We shape our own digital game

The project aims to raise awareness and increase the capacity of participants for safe online interactions, with a special focus on cyber-bullying, unwanted online social contact, excessive screen-time, inappropriate or offensive content, online personal-data breaching. The awareness raising and capacity-building is expected to take place through two different cycles of activities: (a) 3 workshops for parents and educators under the topic ‘Children’s interactions on the Internet and Video Games’, (b) 12 group-sessions for children of diverse cultural background (including asylum seekers/refugees) on basic rules of programming and acquaintance with the video game as a cultural medium. The sessions also aim to link the video game with content from other media such as books and comics, while the video game will be posted on an online platform so that participants can share the content and play the game after the completion of the project. As part of these activities, core equality issues are expected to be discussed and promoted, namely gender, ethnicity and race equality, as well as critical thinking against stereotypes that are represented online and in video games. Through the development of basic programming skills and the exposure to quality audiovisual material of the Project Promoter (Children’s Library), participants are expected to receive new stimulus and become more empowered. The interaction of participants with different cultural backgrounds residing in the same neighborhood towards a common goal, solidarity, empathy and cultural acceptance are expected to increase, combatting xenophobia.