Delegates launch the We Think Digital programme in Viet Nam on July 22. — Photo courtesy of Facebook

Facebook in collaboration with Vietnet Information Technology - Media Center (Vietnet-ICT), the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Ha Noi National University, HOCMAI Education System and Institute of Social Development Studies (ISDS) officially launched the We Think Digital programme in Viet Nam on July 22.

The programme includes online citizenship and safety skills training activities for pupils and students nationwide to jointly build a safe and positive Internet environment.

The “We Think Digital” programme is designed to raise awareness and equip students, parents and teachers with key skills to move beyond digital literacy into responsible digital citizenship. The programme provides training courses and educational materials on important skills such as how to protect digital identities, critical thinking, fact-checking, and promoting respectful and empathetic online discourse.

"We Think Digital" builds on the success of the "Think Before You Share" programme that Facebook launched in 2018 which equipped more than 50,000 young people in 10 provinces with fundamental digital skills. At the end of 2019, Facebook conducted a pilot programme for "We Think Digital" in Viet Nam which reached 244,813 junior and senior high school students and 1,277 teachers in 13 provinces and cities across Viet Nam.

The response from teachers and students to the pilot programme was overwhelmingly positive and the learning from the pilot have helped to shape the focus of the programme for the upcoming academic year. This work continued alongside Facebook’s partnership with ISDS last year to train 70 leaders of gender based violence organisations on protecting the safety of women online, and supporting and participating in the 4th National Symposium on Sexuality, Health and Society to share insights on safe social media use.

“With tens of millions of users in Viet Nam, building a healthy, positive network community is always at the centre of our activities. To help students access digital citizenship and online security skills, "We Think Digital" aims to promote digital skills that will help users engage in positive online behaviour and stay safe online. The insights of the pilot programme in 2019 and the strength of our collaboration with the partners here today will allow us to engage and train thousands more students and teachers across Viet Nam throughout the next year,” said Nguyen Phuong Chi, Vietnam Public Policy Manager, Facebook.

Facebook is partnering with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Hanoi National University to adopt We Think Digital as a credit-earning course in the school's curriculum, with the aim of training for more than 5,300 students. In addition, Facebook is also working with HOCMAI Education System to develop a free trial digital skills course on HOCMAI's online learning platform that aims to educate 35,000 students on critical digital skills.

The "We Think Digital" programme is a key component of the Safety and Digital Literacy pillar of the Facebook for Viet Nam campaign. The pillar includes programmes and partnerships to raise awareness about online safety and promote digital skills needed to build a generation of strong citizens. — VNS