Over 225.000 students connected from all over Italy to reflect together on the importance of a correct and responsible use of technology
The live streaming event of #cuoriconnessi took place this morning in Rome, the initiative to raise awareness against cyberbullying and in favor of a conscious use of the internet and technology, born in 2016 and created by Unieuro in collaboration with the State Police.
The project's activities are aimed at Italian secondary schools of 1st and 2nd grade and have always involved students, parents and teachers. Today the new book of the series "#cuoriconnessi" was presented, now in its fifth publication, already downloadable for free on cuoriconnessi.it in data free mode. The book in paper format will be available from February 12 and will be distributed free of charge by the COSC (Cyber Security Operations Centers) of the Postal Police in schools throughout Italy and at all Unieuro stores with no obligation to purchase.
In the first part of the event, moderated by the speaker and communicator Rudy Bandiera, the Chief of Police - General Director of Public Security Prefect Vittorio Pisani and the CEO of Unieuro Giancarlo Nicosanti Monterastelli discussed the recent evolution of online crimes, the latest data on the different forms of cyberbullying, the importance of the correct use of devices connected to the network and the role of artificial intelligence.
The conclusions were entrusted to the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, via video link from the Ministry of the Interior, who recalled the centrality of the issue of cyberbullying and the importance of preventing the phenomenon. “The Internet is an extraordinary innovation,” said the Minister, “but there are risks like in real life. The Minister of the Interior underlined the importance of talking about it in events such as #cuoriconessi to ensure that young people use the web and social media responsibly. Asking for help and reporting harmful behavior to the Postal Police, teachers, and parents is essential,” continued the Minister. “This way, it is possible to intercept problems in time and help those in difficulty. The challenge is therefore on a cultural and educational level and must be faced together, each for their part.”
Among the stories of the boys and girls brought to the attention of the many students connected and moderated by the journalist and storyteller Luca Pagliari, author of the books of the #cuoriconnessi series, that of Yasmin, a girl capable of launching a reading challenge of 100 books among which she selected the fourth volume of #cuoriconnessi as the text to bring to the 3rd year middle school exams.
Prefect Renato Cortese, Central Director for the Highway, Railway and Communications Police and for the Special Departments of the State Police, attended the event.
The champion of the Fiamme Oro of the State Police, Elisa Di Francisca, also participated in the meeting to underline how everyone has within themselves the strength to face difficulties and the determination to react.
Next up was Islam, who, after committing an online crime, underwent "probation," an educational program organized by social services, the Reggio Calabria Public Prosecutor's Office, and the State Police. At the end of the day, the trailer for the new #cuoriconnessi documentary "Non ne vale la pena" (It's Not Worth It) about the students' recovery process was presented. It will be available in March for all Italian schools on the website cuoriconnessi.it.
The website cuoriconnessi.it is now a real hub capable of conveying highly valuable information content (books, audio stories, documentary films, online meetings, etc.) and interacting in a new way with young people, because it tells stories, testimonies and complex life paths, never predictable, but above all capable of inducing profound reflections on the correct use of technology.
“Today, a training activity is important, to ensure that the use of social media is conscious and responsible and it is essential to recover, especially in schools, educational values such as affection, respect for human dignity, legality, which are then the basis of the fundamental freedoms in our Constitution. I address in particular the young people present and connected, so that they remember the importance of not looking the other way and of having the courage to report when a classmate is in difficulty, because in doing so they give support to their classmate, to their friend. An educational effort is needed to spread the culture of helping so as not to be indifferent.”
Vittorio Pisani, Chief of Police – General Director of Public Safety.
“The solid and valuable collaboration with the State Police for #cuoriconnessi, a project of which we are deeply proud, has been a concrete example for eight years now of how the public and private sectors together are able to achieve important results. #cuoriconnessi has evolved over the years, expanded its range of action, added new activities and initiatives, but has always remained faithful to a single communication model: bringing stories and testimonies that are different from each other and distant in terms of dynamics, cultures and territories, but united by a single common denominator: the relationship of young people with technology and the Internet. The numbers of #cuoriconnessi, constantly growing, year after year, confirm that we are on the right track and that we must continue to commit ourselves on this shared path of raising awareness of the responsible use of the Internet and connected devices, which are increasingly an integral and indispensable part of our lives.”
Giancarlo Nicosanti Monterastelli, CEO of Unieuro.
The TV campaign to support the launch of the new book is on air from today until February 10. The film, simple and direct, is set in a classroom, where a girl reads a passage from the testimonies in the new book. The school setting represents the ideal place where the new volume should be read, to open reflections among the kids.
