RISE project aims to help young people feel safe in online communities, by developing and promoting methodologies and services to prevent and combat the risks and implications of digitalization, and especially of the social media exposure of young people. RISE established a three-way approach, which included the following sub-objectives: 1. A methodology designed to address the needs of young people in the framework of digitalization and especially of social media in the age of the post-COVID-19 pandemic. 2. An educational game for young people aimed to reach young people and prevent and mitigate risks of social networks (PR2). 3. A Capacity Building programme (OER/PR3) for Youth Workers and Youth Trainers aimed to help them build capacity when dealing with risks of young people in social networks, especially in the post-COVID-19 age. This multi-layered but direct approach offers youth workers/trainers a hands-on experience of risks of digital platforms and supports them in building their capacity to deal with such risks in online communities; while it also offers young people a user-friendly game that demonstrates the risks in an interesting way and educated them to avoid, prevent, and mitigate them.
While exposure to social media certainly has benefits, it also involves exposure to risks, associated with security risks and negative experiences. COVID-19 has revealed how the spread of misinformation, especially on social media and other digital platforms, is proving to be a threat to young people, as youth is among those most engaged on social media. RISE addresses the following needs: • Lack or limited knowledge of the underlying risks and threats of social networks of young people • Lack of knowledge of the risks of social media, especially in the COVID-19 era • Need to address information overload and misinformation, fake news spread, cyber propaganda etc. • Need to address the vulnerability of young people to social media • Need to educate and train youth workers and youth trainers to address social media risks of young people so that they can further disseminate this information. • Need to increase the quality of relevant youth education with regard to social media • Need to educate and train youth workers and youth trainers to address social media risks of young people so that they can further disseminate this information. • Need to increase the quality of relevant youth education with regard to social networks.