by Catriona Mulcahy, Digital Content Officer at Webwise
Eighty teachers from across Ireland have participated in the Webwise Digital Citizenship Champions Programme, a national initiative developed in partnership with Oide Technology in Education. The programme is designed to equip primary school teachers with the knowledge, skills and resources to effectively teach digital citizenship.
Throughout the year, participating teachers attended three workshops in local Education Support Centres, covering key topics such as media and information literacy, online wellbeing, and children’s rights online.
The Digital Citizenship Champions Conference marked the fourth and final workshop, bringing participants together with online safety stakeholders to explore strategies for engaging and supporting parents and guardians in guiding children toward responsible digital citizenship.
The conference featured experts from the DCU Anti-Bullying Centre, Coimisiún na Meán, and the ISPCC, while the keynote address ‘From Passive Users to Active Citizens – Proactive Strategies for Fostering Digital Citizenship’ was provided by internationally renowned parenting expert Dr Elizabeth Milovidov, who shared insights drawn from her global experience.
Dr Milovidov called for a move away from fear-based approaches, promoting inclusive and empowering strategies for digital parenting and education. Her talk covered topics like misinformation, cyberbullying, AI and online peer pressure, highlighting the need for strong partnerships between youth, parents and educators – built on trust, critical thinking and open dialogue.
A panel discussion brought together a diverse range of experts, including Dr Elizabeth Milovidov (Law Professor and eSafety Consultant), Prof. James O’Higgins Norman (Director, DCU Anti-Bullying Centre), Karen McAuley (Director of Policy for Children and Vulnerable Adults, Coimisiún na Meán), Fiona Jennings (Head of Policy and Public Affairs, ISPCC), Sandra Byrne (Principal, Scoil Nano Nagle, Clondalkin), and Sarah, a member of the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel. The discussion explored the key opportunities and challenges facing young people, schools and parents; the latest research insights; and the development of the Online Safety Code and emerging frameworks to better protect children online.
The event also included workshops on school-home partnerships, digital resilience, and using Webwise resources to support parental engagement.
The final word was given to the pupils of Moyderwell Mercy Primary School, Tralee, who spoke about what they like about the online world, the challenges they encounter, and what could be done to create the perfect online world.
More information on the Digital Citizenship Champions Programme is available here
