Since the pandemic began in March 2020, many people have completely “digitized” their lives. Although this change brought many advantages, it has also intensified some problems. One of them is cyberbullying.
A report by L1ght, a company that searches and filters abusive and toxic content online, shows that hate speech among children and teens has increased by 70% since students began attending classes online.
Therefore, this problem must be solved as soon as possible and the individuals affected have to receive special help, regardless of whether it is the person who mistreats or who is mistreated.
And that is certainly the mission of #ICANHELP, a non-profit organization. The objective of this is to empower young people and turn them into agents of change, to promote digital safety.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the consequences of cyberbullying and how #ICANHELP’s work is positively impacting global youth.
What is cyberbullying?
Although there is no a single definition for cyberbullying, this type of abuse occurs when children, adolescents, or adults use digital media, such as smartphones, computers, social networks, or other digital platforms, to intimidate, threaten and harass one or more people.
Among the most common forms of cyberbullying, we have:
- Harassment through instant messaging apps (like WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, and SMS).
- Password theft.
- Offensive posts on blogs, forums, websites, and social networks.
- Popularity polls to humiliate or intimidate.
Certainly, all these forms of abuse can cause significant emotional damage to the behaviors of victims because, in many cases, the information is public and available 24 hours a day, which makes it difficult to remove this content.
How are #ICANHELP actions stopping cyberbullying?
Recent studies have shown that even if young people understand the mechanics of social media, it doesn’t mean they know how to handle situations like cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and attacks that put their privacy at risk.
The goal of #ICANHELP is to offer children and adolescents the means and training necessary so that they can protect themselves, socialize on the Internet safely and use social networks positively.
Working together with students and educators, #ICANHELP has created tools and curricula to build safer school communities and train the next generation of digital leaders.
So far, this institution has trained more than 2.4 million students and educators. Therefore, each of them has become an agent of change, that works tirelessly to stop cyberbullying.
#ICANHELP does this work through these initiatives:
Student-led empowerment
Thanks to the “Digital Citizenship Student Curriculum” program, students can share their ideas and become leaders in their communities.
#ICANHELP has created more than 50 workshops, activities, and lessons, to help young people build a positive community both online and in the real world. This allows them to explore the impact of cyberbullying on their peers and themselves.
They also learn to manage people’s negativity, how to report inappropriate behavior, and interact safely on social media.
Student-driven community
To promote emotional and mental health in children and adolescents, #ICANHELP has organized a group of interns. Hence, they are responsible for designing and directing social campaigns, to maximize the impact of this organization.
The mission of these young people is to teach children how to create a community that promotes digital safety. Therefore, to achieve this goal, they create challenges, games, and videos that show them how to use social media safely.
This group also has volunteers, who help them create content with a positive message, to share it on Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok. With this initiative, young people create a secure digital community. As a result, they develop their writing, design, project management skills, and acquire technical knowledge.
Each year, this group of young people and volunteers collaborate with a team of mentors from IT companies, such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, to organize the contest #Digital4Good. This award recognizes students who use social media and technology to make positive changes in their communities.
This event is broadcast online to highlight the educational panels that spread the word about the importance of cybersecurity.
You can also be part of this digital revolution!
There are several ways you can collaborate and support the great work of this organization. Keep reading to learn how you can collaborate:
Donate: Your contributions will help thousands of students around the world cope with cyberbullying. As well as receive detailed information about all the activities and events organized by #ICANHELP.
Show your support with a t-shirt: You can express to the world your commitment to create a safe digital community, by wearing a t-shirt or sweater with the logo of this organization. The #ICANHELP online store has a wide variety of models, which you can customize with your favorite size and colors.
Enroll in a course or workshop: Attend a virtual training or workshop to receive a personalized presentation from award-winning instructors. Therefore, you can create strategies that will help you promote digital safety in your community.
Sponsor their activities: Providing your support as a sponsor, you will help #ICANHELP organize events, internship programs, training, and courses that boost digital empowerment in young people.
Volunteer: By joining this organization, you can learn and share your knowledge about cyberbullying. In addition, you can help other members of your community to deal with this terrible situation.
So, do you want to become a force for change? Join #ICANHELP today, and help thousands of young people create a secure digital community.
