News archive

Supporting Community Projects: What Impact Did .EE Achieve Last Year?

The Estonian Human Rights Centre continued developing Cybergram. Cybergram helps middle school students learn about data protection, cybersecurity, and IT skills. The platform uses real-life stories and engaging content to reach young people. Last year, four new stories were added. These stories feature well-known social media creators who share their experiences online.

A special section was also created for teachers. It offers tips and ideas on how students can use what they learn in different classes and real-life situations. Last year, around 2,000 unique users visited the platform.

SA Perekodu / Jaagu Kindergarten-Primary School created a project that brought digital safety education to children with special needs. During four training days, students learned how to use digital tools safely and how to communicate responsibly online. They also talked about emotions in the digital world, sharing personal data, taking photos, and risks related to online games.

Teachers and staff also gained new knowledge to better support the students. According to the teachers involved, training like this is especially important for learners with special needs, and the materials created during the project will continue to be used in future lessons.

For the third year in a row, we supported IT awareness workshops for young people at Valma Adventure Camp. The workshops were based on the Smartly on the Web program. Young participants learned about internet safety, online communication, and ways to protect themselves online. There were also creative workshops where young people shared their own ideas about how to stay safe on the internet. In total, 625 young people took part in the camps, and the workshops once again received very positive feedback.

Kurtna School organized its second annual Internet Week. The goal was to help students and teachers learn more about internet safety and cybersecurity. Learning took place through games and practical activities to make the topics more engaging and real. Each class created its own board game or video game based on a digital safety topic. In total, five projects were created.

EIF also supported the RabaCTF cybersecurity competition. Two webinars were organized to explain how the Attack-Defence competition works and how participants can solve challenges. Demo days allowed competitors to practice with open tasks before the main event.

The competition was a success for both Estonian and international participants. During the project, a Discord community of 150 members was created, and the event received a lot of positive feedback.

Rapla Kesklinna School organized lectures to raise students’ awareness of cybersecurity and cyber defence. Students learned about real cyber threats and how to protect themselves online. The lectures were led by Ago Ambur, a cybersecurity expert from TalTech and former head of the Cybercrime Bureau of the Estonian Central Criminal Police. For some students, the lectures even sparked an interest in a future career in IT.

Toila Gymnasium focused on improving media literacy within the school community. The project aimed to reduce cyberbullying, help young people act responsibly online, and strengthen critical thinking when using media and the internet.

Parents and teachers were also involved. They learned more about young people’s online behavior and how to prevent cyberbullying. Experts and entrepreneurs from different fields contributed to the training sessions.

At Tallinn French Lyceum, a new elective course for high school students was developed. The course materials were added to the school’s elective curriculum and focus on learning strategies, cybersecurity awareness, and responsible technology use in education.

The museum Vabamu explored the topic of propaganda and misinformation. The project looked at how misinformation has been used throughout history and how it shapes public opinion. The goal was to help strengthen society’s resilience against misinformation. The project created museum lessons and an online course on a learning platform called NoVa. Nearly 700 students attended the museum lessons, and the online course has been viewed almost 400 times. The project also gained attention in social media and community networks.

Cybersecurity topics also reached YouTube through the Videoõps project. Three educational videos were produced and made publicly available. The videos were shared on social media, Facebook groups, and educational platforms such as E-Koolikott and the EIÕPS digital textbook.

Experience shows that while the videos already have many views, they are also used repeatedly in classrooms over time, giving them a long-term educational impact. Watch the videos here (in Estonian): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zd2kraDzwc&list=PL70HIWp0tGWBq_OWfdzHHIOBTKhiBXAci

The NGO VitaMiin organized four CyberSafe workshops for young people, young journalists, and members of the Ukrainian community. Participants learned about digital safety, including cyber scams, misinformation, online risks, and protecting personal data. Practical learning materials were also created and will continue to be used in VitaMiin’s educational programs.

Virevere School created a playful learning tool called CyberBox. In this escape-room-style game, players help a classmate whose social media account has been hacked. Through the game, students learn to recognize cyberbullying, understand how to respond, and discover where to seek help. The game was designed to also support young people with special needs, who may be more vulnerable to cyberbullying.

You can explore the game here: https://shop.playversity.co/product/digital-footprint/

A Shared Effort for a Safer Internet

These projects clearly show how important it is to educate different groups and create learning materials that fit their needs. The projects are funded through revenue from .ee domain auctions. This means that everyone who registers a .ee domain through the auction platform also helps support Estonia’s internet community.

Together, we are building a safer, smarter, and more resilient digital society.