The Project
Project Description
Digital sovereignty is a new concept in the digital era suggesting that parties should have sovereignty over their own digital data. On an individual level, digital sovereignty demonstrates the capacity of individuals to own their personal data and control their use. Personal data is the new crude asset for which a complex ecosystem has been established to collect, analyze and trade its value. However, the data economy along with the ongoing digital transformation rises several major concerns. When it comes to youth workers and their activities, the aspects of digital sovereignty and data / privacy protection become of even higher importance. Due to the nature of their work, youth workers have access and/or process data and sensitive personal information such as medical details, emergency contact names, numbers for health administration, etc.
LINKS project will directly and actively support youth workers develop and enhance their digital sovereignty and digital security skills and competences which servers a two-fold purpose:
1. On an individual level, youth workers will improve and enhance their knowledge and the available tools that will help them control and evaluate the use of their and others’ personal digital data and history.
2. On a societal level and through the increased digital sovereignty of youth workers, digital data of organizations, NGOs and of various groups that are supported by these organizations (migrants, refugees, unemployed youth, etc.) will be well
protected and ensured against misuse and/or cyber-attacks.
Impact
Given the direction and purpose of digital skills and competences within current EU policy dialogue, Ursula von der Leyen has made it a core mission of her team’s mandate to “make Europe fit for the digital age”. The LINKS project aligns with this, as project outputs have been designed to provide transferable support, guidance and information on how the LINKS project outputs can be up scaled and replicated in other regions across Europe. LINKS project will build on the Digcomp Digital Competence Framework, which does not explicitly cover security from aggressive attacks, spam and scam tricks used to steal people’s data and information online, providing a newly established framework of competences for individuals’ digital sovereignty.
- Increased capacity of youth workers for ensuring the protection of their and others’ personal digital data;
- Increased self-awareness and critical thinking relating to the use of digital devices and the forms of digital communication;
- Understanding and awareness of the effective application of digital security measures in day-to-day work and specific situations;
- Personal development management and transversal skills;
- Personal empowerment and independence;
- Self-reflection and ownership of personal and professional development;
- Interest in wider digital security issues and concerns at national and European level;
- Awareness and Understanding of digital competences;
- Understanding of the problem-solving process which can be applied to digital security concerns and queries;
- Knowledge of the causes and effects of digital security cause, effects and consequences at local, regional, national & European level;
- Increased concern for digital security issues;
- Confidence to be able to challenge and actively address potential digital security threats;
- Attainment across education modules;
- Attainment of European key competences.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them 2021-2-DK01-KA220-YOU-000050308