Make the Social Media a Safe Place Erasmus Project

Project Title

Make the Social Media a Safe Place

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

CONTEXT
Experience in the use of new technologies is a universal feature amongst young people nowadays. They have become experts in operating social media websites and apps from an early age and acts of cyberbullying have escalated, often providing bullies the opportunity to hide their true identity. Researchers are concerned about the psychological and emotional state of mind that is negatively impacted, resulting in low self-confidence and self-esteem amongst victims of cyberbullying. The dangers and effects of cyberbullying also reflect in low interest in study and school, with negative results on academic performance. Lack of experience in dealing with emotional challenges makes it difficult for victims to acknowledge they are facing a serious problem.
S.O.S. will address the issue of cyberbullying and decrease the rate of this phenomenon amongst ss in partner organisations. The project targets both students and parents as we wish to raise ss’ responsible use of internet and social media tools, assist parents by providing guidance in the process to supervise children’s online activity and equip them with the necessary competencies to detect signs of cyberbullying in their behavior.
OBJECTIVES
The scope of the partnership is to generate the context for partner schools to cooperate so as to create the means and approaches to establish a long-term program that addresses the increasing cyberbullying issue. Our aim is to involve students, teachers and parents in activities that will increase their awareness regarding the dangers of cyberbullying.
The consortium have set the following objectives:
– to reduce the cyberbullying rate amongst students in partner institutions by at least 30%
– to raise the awareness of at least 80% of the target group related to all forms of bullying
– to empower parents with the knowledge and competencies for children online supervision activity
– to design an online reporting platform of cyberbullying acts
– to enhance participants’ communication skills and intercultural awareness
– to foster students’ engagement in activities that relate to creativity and critical thinking
– to introduce the European dimension in the five partner organisations through international cooperation opportunities
PARTICIPANTS
We established to include 200 12-14 year-old ss as target group at partnership level. School psychologists and teachers have concluded this is a sensitive stage in teenagers’ development process when they resort to virtual world extensively, often overlooking risks, consequences they are exposed to.
80 students will be selected to participate in LTTAs and thus establish direct contact with their European peers, experience a foreign culture. The other ss in the target group will also benefit from activities that will be carried out locally, attend workshops, similar classes as the ones presented during exchanges, the transfer of methods, tools applied in their own institution. Parents will also benefit through direct and indirect participation.
ACTIVITIES
C1 Cyberbullying in partner schools and countries
C2 Stay safe on the Internet and mobile phones
C3 Various forms of cyberbullying
C4 The effects of cyberbullying
C5 Effective ways to report cyberbullying incidents
Students will accomplish a range of tasks before attending LTTAs. For instance, they will work individually and in groups to do research on LTTA topic/s, select information to include in presentations etc.
RESULTS
Concrete project results will consist of:
– questionnaire on cyberbullying applied in schools at the initial and final stages
– online safety guide for ss
– online platform for ss and parents to report cyberbullying cases
– project booklet C.C.C. (Causes and consequences of cyberbullying)
– guide for parents to track children’s online activity
– collection of lesson plans and activities on cyberbullying
– project twin space, website, logo
– original script written by students and short play performance on the topic of cyberbullying
IMPACT
While attending local and international project activities, ss will gain a deeper understanding of the cyberbullying phenomenon, acquire knowledge and skills to manage it and most importantly, learn how to stay safe, develop creativity and exercise critical thinking skills.
Parents will learn to detect signs that indicate potential victims of cyberbullying and ways to tackle the problem. A selection of activities will be applied in each partner school and the online platform will be used by all partners on a long term, thus reducing the rate of cyberbullying.
Teachers will benefit from effective exchange of pedagogical ideas and experiences, become more motivated and interested in cooperative learning. Participants will increase adaptability to work in multicultural environment, acknowledge the huge gain of transnational cooperation activities. Schools will enhance capacity to successfully implement Erasmus+ projects.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 144604 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zespol Szkol im. Jana Pawla II w Zarzeczu & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Scoala Gimnaziala Viceamiral Ioan Murgescu
• ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO G.VERGA COMISO (RG)
• İstanbul Özel Hazar Ortaokulu
• Second Gymnasium “7 Marsi”