Case Study EU Insafe Program Social Inclusion, eSafety and Digital Divides A European project to support safe surfing for children. Introduction “Young people struggle to maintain their privacy online”, according to a 2007 survey of 21,872 people across Europe organized by European Schoolnet, coordinator of European Insafe network. Social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo are some of the most popular web sites among young people in Europe, and 57 percent of young people make their online social network profiles public and disclose a great deal of personal information (European Schoolnet, 2007). Internet safety awareness is an urgent global issue. What if we worked across boundaries; not only country boundaries but also commercial and public boundaries in order to educate, raise awareness, and catalyze at a local level? Insafe is a European network of country consortia or nodes working together to support safe surfing for children. It is coordinated by the European Schoolnet and supported by the European Commission. Location Based in the European Union, although at times extending to other countries. Aims The project aim is to consolidate numerous initiatives around the world, exchange and pool expertise and resources, and raise awareness of Internet and mobile safety issues and solutions through strong, highly visible actions. “The ultimate goal is to empower young people using Internet and mobile technology through information and education campaigns” (Richardson, J 2007). Primary Objectives • Develop synergy between national approaches, avoid duplication, and provide a common platform • Monitor to measure effectiveness, forecast emerging risks • Build knowledge collaboratively • Construct strategies on expert knowledge and experience • Create a virtual library of resources and practice • Generate a Europe-wide approach to cyber-safety • Development information literacy • Run helplines at a national level • Run youth panels at a national level Rationale “One of the most publicized stories on Internet safety last year was concerned with the aftermath of Megan Meier's suicide following Lori Drew's misrepresentation of herself as "Josh Evans" on MySpace. This story continues to attract much polemic as, in part, it demonstrates the limitations of existing laws on the issue of cyber-bullying. In the words of the latest report from the Internet Safety Technical Task Force: "Bullying and harassment, most often by peers, are the most frequent threats that minors face, both online and offline."(Safer Internet Newsletter, 2009). To minimize the many risks from online illegal and harmful content and conduct, there is a need for better awareness of safe Internet use, in particular for teachers, parents, and children (who are generally the earliest adopters of new technology, heaviest Internet users, and the greatest risk takers). The European Commission, under the umbrella of the Safety Internet Programme, set up Insafe to ensure the best use of funding and reach the largest possible number of people. http://resources.eun.org/insafe/Online%20behaviour%20of%20young%20people.pdf Description Insafe, launched in 2004, is a European awareness-raising network coordinated by the European Schoolnet and supported by the European Commission through the Safer Internet Program. Insafe partners, in close cooperation with partners and other key actors, work closely together to share best practices, information, and resources. The network interacts with industry, schools, and families with the aim of empowering people to bridge the digital divide between home and school and between generations. (www.saferInternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/about.htm) All contents are Copyright © 1992–2011 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Case Study The program currently provides: • Trilingual European gateway to information, tools, and resources • A regular newsletter, with quick link updates on important issues • European-wide monitoring of emerging risks and innovative protective measures • Training workshops on diverse facets of awareness-raising, e.g. impact monitoring, event planning, optimization of media reach • An online “good practice” kit transposable into widely diverse cultural environments • A staff-exchange mechanism between national awareness nodes to facilitate knowledge sharing • Dissemination of customer satisfaction surveys and six-monthly progress reports to optimize quality and reach Nodes must offer national helplines to answer questions and concerns of young people relating to online experiences or harmful or illegal online content they encounter. They also run youth panels which meet once a year for a professionally moderated debate and discussion. The debate allows the collection of rich, qualitative data on the value of helplines, key issues such as experiences of cyber-bullying and is also guided by results of surveys (e.g. the EuroBarometer questions). For example during the most recent EuroBarometer questionnaire parents often said their children do not have access to the Internet in their rooms, however the youth panel revealed access to the Internet was still taking pace through game consoles. As part of the project, Insafe also leads the annual Safer Internet Day throughout Europe and beyond, with over 500 events in more than 50 countries targeting young people. Safer Internet Day 2009 saw the launch of an information campaign empowering teenagers to keep control when online, targeting 12- to 17-year-olds. In particular, the campaign used online video to spread the message: “Block bullying online! Keep it fun, keep control.” The network interacts with five other major projects that have been set up under the European Commission’s Safer Internet program; EU Kids Online, the Youth Protection Round Table, SIP- BENCH which benchmarks filtering systems, Quatro Plus for the rating of web sites, and the INHOPE network of hotlines, which allow members of the public to report illegal content on the Internet. Knowledge Sharing Knowledge sharing is core to the network’s activities and is supported by a number of different tools: • Bi-annual training workshops and steering committee meetings to forge relationships and share experience. • Six mentorship bursaries every year allow country nodes to work directly with another node to better understand best practices. For example, Poland has set up a very successful helpline and Cyprus was able to visit Poland on a bursary exchange to see Screen grab from the European information campaign online video: the implementation firsthand. "Keep it fun, keep control! Block bullying online!" • The Insafe community platform is a private online area which www.saferinternet.org/shared/data/saferinternet.org/SID09/spot/safer_ supports the exchange and sharing of resources and best Internet_day_clip.html © Insafe, used with permission practices, and voting across the network, and allows nodes to display expertise through membership profiles. • Insafe portal provides information on national node activities and events, as well as access to the virtual resource library which comprises more than 530 multi-lingual resources. • Insafe Newsletter reports on recent node events and activities, as well as industry and academia. The objective is to be a “multi- sector platform that will increasingly appeal to a wide spectrum of subscribers” (from 2007 report). Scale 26 European nodes, plus affiliations with Argentina, Australia, and the U.S. As the network gets stronger it is receiving increasing numbers of requests from other countries wishing to find out more regarding what they see as a very strong model. It also cooperates with another 20 or so countries annually through the framework of Safer Internet Day. All contents are Copyright © 1992–2011 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Case Study Staffing • European level: a coordinator for seamless, effective synchronization of actions • National level: 29 awareness nodes, with about 3-5 representatives in each, consisting of one or more organizations working together in a consortium Nodes are run by organizations ranging from public broadcast, media institutions, humanitarian organizations, and private-sector content providers all the way to government ministries and education-related public enterprise, ensuring a wide diversity of specialists able to tackle almost any issue that emerges. Four major activity sectors are represented: • Advisory, consultative, and regulatory bodies • Public departments and institutions • Consumer protection agencies • Humanitarian organizations Cost • Every two years each node, including the European coordinating node, applies for its own grant from the EC, ranging from 200,000 to 2,000,000 euros. At present, the overall cost of the project is somewhere in the region of 16-17 million euros (ref website). Only 75 percent of the cost is covered by EC, with national nodes finding the other 25 percent. • So far Insafe has received renewed funding for the Pie chart showing Activity Sectors of nodes, Insafe Annual Public Report November 2007 periods 2004-2006, 2006-2008 and 2008-2010. © Insafe, used with permission. Price NA Leading Practice Continuity In Staff and Nodes Continuity of membership is critical. Insafe’s work is perceived as very rewarding which means people tend to stay in their nodes and remain part of the network for a long time, creating a strong sense of friendship and teamwork. The network strongly seeks to keep its membership