The Child Safety Campaign (CSC), an initiative of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), graduated a group of exceptional students on Thursday who had successfully completed a three-week, intensive ‘Cyber Safety Skills’ summer camp. Organised by CSC with the aim of providing young people a safe environment to access the Internet, the camp developed the young participants’ skills and taught them how to engage with the World Wide Web while following proper safety measures.

Held under the patronage of the wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SCFA, the Cyber Safety Skills summer camp was organised by CSC in cooperation with ICDL Arabia, the governing body and certification authority for the International Computer Driving License certificate program in Egypt, GCC States and Iraq. The camp saw the participation of 21 students aged 14 to 18 years old – an age group considered as one of the most active on the Internet and the most vulnerable to its dangers.

The camp included a comprehensive educational programme which took place over the course of three weeks and covered three main modules: Cyber Safety, Social Media and Online Search. The programme saw participants gain the knowledge required to operate computers and mobile devices safely and developed their skills in using social media resources effectively, both in their personal and professional lives.

Recognising the efforts made by participants during the camp and their success in obtaining the globally-recognised ICDL certificate, CSC honoured the young students during a graduation ceremony held as part of the UAE’s Safer Internet Day celebrations for the month of February, at the SCFA, in the presence of Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei, Department Director at SCFA and Head of the CSC Organising Committee; Rania Al Qaisi, Regional Manager of Business Affairs at ICDL Arabia and the graduates’ families.

Commenting on the CSC initiative, Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei remarked; “Following the statement of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council Ruler of Sharjah, who said: ‘Developing the human being is the cornerstone of development’, Sharjah has stopped at nothing in the sake of developing its human potential and nurturing future generations to enable them to lead the country’s future.”

Al Yafei stressed Sharjah’s vital role in fostering and building the potential of young generations, quoting Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi: “Children are a treasure and they deserve our special attention. In a caring and nurturing environment, children will receive the focused attention they deserve, thus developing their personalities and equipping them with the education and knowledge and that will lead them to better serve their society.” Al Yafei explained that CSC was keen to raise the participants’ awareness of online safety and developing their electronic reading, research and authentication skills.

Camp participant Nader Abdul Majeed Salem, aged 18 years, delivered the graduates’ speech and spoke about the benefits of taking part in the camp: “We had a unique experience where we gained many skills that will help us navigate the Internet safely. We learned about ethical use of the Internet and social networking sites and how to access various sources of information, such as digital books, and verify references. We also gained an understanding of intellectual property rights, authentication, and research.”

He added, “We identified the skills and knowledge required to operate computers safely and how to respond to properly to the dangers and threats posed by viruses. We also learned about the most effective ways to search for information, how to use different back-up procedures and how to create strong passwords, among many other skills. Thanks to the different topics and lessons throughout the camp we are now better able to employ the Internet for our education and its many other useful purposes while staying safe online.”

The graduation ceremony saw all the participants receive the ICDL certificate. CSC also honoured the partners who supported the Cyber Safety Skills summer camp, including ICDL Arabia and HSBC. For its part, ICDL Arabia presented CSC with a token of appreciation during the ceremony, thanking the organising committee of the Campaign and the SCFA for their tireless efforts in providing a safe and protective environment for children in Sharjah.

Child Safety Campaign is an initiative of SCFA that was launched under the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi. It seeks to promote awareness about children’s safety, protection, and social stability in order to ensure children are physically and psychologically healthy in a stable, family environment.