and media.
MILA addresses its mission by working and partnering with stakeholders in multiple sectors, rather than directly with the general public. Its specificity is that it is an alliance that brings together diverse players – organisations, groups, initiatives and individuals – to capitalise on their expertise and strengthen their collective voice to bring about jointly-derived solutions. MILA is thus an enabler and facilitator, as well as an advocate, deploying its values to foster projects and initiatives derived from collaborative efforts; to bring about a more holistic and joined-up approach to developing media and information literacy; and to influence policy and practice, drawing from the credibility of pooled expertise.
In June 2023, MILA set out its strategy, reflecting its initial set of priorities as well as its values and longer term aspirations. Though the strategy provides a strong statement of current intent, it is likely to evolve and be revised over time to reflect MILA’s capabilities and the evolving environment in which it operates. In particular, as a newly-constituted charity, MILA is working to define its programme of activities for 2024 and 2025, its operating methods and its financial capability. The strategy document can be found below.
MILA publishes a quarterly newsletter, of which current and past issues are here. If you would like to receive this in future, please leave your details on the contact page. MILA has also produced a two-sided A4 flyer available to download as a pdf – see below.
MILA is the UK Chapter of UNESCO’s global MIL Alliance and a Networking Member of the Media & Learning Association.
MILA mission and strategy – June 2023
