ACTION-BASED APPROACH IN ADDRESSING AND MITIGATING RISKS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS

While exposure to social media certainly has benefits, it also involves exposure to risks, associated with security risks and negative experiences. COVID-19 has revealed how the spread of misinformation, especially on social media and other digital platforms, is proving to be a threat to young people, as youth is among those most engaged on social media. RISE addresses the following needs: • Lack or limited knowledge of the underlying risks and threats of social networks of young people • Lack of knowledge of the risks of social media, especially in the COVID-19 era • Need to address information overload and misinformation, fake news spread, cyber propaganda etc. • Need to address the vulnerability of young people to social media • Need to educate and train youth workers and youth trainers to address social media risks of young people so that they can further disseminate this information. • Need to increase the quality of relevant youth education with regard to social media • Need to educate and train youth workers and youth trainers to address social media risks of young people so that they can further disseminate this information. • Need to increase the quality of relevant youth education with regard to social networks.

RISE project aims to help young people feel safe in online communities, by developing and promoting methodologies and services to prevent and combat the risks and implications of digitalization, and especially of the social media exposure of young people. RISE established a three-way approach, which included the following sub-objectives: 1. A methodology designed to address the needs of young people in the framework of digitalization and especially of social media in the age of the post-COVID-19 pandemic. 2. An educational game for young people aimed to reach young people and prevent and mitigate risks of social networks (PR2). 3. A Capacity Building programme (OER/PR3) for Youth Workers and Youth Trainers aimed to help them build capacity when dealing with risks of young people in social networks, especially in the post-COVID-19 age. This multi-layered but direct approach offers youth workers/trainers a hands-on experience of risks of digital platforms and supports them in building their capacity to deal with such risks in online communities; while it also offers young people a user-friendly game that demonstrates the risks in an interesting way and educated them to avoid, prevent, and mitigate them.

Management Activities: We ensured compliance by communication, meetings, administration, and financial guidelines, by setting up a SharePoint folder as the central collaboration platform, and creating essential documents like the WBS, Partner Agreements, and the PM Plan; Dissemination and Communication Activities: The project's visibility and stakeholder engagement were enhanced through the development of a visual identity, website, social media. Quality and Impact Evaluation Activities: Quality and impact were monitored via a quality evaluation plan, risk assessments, and regular evaluations, including detailed reports for the educational game's development and the final conference; Partners Meetings: Meetings, both online and in-person, focused on task organization and completion, aligning partner efforts to the project's anticipated results and activities; Research, data analysis: Conducted detailed research on online risks affecting young people in six countries, collection of Best Practices help the development of an educational game and a training program for youth workers; Learning, Teaching, Training, Capacity Building Activity aims to enhance skills in managing online risks.

Project Management: Established SharePoint for collaboration; developed essential documents: Work Breakdown Structure, Partner Agreements, Project Management Plan, Risk Assessment, Quality Evaluation Plan and held monthly online meetings and four TPMs —facilitating comprehensive project administration and reporting. PR1: Conducted research across six countries on youth online risks, identifying key issues like cyberbullying and fake news, resulting in national reports and a general report, setting the stage for future actions. PR2: Developed an interactive educational game for youth, focusing on online safety, enhanced through interactive testing and design improvements, available in all partner languages. PR3: Created a training program for youth workers based on PR1's findings, equipping them with online safety navigation tools, amounting to 30 hours of training and material development. An LTTA, enhancing skills in online vigilance and risk reduction, praised for its comprehensive content and user-friendly approach. Multiplier Events and Final Conference: Conducted eight events in partner countries and a final conference in Romania, extensively promoting project outcomes and engaging stakeholders.