Digital Youth Forum, will take place on 25 May 2017, at the Copernicus Science Center, Warsaw, Poland. This meeting is co-organized by ITU with the Empowering Children Foundation, Safer Internet, EU and other stakeholders.
Digital Youth Forum (DYF) is an event designed for youth, by youth and about youth. It concentrates on online safety as well as creative and innovative uses of new technologies as an alternative to risky online behaviours.
Objectives of DYF include the following:
- to talk about online safety in an attractive and inspiring way
- to promote creative use of new technologies
- to foster creativity, innovation and efficacy in the field of new technologies and internet
- to empower, inspire and motivate
- to introduce role models and mentors
- to provide opportunities for collaborations and networking
- to support youth activism incorporating online tools and new technologies
DYF consists of several sessions. During every session we plan 5–6 presentations (each lasting aprox. 15–18 minutes). Speakers are mostly young people (aged 14–18) who use new technologies in a positive and inspiring way such as entrepreneurs, programmers, bloggers, activists, start-upers, game makers. We invite also adult experts and leaders such as YouTubers, mentors, online safety experts, game designers, programmers, mobile photographers, initiators of smartphone TV, social marketing experts etc.
During the breaks lasting about 60 minutes participants have a chance to take part in mini workshops, mentoring sessions with experts, and also had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with new technologies in the exhibition area (such as 3D printers, programming robots, lasers plotters, Atos Core skaner etc). The breaks are organized in such a way as to facilitate networking, interaction and exchange of experiences.
Target audience are young people aged 14-18 from secondary schools from whole Poland. It is planned to host at least 400 young participants. Admission is free of charge, but prior registration to the event via online platform is required.
The event takes place at the Copernicus Science Centre – the largest science centre in Poland and one of the most advanced in Europe. Therefore it is a very attractive location among youth. Digital Youth Forum is promoted online on social media as well as through mailing to schools and teachers. Digital Youth Forum is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
Contribution to the Operation Unkind
Since 2016, RErights.org has teamed up with ITU's Child Online Protection (COP) initiative to launch 'Operation Unkind' consultation inviting young people to share their ideas and experiences.
Over the two rounds of the consultation, Operation Unkind allow the ITU Council Working Group Members to consider young people's opinions and report their concerns to relevant stakeholders so they can reflect young people's needs in policymaking.
2017 edition is the third round of the consultation, focusing on the digital skills and education.
In this context, the Digital Youth Forum will serve as a platform for collecting the views of the young people how their rights relate to their use of digital media and technologies like computers, the internet and mobile devices.
