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Using Smart(phone)

2019-3-IT03-KA105-0175072019Youth mobilityfinalized
Countries: IT|EL|MT|CZ · Grant: €14,392
Creativity and cultureICT - new technologies - digital competencesHealth and wellbeing

Objectives

At different levels, communities and individuals are influenced by a wide range of social media websites, web applications, educational resources, internet marketing, research etc, with increasing smartphone addiction across countries and communities. The Global Digital Report of 2019 shows an impressive rise in the use of digital tools. The data relating to the European geographical area, indicate that the daily use of the internet through the mobile phone has grown in the last 4 years. The total monthly mobile data traffic to smartphones has recorded an increase of 45% as annual change in Europe. In the same research, the data about the monthly active social media users, are on average above the 59% of the population.* The project Using Smart(phone) addresses a topic which is particularly relevant among young people: the internet use habits and the excessive use of the smartphone in their daily life. In our local reality, young people often discuss about the problematic use of the internet and the common addiction to the smartphone which affects youngsters’ daily lives. During one of our local initiatives called "English Language cafe", run by volunteers from HRYO at the cultural center "Stato Brado", the topic of overuse of smartphones came up and many ideas were developed. Above all, they have reflected on the technological addictions, the impact of social networks on the increase in a problematic use of the smartphone, but they also debated about the possibility to change the addictive attitude. All these considerations were the starting point for this project, which aims to: raise awareness on the addictions connected to the mobile phones and the internet use; take full advantages of technological advances without demonizing innovative digital tools; create an alternative and healthier way of using digital tools and internet; boost a change in youngsters’ attitude, to free their daily life from any conditioning. Furthermore, the project Using Smart(phone), in line with the objectives of the Erasmus plus programme, aims to: encourage intercultural dialogue and communication on the topic, increase self-empowerment of the young people through the reflection, critical thinking and confrontation on their attitude, know the potential of non-formal education as a method to gain the soft skills recognised by the Youthpass. The project Using Smart(phone) will involve 28 young people from Greece, Malta, Czech Republic and Italy. The flow of activities will lead the participants towards the analysis of their attitude, through the drafting of a personal report and the achievement of a better consciousness on the addictive approach to the smartphone, through brainstorming, research, interviews, documentaries and other activities. The path that the exchange will follow intend to trigger a healthier behaviour to face the conditioning that the smartphones can provoke in youngsters' lives. The project wants to give the chance to the participants to analyse the issue by highlighting positive and negative aspects of the advanced tecnological tools. The development of an healthier approach to the issue will be the basis for the creation of a compelling awareness raising campaign. The participants will produce and distribute stickers and flyers and they will implement a public intervention that will involve the local community. This awareness raising campaign will drive their engagement on a wider tangible impact: sending a beneficial message that can be spread widely. Youngsters' perception of the negative effects connected to their internet habits and the smartphone use is a real and pressing issue. The project wants to break the morbid affection increased by the growing multifunctionality of digital tools and an easier access to the internet during the last decade. At the same time, we don't want to demonize tecnological advances but creating a positive alternative to the improper use to improve youngsters’ coexistence with digital tools. Furthermore, we believe it is necessary to focus on this topic because it can be relevant across different age and social groups, and the participants to the mobility can be turned into crucial multipliers and ambassadors of an intelligent use of the digital resources. *sources: Digital 2019 Global Digital Overview (January 2019) - https://www.slideshare.net/DataReportal/digital-2019-global-digital-overview-january-2019-v01

Project partners (4)