Youth Campaigns оn Online Safety – Third Group Young People Trained

We held the next training for peer educators on topics related to critical thinking, disinformation, online security and safe behavior on the Internet from February 17 to 19, 2025 in Sofia. The presenters: Emanuil Georgiev, youth educator at the National Center for Safer Internet; Dr. Radosveta Stamenkova, Pavlina Filipova, Ralitsa Zgalevska and Boyan Mladenov, experienced lecturers and educators of various target groups, including young people and vulnerable communities, on topics related to disease prevention, reproductive health, prevention of sexual exploitation of children, etc.

Wonderful young people from four schools, from Sofia, Stara Zagora and Pernik, participated. Already in the first session, it became clear that almost all of them are motivated and to a large extent ready to help their peers on the topics.

During the training, we thought together and talked about the risks on the Internet, the possible types of online harassment, the technical settings that help us stay safe from ill-wishers, the potential risks of communicating with strangers online, and the ways we can cope in cases where we notice that we are in danger or someone has already abused our trust. Through a game, we learned why it is important and how to build a team when we have a common goal; about fake news and disinformation – how to recognize them and why they exist; about the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence, as well as the prospects for its use by humans in the near and more distant future. During the third day, we looked at various examples of campaigns, which served as inspiration for the young people to come up with their own campaigns to implement together in their local areas. The initiatives of the young people are meaningful and promising. They are about to spread valuable and useful knowledge from the thematic areas of training among their classmates. We will monitor and support them together with their teachers to implement them. Some of the ideas are the production of videos and promotional materials; presentations at school. And one of the groups will pay special attention to ‘passive bystanders’ in cases of online bullying.

We are implementing the ‘Digital Children’ project in a consortium with the Parents Association and the National Network for Children. Through it, we ensure the work of the National Safer Internet Center (NSIC). Among its main activities is to support the work of the Hotline for Illegal Content and the Child Online Safety Advisory Line 124 123, as well as the Center’s prevention and training activities.
Funded by the European Union, co-funded & in cooperation with the British Council. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) or the British Council. Neither the European Union, HaDEA nor the British Council can be held responsible for them.