A SAFE INTERNET IN A SAFE WORLD TODAY, TOMORROW AND BEYOND Brussels, 10 May 2012 Promoting Internet Safety Globally: Connecting Generations Beginning today, INSAFE & CNTI will host a joint conference in Cyprus, ‘Promoting Internet Safety Globally: Connecting Generations.’ The three-day event will take place in Larnaca, Cyprus, with an emphasis on INSAFE improving its ties with countries from outside Europe and assisting them in strengthening their awareness-raising initiatives and creating country appropriate resources, tools and procedures to help citizens and their families online across continents, cultures, and generations. “With almost 200 people attending the conference from over 40 different countries, this promises to be a watershed event. Our aim is to place internet safety high on the social agenda of all countries, because the capacity of young people to take advantage of the opportunities that the Internet offers and safely navigate the risks, will impact all areas of their life and hence also on the future of society,” said Janice Richardson, INSAFE Coordinator, of the conference which is co-funded by the European Commission as part of the Safer Internet Programme. “In a rapidly changing world with technological advancements impacting all aspects of our lives, protecting our children within the infinite worlds of cyberspace becomes a top, but at the same time increasingly complex priority. Bringing experts from 43 countries, representing diverse types of stakeholders, at a time when Cyprus is taking over the presidency of the Council of European Union, the conference offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of cyberspace safety for future generations” said Dr. Yiannis Laouris, Safer Internet Center (Cyberethics) director. In line with Safer Internet Day 2012, panelists will explore the positive effect that the digital world can have on parenting, grandparenting and connecting generations. With young people spending time online, doing a multitude of activities, including publishing their own content, alongside a worldwide socio-economic shift that has resulted in increased grandparental involvement in children’s lives, all generations in the family need to understand what being online means, from the opportunities to the risks. We will look at how the untapped resource of grandparental life experience, knowledge and influence is being used to enhance the family unit a time when families need to work together. Key policymakers, industry leaders, educators, internet safety professionals, social and youth workers will discuss a range of issues over the three-day conference, exploring youth culture in terms of the underlying issues of grooming and sexting and the online sexual behavior of teens. Professionals will also share best practice on working with vulnerable users and how to improve their online experience, at a time when teenagers need to be resilient and empowered to manage their online identity in a responsible way, to be in control of their actions and the consequences. The conference will also provide a platform for looking to the future, how to implement strategies and resources to enhance child safety in the hyperconnected world of 2020 and beyond. Working towards the Safer Internet Programme’s new strategic framework aimed at strengthening and shaping online safety, the conference brings together children, parents, teachers and industry, to work collaboratively to heighten the resilience and sensibilities of young users to better benefit from the opportunities the internet offers them socially, culturally, and educationally. One session will concentrate on social media at the service of learning, with contributions from Israel, Cyprus and European Schoolnet (EUN). In this context EUN will discuss SMILE, - or Social Media in Learning and Education – its unique online learning laboratory for teachers from all over the world, funded by a Digital Citizenship Research Grant from Facebook. Local parent/child ‘duos’ will take part in a spontaneous international peek at privacy, identity theft and online reputation, sharing the stage with Safer Internet Day Competition winners from Romania, Greece and Croatia. This session will children and parent responses to searching questions on topics including the meaning of privacy in today's world, how bridges can be built between generations, transferable strategies to protect against the phenomenon of "being famous at any price," and the role of parents, grandparents and teachers in helping ensure that young people are safe online. Insafe’s International Conference raises the profile of the work being carried out by Safer Internet Centres in Europe and highlights the innovative resources being developed in order to encourage governments across Europe to strengthen the Safer Internet programme through research and greater attention paid to the impact of the internet on young people today. The conference is being held May 14-16, 2012 at the Golden Bay Beach Hotel, Larnaca, Cyprus, and is co- funded by the European Commission. It is also sponsored by Cyta, Vodafone, Microsoft and World Vision. For more information please visit www.saferinternet.org/conference2012 Visit our website www.saferinternet.org and that of your national awareness centre to get tips on how to protect your identity, data and privacy online. About Insafe and INHOPE Under the framework of the European Commission's Safer Internet Programme, Insafe and INHOPE work together to deliver a safer internet, promoting safe, responsible use of the internet and mobile devices to children, young people and their families, and working to identify and remove illegal content online. Find out more by visiting the Insafe and INHOPE joint portal at www.saferinternet.eu. Here you will find links to the various safer internet centre services, by country, along with news and events, and FAQs on safer internet issues. About European Schoolnet European Schoolnet (www.europeanschoolnet.org) is a network of 30 Ministries of Education from across the European member states, leading educational innovation at European level. As a major international think tank, European Schoolnet operates key European services in education on behalf of the European Commission, member Ministries of Education and industry partners. About the Safer Internet Programme The Safer Internet Programme brings together stakeholders who can contribute to make the internet safer: it funds, in particular, a network of NGOs active in the field of child welfare online, a network of law enforcement bodies who exchange information and best practices related to criminal exploitation of the internet in dissemination of child sexual abuse material and a network of researchers who gather information about uses, risks and consequences of online technologies for children's lives. Industry regulation is also encouraged. About CNTI CNTI is a grass root, non-governmental organization active in issues of technology and youth for over a decade. CNTI is currently implementing the Cyprus Safer Internet Centre 'CyberEthics'. It is active in the field of Internet Safety implementing also other projects such as InetRisks - a project that studied the perceptions of parents on Internet dangers, Simsafety - a Web 3.0 technology game simulating Internet dangers in a Second Life like environment and IDentifEYE - an Augmented Reality game dealing with the issue of online data and emerging identities. CNTI is also active in RTD in the area of Internet Safety, especially through its membership to the EU Kids Online Network. For Further information please contact: Iliada Spyrou at [email protected] or 22873820 Dr. Yiannis Laouris at [email protected] or 22873820 .