‘I Am Digital’, the online safety educational campaign by Save the Children and Facebook, drew to a close earlier in March. The month-long campaign was designed to help educate and empower Pacific Island teenagers and young people to have safer and more positive online experiences.

Developed by Pacific youth, for the Pacific youth, the campaign resources will continue to remain available on their respective countries’ ‘I Am Digital’ Facebook pages.

The archive contains the most significant and up-to-date educational materials in the South Pacific for youths and adults to address the increasingly concerning issues of online behaviour, risks and abuse that have become ever more relevant as internet usage rapidly increases across the islands.

This impressive collection includes close to 400 original educational materials in the form of factsheets, social media posts, tips and highlight videos, much of which was customised to the respective languages and cultures in English, Fijian i-Taukei, Fiji Hindi, Tok Pisin, Samoan and Tongan. Resources provided by the culturally renowned campaign ‘influencers’ also form this expansive online archive.

Particularly important are the factsheets that can assist youths facing a crisis by providing critical contact details to proper local support organisations.

While the campaign’s primary target was young people, parents and teachers are also encouraged to view the materials to gain greater understanding and to provide better guidance to young people in their care.

Shairana Ali, CEO of Save the Children Fiji, shared that, “Here in the islands, social media has opened up incredible access for our youth to content from across the globe. But it is harder to find international content that has been developed for Pacific Islanders, by Pacific Islanders.”

“We’re confident that these educational materials will open ways not only for young people but also for adults to be far better internet users and to practice online safety more effectively,” she continued.

The Facebook pages continue to be monitored as ‘I Am Digital’ prepares to extend to other Pacific island nations later in 2021 with a strong possibility of expanding its current topics and material.

To view this impressive online archive, visit the following ‘I Am Digital’ Facebook pages below:

https://www.facebook.com/FBandSCiamdigitalpac

https://www.facebook.com/FBandSCiamdigital.fiji

https://www.facebook.com/FBandSCiamdigital.papuanewguinea

https://www.facebook.com/FBandSCiamdigital.samoa

https://www.facebook.com/FBandSCiamdigital.tonga

For more information, please contact:

Fiji/Samoa/Tonga: Sofaia.Koroitanoa@savethechildren.org

Papua New Guinea: askim@savethechildren.org.au or catherine.bedford@savethechildren.org.au

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