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ICDL Launches Cyber Safety workshops targeting Teachers and Parents Across GCC

Initiative aimed at prepping adults to aware and protect children from cyber-threats

Dubai, UAE - Seeking to increase cyber safety awareness among the public to protect children at the heart of the agenda, ICDL GCC Foundation , an activist in promoting digital skills, use and safety for-all, today announced a series of cyber-safety workshops aimed at educators and parents across the GCC. These workshops are part of a comprehensive campaign to raise awareness about cyber threats and crimes..

Today's society is "Connected Anytime Anywhere Society" with people connected to the internet and social networks, on PCs, Tablets, Smart phones and this is a trend that will continue to accelerate. For instance, each day, the MENA region alone is witness to 100 million Google searches, 36,000 new members joining Facebook and 100 million YouTube videos being played. Over 54% of the total UAE population uses Facebook.

Students and children are spending an increasing portion of their time online for studying, transacting, shopping, social networking, posting photos or gaming. This may have enhanced communication, productivity and entertainment but it has also left people more vulnerable than ever to cyber-crime. Children are likely to have unsupervised internet access through their home computers or smart phones. Their vulnerability is most heightened when they are online as they are likely to face some of the most heinous cyber-crimes. Hence, is our responsibility as a society, particularly, educators and parents amongst us to be aware and qualified to reach out to others to spread cyber safety awareness.

The ICDL series of workshops will prepare and empower teachers, as well as parents to identify, report and deal with problematic cyber issues, such as cyber bullying, child exploitation and cyber addiction. They will also include region-specific content showcasing statistics and case studies on common cyber threats encountered in the GCC. The workshops will promote best practices in the provision of cyber security training and cyber safety in a dynamic and interactive learning environment.

Following the successful completion of the 3-day workshop and the submission of an evidence record that proves understanding of the subject matter, participants will receive an internationally recognized certification from ICDL in IT Security. This will result in the creation of qualified mentors across the region that can then pass on their knowledge to other teachers, trainers, parents and students. The workshops will be delivered in Arabic as well as English.

Director General of ICDL , Mr. Jamil Ezzo commented "The world is increasingly transforming into a digital society where Internet has become essential in our daily lives in how we communicate, work, learn and live. We must not only be digitally aware of the cross-cultural differences, but also be vigilant to protect our children and our families against the increasingly regular and sophisticated threat appearing on the Internet. With the explosion in the use of social media and the internet in general, it is the responsibility of the entire society, individuals as well as organizations, to safeguard children from online threats. These 'Cyber Safety Workshops' are part of a region-wide initiative and we encourage all teachers and educational institutions to embrace this opportunity and attend this program."

The International Computer Driving License ( ICDL ) concept is a global computer literacy initiative developed to raise the level of knowledge about Information Technology (IT) and increase the level of competence in using personal computers and common computer applications for all the citizens of the world. The ICDL GCC Foundation is the sole body to implement and disseminate the programmes across the GCC States and Iraq with the support of leading educational institutions and accredited bodies. The ICDL GCC Foundation mission is to enable proficient use of Information and Communications Technology that empowers individuals, organizations and society, through the development, promotion and delivery of quality certification programmes throughout the world. For dates, locations and further details on the Cyber-safety workshops, visit www.icdlgcc.org.

For more information, please contact:
Bahaa Fatairy
PR Manager at Genesis ME Consulting
Mobile: 00971507497353
Email: Bahaa.fatairy@genesis-me.com
Website: www.genesis-me.com

© Press Release 2013

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