Globe Telecom and Facebook have joined hands to promote
digital literacy and online responsibility among students, teachers, and the
general public through the Digital Thumbprint Program which advocates cyber
wellness and judicious use of the Internet.
This was announced by Globe and Facebook at the Globe Media
Excellence Awards – Visayas, an annual event which upholds press freedom and
media excellence by recognizing outstanding traditional and digital media
practitioners.
Inspired by Optus' Digital Thumbprint in-school program in
Australia, DTP was introduced by Globe in the Philippines early last year to
educate as many Filipino youth on the importance of responsible digital
citizenship through a series of workshops.
So far, the DTP has reached 17,510 public and private high
school students while 1,842 public high school teachers have been empowered to
teach the program to their students. Based on the latest impact assessment
conducted by Karrikins Group, 94.4% of the participants found DTP relevant
while 93.7% said it helped them build confidence in their online
activities. Teachers also agreed that their students were highly engaged
in the sessions.
Realizing the importance of DTP in lifting digital literacy
in the Philippines, Facebook has committed to co-develop a module with Globe
for DTP that will equip the public with skills to discern the authenticity and
reliability of online information, and act with empathy online.
Facebook has also committed to further enrich the content of
the first three DTP modules which deal with online security and safety,
responsible online behavior and protection against cyberbullying, and
empowerment through technology and innovation. Each module was designed
to increase students’ knowledge of digital citizenship
Clair Deevy, Head of Community Affairs for APAC, said “At
Facebook, helping build an informed community is critical to our mission of
giving people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.
We want to empower people to identify misleading news content when they
encounter it — on any platform. To do this, we need to work together with tech
companies, media companies, newsrooms and classrooms. Here in the Philippines,
we are working with Globe and others to help create a more informed community.”
“We are glad to collaborate with Facebook in further
strengthening DTP by educating the youth and communities about digital truth
while promoting values that respect the dignity of each person online. In
an age where there is easy access to all types of information via the internet,
it is incumbent upon us to help educate the public especially the youth about
proper online behavior. One of our sustainability focus areas is creating
a digital nation. Globe as a technology company acknowledges the
importance of having the right balance of empowerment that technology brings
and the responsibility that goes with it,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe SVP for
Corporate Communications.
With over 58% of Filipinos using the Internet daily at an
average of 4.17 hours, and over 60% of Filipinos now having access to
data-capable phones, Globe sees it as an opportune time to advocate responsible
use of the information highway and protect its customers against misinformation
and online threats.
Schools and organizations that would like to avail and
schedule facilitation of the free workshops can email bridgecom@globe.com.ph.
Workshops also include a trainers program to equip aspiring facilitators to
carry out the workshops independently.
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