Google Kenya is all about promoting safe use of the internet as they set out hosting the first Web Rangers summit in Africa.
The summit is aimed at spreading awareness about internet safety and promoting responsible digital citizenship on the continent.
Attending the summit, which is being held at the Brookhouse School in Nairobi, Kenya, are 26 Web Rangers from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
The Web Rangers will meet and share ideas on how they can make the Internet a safer place for young Internet users in their respective countries.
Activities
Participants at the summit will attend a bootcamp on how to make campaign videos for online audiences topics such as diversity and inclusion, trust, tolerance and responsibility.
The summit also includes lessons on how to tackle real life policy issues – focusing on cyber bullying, sexting, sharing personal information online and cat fishing.
Ms. Fatuma Hirsi, the Principal Secretary Broadcasting and Telecommunication stated that, “Programmes such as Web Rangers are a very welcome complement to the work that parents, teachers, guardians and governments do in building a better world for our children.”
“I congratulate Google in conceptualizing the programme and scaling it to many countries in such a short time, and also for your work in building into your products and services tools and resources that help families to use the Internet safely and responsibly.
“I thank you too for your choice of our beautiful country Kenya as the host of your Summit,” she added in a speech read on her behalf by Mr. Timothy Were, Deputy Director, Ministry of ICT Kenya.
Additionally, Doron Avni, Director, Public Policy and Government Relations, EMEA Emerging Markets and founder of Webrangersa said Google, is committed to protecting children on the Internet and providing all their users with a safe experience because protecting kids is a responsibility they share.
According to him, their business also depends on people being online and as such need it to be a safe space.
“The Internet can aid children with their school work, help them connect with friends, and offer a creative outlet. At the same time, children have been exposed to some of the worst forms of exploitation, violence and abuse online.
“It is therefore important that we all work closely together in order to mitigate the unintended negative aspects of this medium on children, while at the same time maximizing the benefits they can accrue from it,” he said.
About Web Rangers
Web Rangers is a Google-led digital literacy programme aimed at promoting and educating the youth about how the internet is an empowering tool relevant to their lives and their future.
Launched in 2011, Web Rangers currently runs in 15 countries around the world, including the aforementioned three African states.
In Kenya, Web Rangers was launched in 2015 at Precious Girls Secondary, Riruta. The programme currently runs in over 176 schools across Kenya and has directly trained 3,500 students and 1,500 teachers.
By: ClaraDoku/techvoiceafrica.com
