Contest for most social media-savvy school to launch
Teaching youngsters how to use social media positively is the goal of a new project to launch next month
Improving digital skills
Antwerp entrepreneur Katja Schipperheijn, who also developed the social learning platform SCool with her start-up The LearnScape, has initiated the project. It is supported by the Digital Belgium Skills Fund, established by federal digital agenda minister Alexander De Croo. The fund aims to help socially disadvantaged youngsters to improve their digital skills.
Schools can receive educational materials that showcase the advantages of social media, encourage students to work with them thoughtfully, connects pupils and helps develop their digital skills.
“A lot of youngsters are fascinated by ICT and new technologies, but they don’t always have the financial means or networks to fully develop their talents,” Schipperheijn told Antwerp’s regional broadcaster ATV. “But digital skills are more and more determining your opportunities, especially on the labour market.”
The project is supported by numerous partners, including radio station MNM, VRT Sandbox, Child Focus, Mediawijs.be, the Privacy Commission and BookWidgets.
Any school in Flanders can register for the #SociaalsteSchool contest starting on 15 August and can request project kits from ScoolEdu. The winners will be announced during the first week of November.
Photo: Lucélia Ribeiro/Flickr
