Research suggests that young people are the most frequent online users and yet they are most exposed to abusive language, hate speech and cyber-violence. Young people are often both victims and perpetrators. The latter often fail to realise their communication style is a form of violence and they have no understanding of the possible consequences. On the other hand, victims feel helplessness and rarely know how to cope with violence they experience. A number of organisations and institutions have addressed the problem but more initiatives are essential because of the large scale of the problem.
The objective of the project was to educate young people about online communication. Specifically, to make them aware of the impacts of virtual aggression, security rules and to teach them respect for other users and promote positive online communication practices.
The project saw 892 students in three secondary schools in Kraków gain a better understanding of the online threats, principles of secure online behaviour and response to abusive content. They also took action to promote positive role models for online communication.
The project delivered 60 hours of workshops for 384 students from three 3 schools in Kraków; a summer camp was organised for 33 youth leaders to develop their peer-to-peer education skills. The leaders then delivered 20 workshops attended by a total of 475 students. Students developed 6 activities to promote positive online behaviour (short plays, reportage, videos, outdoor games, peer workshop scenarios, poster campaign, flash mob etc.). Moreover, 48 teachers received project-related training.
Over 1,392 studentsaged 16-17 in 3 local secondary schools and 48 teachers benefited from the project activities.