Marcela Alzin, Manager for International Cooperation at eSlovensko, the Slovakian Insafe Awareness Centre introduces their latest campaign to promote Internet safety using a fun cast of characters that would not normally spring to mind when one thinks of modern communication technology - sheep!
See the films below with English subtitles and then read on for more information on this intriguing project.
Coatless (Publishing indecent photos online)
White Sheep (Discrimination and racism online, uncritical thinking)
Secret Friend (Grooming and pedophilia)
Don’t Dance With the Wolf (Misuse of indecent photos and videos)
Here's more information on the projects background and future plans.
Online technologies offer an unprecedented means of communication and facilitate freedom of expression around the globe. As Imornternet access and mobile phone use become more widespread worldwide, children and youths are increasingly becoming active users of the technology. For them, the Internet is a powerful space for socializing, learning, and even engaging in public life. But the kids are not aware of the hazards of virtual life – they reveal personal information about themselves or their families online, they chat with people they do not know, share sensitive photographs or videos, and thus become victims of cyberbullying, online harassment, or become exposed to illegal or harmful content. This problem is becoming more serious with decreasing age of children entering the virtual space for the first time.
Tackling the issues
eSlovensko, which has been active in the field of IT in Slovakia for a few years, recognized this dangerous trend among minors, and in 2007 launched an awareness raising project Zodpovedne.sk (from Slovak “responsibly”) with nationwide coverage. The latest activity of the project was the creation of four animated stories OVCE.sk (from Slovak “sheep”) which reflect inappropriate behaviour of youths in the virtual world and shall be utilized as an effective resource for practical media education.
As the title of the series may suggest, the stories are set in a sheep field and the main characters are little sheep, the wise shepherd, his helper, bad wolf and a hunter. They combine patterns of Slovak cultural heritage with sensitive up-to-day topics like grooming, pedophilia, racism and xenophobia, misuse of personal information or photographs, which are dealt with in an amusing, yet educational way. The main goal of the creators was to reach even the youngest users of the Internet.
Why sheep?
The project team spent many hours in discussions with psychologists, teachers, media experts and partners from law enforcement about the form of the educational resource. Our goal was to avoid direct association with kids, therefore a suitable proxy solution was needed. Finally, the environment of sheep has been selected because it not just refers to Slovak folklore but also because sheep are generally attributed with flock behaviour which, metaphorically, can be attributed to people who tend to be in lack of critical thinking. This is one of the main reasons of harmful conduct in the virtual world.
Animated stories as educational resource
The stories were first introduced to the public on 8 October 2009, and immediately received strong media coverage. Currently, they are broadcasted on national TV channels in prime time, and the project website (www.ovce.sk), apart from the stories, offers visitors a handful of accompanying OVCE.sk features, such as games, cartoons, glossary of internet terms, emoticons and many downloadable items. OVCE.sk theme advice sheets on mobiles, addictions, personal information and cyberbullying (http://ovce.sk/download.phtml?pg=plagaty) have been printed on the covers of workbooks for primary schools. In the near future, eSlovensko, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, plans to make DVDs with OVCE.sk stories, part of “Prevention Kit” for policemen-preventists who visit pupils in their schools and give lectures on crime prevention. The DVD will be accompanied by a methodical handbook which explains how to work with the DVD in classes.
The animated stories target a wide audience. Although young children and teens are the primary target group, the stories also attract their parents/carers and teachers, many of which are not aware of harmful conduct of minors online or other virtual world hazards. Taking into account the population of national minorities in Slovakia, the stories have been produced in Slovak, Hungarian and Roma languages. Additionally, there is a sign language version and an international version with English subtitles. They are all available on both project website and YouTube.
The project is co-financed by the European Commission within the Safer Internet plus programme and is supported by Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic, Slovak Committee for UNICEF and commercial partners. With the animated stories, eSlovensko wishes to commemorate the 20th anniversary of adoption of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
More to come...
The project team plans to release next set of stories in 2010. Since the topics covered are understandable internationally and the setting is rather unconventional, the stories may attract audience worldwide. eSlovensko is open to international cooperation.
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