An Overview of International Cyber-Security Awareness Raising and Educational Initiatives (2011)

Campaign name

Hector’s World

Organisation:

Netsafe

Main URL:

http://www.hectorsworld.com/island/index.html

Dates:

2003 - present

Costs:

Not available.

Topics covered:

General topic area of ‘digital citizenship’, the responsibilities and benefits of belonging to the online community, specifically in the categories of:

– Digital literacy

– Media literacy

– Online safety and security (cybersafety)

– Information literacy

Target Audience:

Children 2 – 9 yrs of age, and their parents/caregivers and teachers.

Methodology:

– Provide children with intellectually and emotionally stimulating way to learn about the digital world

– High quality 2D animation, games and music including: episodes, puzzles and games, MP3 music files, downloadable story books and related activities

– Support documents available for parents and teachers in the form of lesson plans etc

Evaluation:

Not found

Additional Information:

The core value of Hector’s World is to ‘make a difference in young children’s lives by offering them the skills and knowledge they need to mature into confident and capable online citizens’.

In 2010, Hector’s World won the inaugural Australia and New Zealand Internet Best Practice Awards for Best Security Initiative. These awards ‘recognise organisations, businesses, groups and individuals that have made significant contributions towards the security, openness, diversity and accessibility of the Internet.’

Although the primary success of Hector’s World thus far has been through implementation in both New Zealand and Australian schools, they aim to continue to develop relationships abroad with both government and corporate partners with the intention of more widely disseminating their content.

Sources:

1. ‘Information Island’ Hector’s World <http://hectorsworld.netsafe.org.nz/about-us/history-of-hectors-world/> (accessed 23 June 2010).