Digital Empowerment Library

Opening the Code is an interactive online learning experience designed to foster collaboration, creativity, and care among activists, particularly women, LGBTQI+ individuals, and human rights defenders. Inspired by Brazil's traditional "Gincanas," it replaces competition with collective work to build safer, more supportive digital environments. The course uses a unique methodology called "Infrastructures of Affection," emphasizing emotional support, solidarity, and shared knowledge. Through activities like workshops, discussions, and practical tool demonstrations, participants explore topics related to digital security, feminist technology, and collective care. The program also encourages participants to become facilitators themselves, enabling them to spread this learning within their communities.

The "Sexuality and Internet Governance" course by the Feminist Tech Exchange (FTX) focuses on exploring how internet governance impacts sexuality rights, using a feminist and intersectional approach. It aims to equip participants with the skills to navigate and influence internet policy spaces by addressing power dynamics, discrimination, and representation. The course covers themes such as freedom of expression, censorship, online activism, and social justice. It includes interactive components like case studies, role-playing games, and mapping exercises that help participants critically assess how internet governance shapes issues related to gender, sexual rights, and online representation. The goal is to create an inclusive internet where diverse voices are recognized and empowered.

The FTX: Safety Reboot is a training curriculum designed for trainers working with women’s rights and sexual rights activists. It focuses on digital safety, privacy, and creative online engagement from a feminist perspective. The course provides interactive modules that cover topics like online gender-based violence, creating safe online spaces, mobile safety, feminist principles of the internet, and risk assessment.

This module for the APC Internet Rights Are Human Rights training curriculum explores the relationship between human rights as understood in the Inter-American Human Rights System and ICTs such as the internet. It raises the following general questions which should be considered by participants:
1)How has the internet changed people’s lives? What rights have been affected positively or negatively due to access to the internet?
2)Should online and offline human rights be understood differently?
3)What should the role of the state be regarding the exercise of human rights online?
4)What are the implications of the global nature of the internet for national human rights laws and international human rights instruments?

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) presents a comprehensive Multimedia Training Kit focused on the intersection of human rights, information and communications technologies (ICTs), and the internet. Developed through the "Internet Rights are Human Rights" project, the kit offers modules designed to help human rights advocates, ICT professionals, and interested individuals understand how the internet influences the protection and enjoyment of rights.

The activity book contains four sections: (1) Digital Privacy, which focuses on reducing data traces and understanding online profiling; (2) Digital Security, with tips on creating strong and secure passwords; (3) Digital Wellbeing, which deals with the addictive nature of smartphones; and (4) Misinformation, a guide for consuming and sharing information online.

This resource teaching researching skills and course modules are titled: 'Identifying and Responding to Misinformation', 'Verifying Online Information', 'Documenting and Collaborating on your Digital Enquiry' and 'Examining and Sharing your findings'.

This commissioned research report is a continuation of the Media Literacy Case for Educators project, which was introduced in April 2023 in the article: 'Media Literacy Case for Educators: Empowering Educators to Lead Media Literacy Initiatives in Europe', and referenced in: 'An Assessment of the Needs of Educators and Youth in Europe for a Digital and Media Literacy Education Intervention'. Two phases of exploration have been conducted, involving two rounds of desk research. The result of the second phase can be seen in the annotated bibliography included at the end of this report. Recommendations which resulted from the research include: combine methods and make learning fun; use evaluation and other key elements in the curriculum. Additional observations and considerations which require further exploration include: give attention to teachers’ and educators’ skills; and develop “patchwork blankets” and alliances.

This needs assessment report is part of the Media Literacy Case for Educators project, which was introduced in April 2023 in the article: 'Media Literacy Case for Educators: Empowering Educators to Lead Media Literacy Initiatives in Europe'. In this research phase of the project, information and insights were gathered from key stakeholders using an interdisciplinary approach combining educator scoping sessions, research and literature review and youth input sessions. Over 100 educators and approximately 300 teens from over 20 countries participated in the sessions. There were numerous insights and recommendations about topics, formats and facilitation methodologies which will be considered and incorporated into new materials.

This animation explains the design tricks used to get us hooked on our phones.