9 February 2021 – In conjunction with Safer Internet Day (9 February, 2021), a new initiative called Powered by DQ, is now available for organizations to quickly develop high-quality digital skills education and training programs aligned with the DQ Global Standards developed by DQ Institute.

The ‘Powered by DQ’ logo will appear in digital skills programs as a seal of endorsement for training participants to know that these programs offer high-quality education that is aligned with the DQ Global Standards.

DQ Global Standards are the world’s first standard for digital literacy, and digital skills (IEEE™ 3527.1-2020), approved by the IEEE Standards Association in 2020 and initiated by the Coalition for Digital Intelligence, comprised of OECD, IEEE, and DQ Institute in association with the World Economic Forum in 2018. The standards are used to certify digital skills and child online safety initiatives.

According to the 2020 Child Online Safety Index, 60% of children of ages 8-18 have experienced at least one cyber-risk, such as cyberbullying, tech addition, and risky content and contact. With the COVID-19 pandemic sending more teens online, this number has increased, making the need for online safety even more critical than ever before. Therefore, helping children use technology safely and responsibly worldwide is not just a growing effort among parents but among organisations as well.

Dr Yuhyun Park, the founder of DQ Institute said, “Over [the] years, we have acquired extensive experience on digital citizenship education and child online protection through #DQEveryChild, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Singtel and more than 100 partners.

Based on our experience, we were able to establish the DQ Global Standards and impact measure. Now, we want to empower those who empower digital citizens in order to quickly scale up digital skills education and training. We hope this will effectively bridge digital skills gaps around the world.”

The DQ Institute started its support to global and local online safety and digital skills initiatives that include the LEGO® Group’s Online Hero program, the TikTok Family Safety Toolkit, World Bank’s Digital Skills for Lifelong Learning, and Accenture and Alannah & Madeline Foundation’s eSmart Digital Licence program.

The DQ Institute will further support the partnering organizations to keep track and measure the impact of their digital skills programs through global benchmarking with the Global DQ Index, an impact measure to help nations better understand their digital skills and children’s online safety status.

ENDS

For more information, please contact partnership@dqinstitute.org.

About the DQ Institute

The DQ Institute (DQI) is an international think-tank that is dedicated to setting global standards for digital intelligence education, outreach, and policies. Working together with international agencies and local partners, DQI’s award-winning educational programs include the #DQEveryChild initiative and its DQ framework has been recognized as the world’s first global standard for digital literacy, skills, and readiness (IEEE 3527.1-2020). Its affiliated organizations are the Coalition for Digital Intelligence and DQ Lab Pte Ltd, a social enterprise based in Singapore that focuses on research, development, and dissemination of the DQ Global Standards. For more information, visit https://www.dqinstitute.org/.

About Safer Internet Day

Every February since 2004, Safer Internet Day (SID) – organised by the Insafe / INHOPE network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) with the support of the European Commission – is a global, community-led observance which provides a space for all stakeholders to reflect on how together we can promote a responsible, respectful, critical and creative use of digital technologies with the ultimate goal of fostering a better internet for all. Having grown in scope over the years, Safer Internet Day is now being celebrated by children, young people, parents and carers, teachers, educators and social workers, industry, decision makers and politicians from over 170 countries.