At the start of 2014, Foróige entered into a partnership with McAfee Intel Security to pilot a training programme they had developed which would meet the needs of young people in relation to managing their presence online, particularly in relation to social media.
It is often assumed that young people have the requisite skills when it comes to managing their interactions and presence on the internet and all the accompanying platforms for interaction. During the pilot phase of this work with McAfee, we discovered that it is imperative that a base skills level for all young people be established.
The key concepts explored in the Level One workshop are cyber security, cyber safety and cyber ethics, which staff and volunteers will deliver to over 2,000 young people through Foróige Youth Projects and Clubs, over the next six months. This is a skills based workshop designed to ensure that all young people have the basic knowledge and skills to gain control of their safety and security and consider how they can interact in a responsible way online.
This workshop will be followed by the development of a Level Two workshop in 2015 which will focus on advanced skills for internet and social media use and will allow participants to explore how to build a profile and presence online which is true to who they are. In addition, a complimentary workshop on Cyber Bullying will be developed in 2015.
