STUDENT INTERNET PROJECT WINS IN BRUSSELS
An Internet presentation created by students of T.G. Masaryk Basic School in Mnichovice and Athens College Basic School in Athens that warns of Internet dangers won the international "Safer Internet Day" competition, which is run by the independent organization European Schoolnet with the assistance of the Vodafone Group. The animated presentation Forest Animals Surfing, created by Czech and Greek students, presents modern-day dangers and risks lurking on the Internet, especially with regards to potential sexual victimisation, in an entertaining and practical manner. Representatives of the winning schools received a cheque for 3,000 Euros from Anne Mullins, the Director of Content Services for the Vodafone Group, at a gala ceremony in Brussels.
An Internet presentation created by students of T.G. Masaryk Basic School in Mnichovice and Athens College Basic School in Athens that warns of Internet dangers won the international "Safer Internet Day" competition, which is run by the independent organization European Schoolnet with the assistance of the Vodafone Group. The animated presentation Forest Animals Surfing, created by Czech and Greek students, presents modern-day dangers and risks lurking on the Internet, especially with regards to potential sexual victimisation, in an entertaining and practical manner. Representatives of the winning schools received a cheque for 3,000 Euros from Anne Mullins, the Director of Content Services for the Vodafone Group, at a gala ceremony in Brussels.
"Unfortunately, surveys indicate that nearly two thirds of children accept invitations to meet strangers who suggest getting together through the Internet," says Přemysl Filip, Senior Manager of Corporate Responsibility for Vodafone, adding, "Safer Internet Day should help provide more information to children and adolescents about the risks that threaten them through the Internet."
"Children sense the dangers that may lie in wait for them on the Internet, but it is necessary to continuously speak to them about this subject, which this project does in an entertaining and natural fashion," says Marcela Erbenová, Director of T.G. Masaryk Basic School in Mnichovice.
The winning presentation was created by a team of twenty Czech and Greek students over a period of one month. Owing to the geographical distance, the children communicated exclusively through email, chatting applications, and Internet videoconferences (with Skype technology).
Teams from 43 countries competed in this year's Safer Internet Day competition. The main objectives of the Safer Internet project are to:
- increase children's and adolescents' awareness of the risks in cyberspace
- improve computer literacy among children and adolescents
- support intercultural and cross-border cultural exchanges
- teach children teamwork skills
You can find information about Safer Internet Day at the website for the Czech project www.saferinternet.cz, specifically http://www.saferinternet.cz/page.asp?idk=196, which organises the event in the Czech Republic.
The international agency AccountAbility (http://www.accountabilityrating.com), which assesses the social responsibility of major multinational firms in relation to their profits every year, rated the Vodafone Group as the most socially responsible firm in the world in 2006.