STORY PREVIEW

Safety be it at school, home or outside it’s important that it should allow all of us especially we children to look forward to being in safe environment, promoting social and creative learning. Students who feel safe tend to have better emotional health and are less likely to engage in risky behaviours. That sense of safety contributes to an overall feeling of connection. The digital world influences a major part of our live-youngsters, children and adults alike! Therefore, digital health becomes a matter of priority. The project was chosen with the team members (Student Council) having an equal say. The focus emerged on Cyber security awareness Cybersafety or Digital Wellness' ' a well talked term nowadays is gaining popularity. A focus on Digital wellness or Digital Health became the theme for our project. Objective of this project was to make students understand online behaviour, help students become responsible digital learners-Respect for Self & Others & Practice Safe & Responsible Use, Awareness of how to protect oneself in cyberspace & understand online risks, Protect our digital assets, web accounts, importance of security in terms of passwords etc

Our research shows many reasons for ensuring cyber security for all of us as a student. One of the major reasons is lack of awareness among all of us (students) when navigating online, safe online practices & various instances of cyber bullying. A sample statistical data on cyber bullying shows that the highest percentage of cyber bullying happens in teen agers and young adults. Study shows that almost 60% parents of young adults have expressed that their children are bullied. Social media and various apps were the most common digital forms of cyberbullying. Aligning with the 9 gems pedagogy that our school incorporates in our curriculum; we decided on below reasons why we wish to focus on Digital health: ▪ Deeper Knowledge About The Tools We Have Around ▪ Ensuring Optimal And Safe Usage & Internet Safety-It’s Impact On Our Physical & Mental Health ▪ Digital Well-being-more Relevant Since Covid-19 Pandemic when schools Switched To Virtual Learning To Cope With The Pandemic IMPORTANT than ever when school had shifted to online learning- to get students aware of the behaviours and online dangers that will enable them to navigate the online world safely.

Students of primary & secondary were the primary concerns. If you look at Global scenario research clearly indicates the need of CyberSafety when use of internet has been increasing every year & how 3 in 4 youngsters say they have been bullied online. There are various online risks too such as scams, phishing, game addiction, not understanding netiquette, copyright issues etc Objective of this project was to make students understand online behaviour, help students become responsible digital learners-Respect for Self & Others & Practice Safe & Responsible Use, Awareness of how to protect oneself in cyberspace & understand online risks, Protect our digital assets, web accounts, importance of security in terms of passwords etc The focus of our project was to work on important areas which are: Online behaviour, Digital citizenship, Self-protection and Asset protection.

After talking to our teachers & mentors & taking into consideration importance of digital well-being our CyberSafety committee came up with some solutions: 1.Proper framework for CyberWellness & Digital well-being 2.Develop a microsite that is accessible to all stakeholders 3. To have a monthly tracker to ensure dedicated topics & modules are being implemented. 4. Few other solution identified were: Assembly Talks CyberSafety Committee Dedicated Modules on Awareness CyberSafety Week Cyber wellness workshops Drama & Storytelling For students Lecture series on Cyber safety, Storytelling for Primary Students, Online Video Tutorials, Activities on creating a secure password, Drama, Workshops & Dedicated Modules were identified to be done Every Month. CyberWellness Workshops, CyberSafety weeks, assembly talks were also part of the solution.

After a thorough study of the impacts of being connected to the virtual world, few solutions were implemented successfully by student council members(CyberSafety Committee) under the guidance of teachers. It was done through dedicated monthly modules, activities, dramas, smart talks, podcasts, workshops & surveys. In-house sessions were conducted and a digital week was celebrated. Students have also released their podcasts of what was the take away from digital well-being sessions. Dedicated Sessions, CyberSafety Weeks, Expert talks, Workshops & Podcasts has been initiated by our Smart Campus Students. We have a Microsite where all the works are being uploaded for future use & easily accessible for teachers and students.

Student council members of CyberSafety Committee along with teacher in charges realized that we needed uniformity across all campuses for Cyber wellness programs. To be included in ACP & LP (Mandatory). 1. To Identify the list of websites to be restricted. 2. Cyber Wellness Committee to work for all levels (Primary & secondary) 3. Ground Rules to be defined for Cyber Wellness program. 4. It was important to conduct surveys 5. Create & Update resources for teachers & students for Educating Students On Online Risks, Handling Inappropriate Contents, Identity Theft, Cyber Bullying, Phishing, Scams, Copyright etc 6. We worked on following along with teacher incharges a. Microsite on Mygiis b.Creating Awareness for Students c. Awareness for teachers & Parents d. Cyberwellness/Digital Wellbeing Week to be Observed e. Workshops for Teachers & Students. f. Various Surveys on: Cyberbullying, Understanding Cyber wellness, Survey on Time Spent on Digital Games & its Effects, Survey on Understanding Phishing etc Digital Well-Being & Cyberwellness surveys were conducted for Primary & Secondary students. Feedback was collated which helped us with creation of materials & resources. More than 1500 students participated. Target & Goals 1. Digital Well-Being Framework 2. ICT Policy for Primary & Secondary Students 3. Microsite for Awareness 4. Monthly Tracker of All Campuses There were number of initiatives taken & we had some trained student ambassadors & teachers.

There were tangible results in form of Digitally savvy students and Teachers, improvement in overall results , a 24 hour Health line support, a helpline for technical support and spaces for students to engage with classmates online. There were few intangible results as well such as productive online learning and virtual environment where a sense of connectedness was observed. Targets achieved We launched our Microsite, had awareness sessions for all our stakeholders, seminars & talks by experts, released podcasts, had Survey and Competition/Quizzes on achieving Cyber Safety Awareness for students & Teachers & we did achieve the targets by December 2021. The students at GIIS SMART Primary Campus came together as part of the Digital Well-being Initiative to spread awareness on the digital world and safe navigation through it. They discussed ways to safely navigate the virtual world in the form of a quiz. The spoke about importance of having a break from the screen and having a balance between screen and family time. Students from all GIIS Campuses benefitted from this podcast. The podcast received wonderful reviews amongst the students, parents and teachers alike. To engage the students even further, a healthy competition was established wherein the class with the greatest number of correct answers is to win the Digital Citizenship Badge.

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The outreach of this program was successful. The evidence was in the form of the talks reaching up to a wider audience that included students, parents and teachers across the GIIS global family. Quotes:- "Today I am more confident when surfing online & I am aware of Do's & Dont's." Parvathy (CBSE Student) "I am happy to see my child talking about keeping a healthy balance with online & offline activities." Ms Jubi (Parent) There were tangible results in form of Digitally savvy students and Teachers, improvement in overall results , a 24 hour Health line support, a helpline for technical support and spaces for students to engage with classmates online. There were few intangible Results as well such as productive online learning and virtual environment where a sense of connectedness was observed.

We did face some challenges too, be it in terms of balancing with academics & other activities. Also the TEAM size & the skill sets. Encouragement was also needed from campus heads in the implementation & with training programmes. To implement the CyberWellness sessions more Encouragement was needed from campus heads & Students & Teachers need to be encouraged to get more equipped with handling difficult situation & undergo various training sessions

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Good health and well being

Digital health takes a precedence especially in today’s era. As Greta Rossi, co-founder of ‘recipes for well-being’ quotes that ‘Digital well-being is about crafting and maintaining a healthy relationship with technology. Digital Wellness' ' a well talked about term nowadays is gaining popularity. A focus on Digital wellness or Digital Health was our theme for the project. The purpose for a Global Strategy on Digital Health is to promote healthy lives and wellbeing for everyone, everywhere, at all ages- rightly said by World Health Organization. After all the awareness sessions conducted there was a survey done with students & we found that there was distinct improvement in terms of understanding & practicing safe online behaviour. Objective of this project was to make students understand online behaviour, help students become responsible digital learners-Respect for Self & Others & Practice Safe & Responsible Use. We did achieve positive results. “It’s not about reducing screen time but about increasing our HUMAN time.”

The students at GIIS SMART Primary Campus came together as part of the Digital Well-being Initiative to spread awareness on the digital world and safe navigation by conducting workshops & releasing podcasts through it. At Smart Campus we conducted surveys & various awareness programmes right from K2 to primary & middle school & had dedicated modules every month. The outreach was more than 1000+ students. We had sessions on Online Safety, Threats, Online Bullying and why it is important to keep ourselves safe when accessing information online. Session on Cyber security awareness by IPS, DGP Mr Varun Kapoor Campuses benefited: Singapore, Malaysia, India, Japan, Dubai & Abu Dhabi. Outreach was more than 20000 students Expert Talk on Cyber Security was conducted in other campuses too & (Outreach -700 Students + 90 Teachers) covered topics including laws and rules one needs to know to avoid getting into trouble and learning how to protect oneself from crime and also how to be safe on online social platforms We also dedicated the end of each month to raising awareness and fostering good online practices at GIIS India Campuses and outreach was more than 2000+ plus. GIIS Tokyo Campus observed Digital Well-Being Week and reached out to more than 700+ plus students. It was done through a range of activities, quizzes, and interactive sessions to make them aware & reinforce the importance of responsible digital citizens.

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In the words of Alex Guest, CEO of Zingy Life; ‘It’s not just about technology, we must think about how we modify the existing human systems to be more inclusive’. This project is an ongoing project & sustainable as it ensures SAFETY FIRST. The targets & goals set are to benefit all stakeholders & ensure they understand what it means when being online & why is safety important. It's an ongoing project. We have Digital Well-Being dedicated modules every month in all the GIIS Campuses. We have included it in our Annual Curriculum Plan. We even have Digital Well-Being week when all the class teachers utilise the tutor period to talk to students & show them some relevant videos and also talk to them how to reduce screen time & reinforce good online habits. We have a long way to go and set on the right path together we can achieve greater things. With a legal ICT safety policy, Learning Management system, Online Communication guidance, dedicated modules, counselling for students need, behaviour modification & very important & value based system we can set our students on a path that will ensure SAFETY FIRST.