Young people from the EduLIFE Network have brought digital violence and the challenges young people face online into the spotlight through the "Say NO! to Digital Violence" campaign. This initiative was held between February 11 and 24 across 20 vocational and technical institutions in the country, where peer educators are actively engaged.
The campaign was launched on Safer Internet Day, February 11. For two weeks, EduLIFE educators promoted responsible and safe online behavior. They organized awareness activities, debates, quests, and film screenings on online safety and the prevention of digital violence. More than 1,000 young people from vocational and technical institutions across the country participated in the campaign.
On Dragobete, the 20 EduLIFE teams simultaneously organized the "Love in Safety—Online and Offline" flash mob to say YES! to healthy and safe love and combat digital violence. More than 500 young people from across the country joined this initiative, promoting respect, support, and empathy—values they wish to see online and offline.
To amplify the message, students from three vocational and technical institutions in Chișinău—the Center of Excellence in Informatics and Information Technologies, the College of Ecology, and the Center of Excellence in Transport—joined forces to deliver a shared message about online safety.
Additionally, young people from nine Youth Centers participated in the flash mob, protesting digital violence in their communities.
Digital violence is a widespread phenomenon among young people, with one in two adolescents affected by the age of 18. In response, young people are taking action to raise awareness and promote safe behavior in the online space.
The EduLIFE Educators Network consists of 100 peer educators from colleges, vocational schools, and Centers of Excellence. They organize non-formal education activities that help young people develop healthy life skills and employment-related competencies using social theater techniques, debates, board games, and more.
Starting this year, the #EduLIFE Network has expanded its efforts to include preventing and combatting digital violence. This follows a training program organized by the International Center "La Strada" under the UNFPA and UNICEF Joint Program "Break the Cycle of Violence Against Women and Children," which is funded by the United Kingdom.
The EduLIFE network was created in 2020 by UNFPA with the support of the Ministry of Education and Research. It is funded through the "Connecting Youth with Jobs through Life Skills Development" Program, which the Austrian Development Agency finances under the Austrian Development Cooperation Program.
