Ins!ght - experts working together to educate & empower children online, promote & protect their rights...
Insight's perspective on governments' role in digital innovation in education
The Covid sanitary crisis has been a watershed experience for us all, pushing our pragmatism to the limit and leaving behind those unable to innovate. In a keynote to European academics on 12 May, Insight looked at the ingredients of entrepreneurship and the levers that make or break innovative initiatives. The session is one of a series implemented by the EdTech project, led by 4 top universities in Spain, Belgium, Finland and the UK, funded by the European Commission.
Parents have their say as SmartBus hits the road again in Iceland
The Huawei SmartBus project is designed by Insight to deliver a high-quality, evidence-based educational programme to school students around Europe on issues of high importance in the digital age. The SmartBus sessions took place in Iceland, Denmark and Finland in the end of 2020; eventually designed as a virtual tour.
The survey results, highlight important issues that awareness raising campaigns targeting children in the three Nordic countries need to immediately take into account. Several issues concerned social media profiles like privacy, what online ‘friends’ may actually be, or ‘the real me’. The digital footprint and reputation, online bullying, respect and empathy online as well as respecting other people’s privacy were hot issues too.
The SmartBus will now be back in business in Iceland, but this time with another focus: parents. We are curious to see which results will come out and how they will differ from or accord with the view of children.
Action plan is launched in Morocco
Morocco is a country on the move to strengthen online safety and cybersecurity awareness among its citizens, and Insight experts are working with the Council of Europe at the heart of the action. Already this year, an online space has been launched where citizens can learn, build awareness, report and get support through a multitude of resources and partnerships. Morocco became in February, the first country in the region to set up of a hotline portal, where citizens can report child sexual abuse content in the drive to rid the internet of this plague. Insight is also using its innovative Digital Compass to get an overview of Moroccan children's internet habits and their digital weaknesses in order to address them appropriately.
Digital Compass moves northwards
Insight has just launched findings from 2020 Scandinavian teens in a hybrid online wellbeing project built on the innovative Insight Digital Compass and powered by Huawei within its Tech4ALL campaign. We learn that creative activities are top favourites for Icelandic teens, whereas Norwegians top the scale in technical knowledge. This shows a solid technical understanding. For 11- to 15-year-olds in Denmark and Finland, the internet seems to be more a tool for communication and entertainment. The project has enabled the Insight team to define 9 recommendations for decision-makers and awareness raisers.
Digital citizenship education - role of parents
Join us tomorrow to discuss the importance of the role of parents in helping their children develop the competences to become responsible digital citizens.
Kids Corner
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Digital citizenship competences (values, attitudes, skills and knowledge) shape how we act in the digital world, and how ethically it will evolve. We work in multi-stakeholder partnership with institutions, industry, national governments, universities and NGOs worldwide to develop educational tools and services to empower young people as responsible digital citizens. 2019 has seen the launch of the Council of Europe’s Digital Citizenship Education Handbook co-authored by Insight experts and, on November 21, the adoption of a recommendation to integrate digital citizenship education into school curricula in its 47 member countries. -
Education alone is not enough to protect children. It’s necessary to be involved in research in digital technology, and work hand in hand with industry, governments and international institutions to future-proof tools and platforms, shape policy and ensure broad reach. Insight is part of Facebook’s Safety Advisory Board, Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council, and the Council of Europe’s Digital Citizenship Education working group. It’s proud to be recognised as a source of creative ideas and a trusted partner to dozens of such entities, yet to speak out loudly and clearly when children’s rights are at stake. -
Anti-bullying initiatives include the EU-funded programme ENABLE, subject of a publication with the Council of Europe entitled Bullying: perspectives, practice and insights. We actively support the NoBully Power of Zero Power of Zero anti-bullying programme (USA-based), and implemented workshops and more with the Ministry of Education in Seychelles.
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The most powerful way to help children become responsible internet users and stay safe online is through education. We create and implement innovative approaches, tools and publications for children and their families, teachers and community. One such tool is the Council of Europe’s Internet Literacy Handbook (4th revised edition), co-authored by Insight experts since its inception in 2003. The 2019 SMART bus tour is another example, now being rolled out by magicians in secondary schools in the Netherlands and Belgium. SMART sums up the Insight approach - Social sense; My footprint; Access to opportunities; Rights and responsibilities; Trust.
