Young Europeans are growing today in a convergent media environment (Livingstone, 2009, Ito et al., 2010), characterized by a growing hybridization between online and mobile media and the continuity of online and offline in everyday life, where being online it is becoming increasingly pervasive thanks to new tools such as smartphones and tablets, wearable devices such as smart watches and fitness trackers, and internet-connected toys (Internet of Toys - Mascheroni & Holloway 2017). These technologies represent a "moving target", characterized by the continuous appearance of new devices and new services on the market. What is now a given in an ever-changing scenario is that the internet, social media and mobile media are an integral part of the daily life of children and young people. These technologies and platforms offer resources on a symbolic and relational level, for learning, participation and creativity. But they also pose new challenges to parents, teachers and the children themselves. Online activities are not, per se, beneficial or harmful to children, even if the effects in terms of benefits or damages of some online experiences are more clearly distinguishable. EU Kids Online research has shown that the opportunities and risks of the internet go hand in hand, according to a logic “the more you use it, the more you get”: that is to say, the more children use the internet, the more they benefit from online opportunities and acquire digital skills, the more they are exposed to risks (Livingstone et al., 2011). Exposure to risks does not necessarily lead to negative, harmful and painful experiences: for many young people, online contact with risky content and communicative situations, as happens with offline risks, can result in greater risk resilience, i.e. greater ability to deal with and handle dangerous situations. EU Kids Online is internationally recognized as an authoritative source of high quality and comparative data on internet opportunities and risks for European children. The network boasts members in 33 countries and a multidisciplinary and multi-methodological approach to internet safety. In European countries (including IT, SP, GR, LV) there is a strong need for digital skills to become a common heritage for young people, especially women. This is one of the prerequisites for their future social and employment integration. Moving with awareness and with adequate knowledge in digital technology determines the possibility for young people to: 

• decode the overall architecture of the digital world and the changes it determines in terms of relationships and perception in individuals and in the community; 

• be aware of which skills need to be developed in order to be able to be effectively inserted (socially and professionally) in a world that quickly changes its connotations (space, time, speed, communications, etc.). The project has as general objectives of: 

• investigate the effects on the identity and communication change of young people who are formed, express themselves and relate mainly within the new media (O1). 

• Develop and / or strengthen the digital competences of young people, analysing them in "played", pleasant and engaging activities on a cognitive and affective level. The kids, through the minigames and the activities foreseen in the DO I.T. Games can either assess the level of skills possessed in the different digital areas, or enhance the less explored and managed areas (O2). The DO I.T project tends to contribute to the widespread upskilling and reskilling process of young Europeans who must be adequately trained to face and manage social, cultural and economic changes and the new challenges of the digital age. The need to deepen the knowledge of this phenomenon from a European perspective and to identify appropriate communication strategies to raise awareness among a wide audience on the key topic of digital competences, make the project valid on a local, national and European level.

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Partners: STUDIO ERRESSE (Italy), APEUR (Italy), Marak Digital Marketing (Spain), CYCLISIS (Greece), Rūjienas novada pašvaldība (Latvia)

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Start date 01.09.2019                            End date: 31.08.2021

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