Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: Pacific Islands Digital Citizenship and Safety Advisory Group
Date: Auckland, 29 July 2020 – Facebook is today convening the inaugural meeting of a Pacific Islands Digital Citizenship and Safety Advisory Group established to help inform a new digital education programme.
The Group comprises more than 10 digital leaders, policy makers and academics from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia and will meet via videoconference. Members’ insights into the digital landscape in the Pacific will assist in identifying important themes relating to digital citizenship, safety and literacy across the region, and creating initiatives that are relevant to local communities.
The new education programme, scheduled to launch in 2020, will use Facebook’s successful ‘We Think Digital’ to launch a tailored education campaign relevant for local communities including Samoa, Fiji and other countries within the region. This successful programme is currently used in nine countries including the Philippines, Vietnam and Costa Rica.
Organisations represented include the Online Safety Commission, Fiji, Save the Children Fiji, UNICEF and the Young and Resilient Research Centre, Western Sydney University.
“Communities throughout the Pacific Ocean are spending more time online including on Facebook services as the result of improved IT infrastructure and increased use of social media platforms following COVID-19. We are excited to work with the Advisory Group members to develop a programme for local communities that will empower users of our services to enjoy the benefits of being online, safe and securely,” says Mia Garlick, Director of Policy, Facebook, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
