Telenor Supports Online Safety Trainings Nationwide

Telenor will support series of online safety trainings and seminars for pupils from fifth to seventh grade which will be held in five Bulgarian cities – Smolyan, Vidin, Pleven, Shumen and Targovisthe. The ‘Cyber Scout’ programme is aimed at raising awareness of students and teachers about the risks on the Internet and ways of overcoming them. The educational initiative is implemented in a partnership with the National Safer Internet Centre and the Ministry of Interior.

The first training within the campaign took place on 20-21 April at the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Smolyan. During the two-day workshop, children had the opportunity to acquire knowledge and practical skills about the risks of online communication and learn how to use internet and social media. Trainees also received advice on how to deal with virtual violence and other problems on the Internet.

The trainings are focused on building communication skills and safe online behaviour by providing relevant information, conducting training sessions and open discussions. The seminars are tutored by experienced professioanls from the Applied Research and Communications Fund, a coordinator of the National Safer Internet Centre.

Pupils who attend the Youth Police Academies across the country will then pass on their knowledge to their peers and help them in cases of cyber abuse. In order to encourage the participants, Telenor will award special prizes to the best ones among them after the initiative’s official closing.

The next Cyber Scout programme training will be held in Vidin at the end of April, followed by seminars in Pleven, Shumen and Targovisthe in the autumn.

Telenor’s educational campaign is part of the company’s long-term commitment to provide the safest internet experience possible. In late  2014 Telenor became the first telecom in Bulgaria to launch a filter that blocks web domains containing child sexual abuse content. Back in 2011 the company supported the launch of the first Bulgarian Online Safety Helpline  which provides consultations on issues related to the safety of young internet users.

More information on the Telenor initiatives related to child safety online is available here: http://www.telenor.bg/bg/corporate-responsibility/obshtestvo

Telenor is a leading telecommunication company with 3.9 million active subscribers in Bulgaria. As of end-2014, the company’s services are available to 99.98% of Bulgaria’s population, covering over 99.50% of the country’s territory, and Telenor UMTS network covers 98.66% of the population. By November 4, 2014, the company operated under

the GLOBUL brand. Since August 1, 2013, it has been a part of Telenor Group which operates in 13 countries in Europe and Asia and has over 186 million subscribers.