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Beat Cyberbullying; Embrace Safer Cyberspace
Start date: Sep 1, 2014, End date: Aug 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Today, the internet usage rates among children/teenagers are growing at an uncontrollable speed. Considering that these children were born into this ‘information age’, it is inevitable that this virtual World affects real life more and more each day. This kind of high usage rates brings about risk factors besides its positive contributions and numerous benefits. Recent studies also show that although children and teenagers are encouraged to use information technologies effectively, they don’t receive satisfying education on how to protect themselves from the harmful aspects of the internet. Cyberbullying is not the most common problem that children face while using information technologies, but it is one of the most serious ones as it leads to long term negative effects like psychological problems, violence, absenteeism and early school leaving, poor marks, and poor social skills on children. Cyberbullying is repeated verbal or psychological harassment carried out by an individual or group against others on the internet base. With this project, the partnership is planning to raise awareness of the society and to provide core knowledge and guidelines which can help students, parents, and teachers for avoiding the undesired results of cyberbullying. The project also aims to reveal different ways of motivating and engaging teenagers in safer use of internet. Our target group is 12-17 aged teenagers of which the majority consists of school age children. So as to reach these objectives, the partnership consists of Afyonkarahisar Provincial Directorate for National Education (coordinating partner)(TURKEY), YEGITEK (TURKEY), University of Manchester (England), Konsulent Øystein SamnØen(NORWAY), Interfusion Services Limited(CYPRUS), Artemisaworld S L (SPAIN), Kominikujeme OS (CZECH REPUBLIC), CEIPES (ITALY), Universidade de Coimbra (PORTUGAL). As for the main activities of the project, making a literature review in order to build a comprehensive approach on the subject matter, conducting a needs analysis that provides a diagnosis of the current situation, risks, problems, and the requirements of online teenagers, parents, and educators, applying a study(questionnaires/surveys) on the target groups about the internet usage attitudes, digital literacy, online safety measures, awareness of cyberbullying, effects of cyberbullying, reactions on cyberbullying, organizing seminars for teenagers, parents, and educators, forming a project website, forming a blog or a facebook group, conducting national and transnational conferences, running a campaign against cyberbullying, preparing a guidebook for parents and educators, preparing a handbook for teens, creating an ICT tool, managing and monitoring activities, assessment and evaluation activities, and dissemination activities can be listed briefly. The impact of the project on the participants and partner organizations will be developing extensive knowledge and experience on the field, improving cross-cultural dialogues, improving individual and institutional administrative and communication skills. Awareness of teenagers, parents and educators will be increased on the concept of ‘cyberbullying’, digital literacy of the target groups will be improved, a perspective of precautions and safety measures against cyberbullying will be acquired by the target groups, low school success, absenteeism and early school leaving related to cyberbullying will be minimized, a reference guide will be created on the field, and a great effort will be made to build a safer digital world for children. Through BECYBERSAFE, the partnership wants to create a set of approaches and strategies within the EU's vision based on different ways of motivating and engaging teenagers in safer use of internet. BECYBERSAFE serves as a prevention tool for teenagers; an advisory guideline for the educators and the parents.
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