As an Awareness Centre under the EU Safer Internet Programme, SAFE.SI raises awareness of its five target groups about safe and responsible use of internet and new technologies. The project’s aim is to provide children, teenagers, parents, teachers and social workers with knowledge and tools for guiding, empowering and helping children and teenagers in the digital world.
The Slovene Awareness Centre has positioned itself as the key resource and knowledge base for children’s use of the internet and mobile technologies in Slovenia. A strong network of national stakeholders supports the Awareness Centre and ensures the dissemination of educational materials, information and advice.
The centre initiates, coordinates and participates in a broad range of activities and initiatives with the aim to raise awareness in its area. Among others:
National campaigns
The Slovenian Awareness Centre coordinates the Slovenian celebration of Safer Internet day and also launches its own awareness campaigns - campaign against ICT addictions, campaign against mobile bullying, campaign raising awareness about the risk of imprudent publishing of personal data online, campaign about principles of online ethics, etc. The Centre continuously cooperates with a large group of stakeholders on a variety of other campaigns.
Workshops and seminars for target groups
SAFE,SI has been actively involved in educating parents and teachers about the opportunities and potential risks of using the internet since 2007. The main aim of such trainings is to encourage parents to take a more active interest in their child’s internet use and to provide them with practical information and advice about how they may help keep their child safe online. With the help of our train-the-trainer system 2000 parents are educated about online safety through 50 seminars on yearly basis.
SAFE.SI also organises interactive workshops for children and teenagers throughout the school year. In 2012/2013 school year a new partner in the consortium MISSS (Youth Information and Counselling Centre of Slovenia) will take over realisation of this important part of the project's mission. With their regional network of organisations they will visit 100 schools in Slovenia yearly and hold 400 workshops for primary and secondary school's students.
Educational and promotional materials
One of the Centre’s main dedications is providing its target groups with attractive and educational materials like videos, e-learning, games, quizzes, video tutorials, brochures, handbooks, activities, leaflets, posters, stickers, etc. Additionally the Centre produces different promotional materials like T-shirts, key chains, mouse pads, USB keys … to raise awareness about SAFE.SI and its activities, when participating at different events, fairs, festivals, etc.
Website
Awareness Centre’s website www.safe.si provides exhaustive information regarding internet safety for all project’s target groups. Children, teenagers, parents and teachers all have separate sections on the website that provide information, tips, materials, videos designed especially for the respective target group. On the website we offer digital versions of all SAFE.SI printed materials and also useful links and materials of other organisations. Important service of the website is a SAFE.SI help centre which is a section that gathers links to reporting forms of many different popular web services like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Youtube, Gmail, MSN, Xbox 360, etc. The website is daily updated by all important news in the field of online safety and new technologies. The visitors of the website can watch educational and fun videos, play didactic games, take quizzes or tests, send postcards or sign an antibullying pledge, etc.
Social media
Awareness centre is also taking advantage of opportunities for reaching target groups with safety messages, tips and information through popular social media. On Facebook the centre has set up two pages: one for parents www.facebook.com/safe.si and one for teens www.facebook.com/deskamvarno. The pages are updated daily and we try to stimulate our “fans” to active participation. A very important tool for engaging the demanding public of teens is our Facebook app test for teens “Are you a Facebook jerk?”, which spreads virally and attracts new fans. The Centre also maintains a Twitter account whith daily news and a Youtube and other video community channels where we publish our videos and video tutorials.
