ALL DIGITAL Week 2018 turned out to be one of the most successful campaigns – it united 4,070 partners from 32 countries to offer 5,445 events to over 125,000 participants.

The digital empowerment campaign was organised by ALL DIGITAL for the 9th time and was run in digital competence centres, libraries, schools, community centres, etc. across Europe supported by local authorities, companies, academia and volunteers from various sectors.

Laurentiu Bunescu, CEO of ALL DIGITAL, said, “We organise ALL DIGITAL WEEK to support Europeans in their digital transformation journeys. More than ever, we all need to invest in digital skills for media literacy, social inclusion, employability, entrepreneurship and education.”

Special employment centre workers in Spain

This year the campaign was supported by Certiport, a Pearson VUE business – the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery, and program management services. Fiona Fanning, Director of European Affairs, commented, “As technology pervades all aspects of our lives, it has never been more important to ensure that all Europeans have the opportunity to gain the digital skills and certification that will help them succeed as a student, citizen, and an employee. We are thrilled to support the important mission of ALL DIGITAL Week in facilitating a truly pan-European digital transformation.”

Creative programming class in Romania

As the technology develops, there are still people who are left behind, and 43% of Europeans still have insufficient level of digital skills, so initiatives  like ALL DIGITAL Week stay important. The ALL DIGITAL Week 2018 had two main themes:

• Build trust in technology by developing critical thinking and media literacy (including being aware of and combating fake news, hate speech and social media abuse)
• Develop a lifelong learning approach to enhancing digital skills in an ever changing and increasingly digital-oriented economy.

Digital Literacy workshop in Denmark

Underpinning these themes there were diverse events and activities covering a variety of topics from basic digital skills (30.7%),  digital media literacy (23.9%) to online safety and cybersecurity (12.6%), STEAM (10.9%) and coding (5%). The figures show the relevance of the original idea of the campaign – to bring people online and help them with basic digital skills.

The most  popular types of events were workshops and training sessions (58.5%), digital skills assessment and certification (14.8%) and information sessions/seminars (11.3%). However, there were also different promo events, conferences, discussions, awards, contests, and even hackathons.

Debate in Sweden

The events are traditionally offered to various audiences, and this year the main target groups included school children (30.1%), trainers/teachers (18.7%), general public (17.7%), unemployed adults (10.5%), NEETs (7.9%) and retirees/elderly (5.4%).

ALL DIGITAL Week was led by our national partners in 26 countries, and all the figures are based on the reports provided by them. We are grateful for their dedication and leadership in their communities. You can see the overview of activities in each country where we had a national partner by clicking on the flag. There you can also see the links to blogposts, photos, some media coverage, and information on past editions.

Coding in Bulgaria

This year we made the campaign more inclusive – any event organiser could put their event on the map and tell us how it went, even if there were no national partners involved. Over 800 events were added to the map, and we are so happy to have learned that the campaign activities were held in more countries and more communities beyond the ones covered by national partners. Thank you!! We hope you have all enjoyed being part of the European campaign and we’d like to see you again with us next year!

All the events entered the contest, and the jury chose the 10 finalists and THREE BEST events of ALL DIGITAl Week 2018  – ‘All digital ring’ workshop from Spain, Introduction to Cybersecurity from Romania, and the campaign launch event from Finland. They Awards Ceremony will take place in Brussels on 18 October as part of the ALL DIGITAL Summit.

Coding event in Italy

What now?

• You can browse the events on the map and get inspired for your own work!
• You can read the blogs and photos from the campaign from our national partners and event organisers on our community networking platform www.unite-it.edu

And we, together with our partners, will continue our efforts to support people in their digital journeys! So JOIN US FOR the 10th edition of ALL DIGITAL Week on 25-31 March 2019!

ALL DIGITAL Week 2018_Infographics in pdf

The first 2 days of pan-European Week brought Europeans on exciting digital journeys and let us learn not only digital skills but also geography while looking at 650 + events on the campaign map and getting photos and videos on social media.

From flowery Madeira in the Atlantic to the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and Aland Islands in the Baltic and from the city of Noyabrsk in Russian Siberia to sunny Cyprus and Malta in the Mediterranean – the variety of geography and events is impressive!

Some countries have participated in the campaign from its start in 2010, others are just joining for the first time, but each has something unique and valuable to offer in their communities.

So far, the largest number of events is in Croatia. CTK Rijeka, which is leading the campaign in the country as the National Partner for the first time, has partnered with the best Croatian organisations involved in improving digital and media literacy, especially for children and young people. A lot of the events are organised by IRIM (The Institute for Youth Development and Innovativity), which created a thriving teaching and learning system based on micro:bit computer. Those workshops are run across the whole country.

CTK Rijeka’s Executive Director Olivera Stanic, who is also the finalist of ALL DIGITAL Awards 2017 as a Digital Changemaker, commented, “We believe that nowadays it is impossible to be an equal member of society without the digital skills that enable us to enjoy all opportunities that are waiting in digitalised world. Everybody needs digital skills! That’s why we are part of this campaign from its beginning in 2010. Together with our partners from NGOs, public institutions, schools, and entrepreneurs, we have empowered thousands of citizens in our communities. We cherish the campaign because it connects organisations working in this field from all Europe. All of us are united through this week around one goal – to make all Europeans digital.”

Indeed, this is the largest digital inclusion and digital empowerment campaign in Europe, which has already involved over a million people.

Training in Petrosani, Romania

One of the most active participants have always been from Romania, from the very beginning. And this year again we see many workshops and other training events across the whole country – from first click and skills testing to cybersecurity and coding with Minecraft. Gabriela Barna, Director of EOS Romania, remarked, “Romania has some of the best IT specialists in Europe and at the same time the lowest level of ICT skills amongst its general population, ranking last in EU 28. We are organising ALL DIGITAL Week in the interest of the many who are not yet benefiting from the digital society opportunities. We will keep going for as long as it takes.”

And we keep going! Even in the countries with high levels of digital skills, there are still those who need help with making the first click and upgrade their knowledge. We are happy to bring ALL DIGITAL Week to new countries and new regions and to learn from partners there!

Make It Festival in Finland

For example, this year, the campaign is happening for the first time in Finland, thanks to our new partnership with Bildningsalliansen and Make it Finland.

The campaign in Finland started with Make it Festival in Turku on 17 March and with a big launch event on 19 March in Helsinki. In Helsinki,  for the whole day the three floors of the big house were offering three different programme channels, including a code corner, a game corner, key notes, dialogue, pop-up presentations live podcasting, you tubing and other interactive programme points.

“We decided to join ALL DIGITAL Week because we feel very strongly that the digital future is too important to leave to governments and experts alone”, explained Johanni Larjanko, coordinator at Bildningsalliansen. “We are all affected by the digital revolution, and we all should have a say. For some time, the trend has been towards regarding citizens as consumers, consuming services provided by commercial and public bodies. But the true power in digitalization comes with empowerment. When we can have a say in things, we are heard, as individuals and as groups, society will listen. And thus, we can help build the society we all want to live in.”

Digital Ring in Villafranca

A lot of events, social media posts, photos and videos have also come from Spain (have you seen their Digital Ring activities?). And it is not surprising, as the national partner in the campaign is the Association of Telecentre Network, which includes 11  networks in itself. The Association has been participating in the campaign since 2013 to encourage people to use the Internet and to acquire digital skills. Spain has been one of the most active countries in these 5 years with 24,000 people involved.

“The aim of our Association is to raise awareness and promote digital competences among citizens, especially for social inclusion, safety, life-long learning, and employability,” said José-Antonio González-Martínez, from the Presidency of Association of Telecentre Networks, Spain.  “Our more than 1,500 digital innovation centres in Spain are key to reach this objective, but we strongly believe that all the stakeholders involved in Europe must work together to pursue this goal.  The ALL DIGITAL Week gives us a great opportunity to communicate all our activities in a common framework of joint efforts across Europe, so that every European citizen has the chance to go digital”.

Different countries, different organisations united by the same aim – to help Europeans benefit from digital transformation! Join us!

ALL DIGITAL Week 2018 has started, and our partners are taking digital to the next level in their countries.

More than 1,245 partners in 25 European countries will bring training, seminars, workshops, talks and other initiatives to an estimated 80,000 participants, throughout at least 2,000 events.

Over 500 events are already showcased on the European map of ALL DIGITAL WEEK.

The campaign addresses digital and media literacy, online safety, cybersecurity, coding, and many other themes connected to digital skills and technology with online and offline actions and events.

Laurentiu Bunescu, CEO of ALL DIGITAL, commented, “We organise ALL DIGITAL WEEK to support Europeans in their digital transformation journeys. More than ever, we all need to invest in digital skills for media literacy, social inclusion, employability, entrepreneurship and education.”

ALL DIGITAL Week 2018 is supported by Certiport, a Pearson VUE business – the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery, and program management services.  Fiona Fanning, Director of European Affairs, said, “As technology pervades all aspects of our lives, it has never been more important to ensure that all Europeans have the opportunity to gain the digital skills and certification that will help them succeed as a student, citizen, and an employee. We are thrilled to support the important mission of ALL DIGITAL Week in facilitating a truly pan-European digital transformation.”

The campaign has two main themes. The first is related to helping people build trust in technology by developing critical thinking and media literacy in a time with a lot of ‘fake news’ and distrust in the media. The second major theme is helping to develop a lifelong learning approach to enhancing digital skills in an ever-changing and increasingly digital-oriented economy.

To recognise the efforts of helping to develop digital skills for children, adults and the elderly, event organizers will receive certificates. They also automatically enter the contest for the Best event. The winners will be invited to attend the ALL DIGITAL Summit in Brussels in October 2018.

Anybody can join the campaign, even if there are no national partners in your country. If you want to see what events will happen or where, you can check the events map .

We invite PARTICIPANTS to share their impressions, opinions, photos, videos or feedback on social media with hashtag #alldigitalweek. And we encourage EVENT ORGANISERS to tell us about your activities on our community platform Unite-IT platform, which provides networking opportunities, hosts the photos, videos and stories from ALL DIGITAL Week.

LET THE FESTIVAL OF DIGITAL BEGIN!

Remember those days when people used to say that technologies were the future? Well,  the future is now. We live in a time when machines are getting smarter, computers are getting better and robots can maintain a whole conversation or even receive the citizenship or go to Mars.

Technology is all around us; it is impossible to avoid, and it has its perks and downsides. Even though it is improving our lives immensely, its constant rapid changes are terrifying many and leading to exclusion, but also the amount of fake news, hate speech and social media abuse is escalating.

So, this year, the ALL DIGITAL Week focuses on two major themes: helping people build trust in technology by developing critical thinking and media literacy, including being aware of issues mentioned above; and develop a lifelong learning approach to enhancing digital skills in an ever-changing and increasingly digital-oriented economy.

This year’s campaign is supported by Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, and 26 national partners across Europe. In the week of 19-25 March, National Partners will bring the ALL DIGITAL Week campaign to their countries, addressing digital and media literacy, online safety, cybersecurity, coding, and many other themes connected to digital skills and technology. To do that, the partners will organize, conduct and disseminate different types of online and offline activities, foreseeing to involve at least 80,000 people.

Anybody can join the Campaign

National partners are to lead the campaigns in their countries, but ANYBODY can join the campaign, even if there are no national partners in your country. You can organise an event yourselves and let us know about it by adding it on the ALL DIGITAL Week Map.

After the event is conducted, you can go back to your form and describe how it went – let us know your impressions, share participants feedback and photos. All event organisers will receive the certificate and can automatically enter the contest for the Best training or Best promo event, the winners of which will be invited to attend the ALL DIGITAL Summit in Brussels in October.

You don’t know which events to organize? Browse our RESOURCES for inspiration, you can also get some hints from our national partners there.

Also, don’t forget to register your support of the campaign by using the online GET REGISTERED counter. During the Week, all the numbers of participants will be shown on the campaign’s homepage

Welcoming New National Partners

For the first time this year, the campaign will be held in Finland thanks to our collaboration with two new partners – Bildningsalliansen and Make it Finland. Bildningsalliansen is launching the Week with a large public event in Helsinki. The three floors of a house in downtown will be filled with three different programme channels, including a code corner, a game corner, key notes, dialogue, pop-up presentations live podcasting, youtubing and other interactive programme points. Make It Finland and its partners will organise a Make It Festival and will run workshops in libraries and schools on fake news, programming, VR & AR, etc.

After a few years, the campaign is coming back to Bulgaria. Global Libraries – Bulgaria Foundation, the first-time National partner, is organizing activities that will include e-skills testing, IT career guidance training, seminars on online safety and online skills for people over 60, among other events.

This year, we also have a new national partner in Macedonia – iVote Foundation, working in collaboration with our partner in previous years Open the Windows. They will organize public events, presentations, debates, seminars that will involve various stakeholders, but the targeted groups are young people and people with disabilities.

We are also pleased to have CTC Rijeka stepping up as a new national partner in Croatia, bringing all the experience of organising the campaign at regional level in all the previous years. It will develop activities for their event organisers on three bases: build personal responsibility and promote media and digital literacy; use digital tools to improve the chances in the increasingly digital society; and learn new digital skills.

What is planned in various countries?

Here are just the glimpses of events and activities planned by other national partners to give you an idea of the diversity of the ALL DIGITAL Week. By clicking on the links you can get the full description.

In Spain, the Spanish Association of Telecentre Networks, as before, coordinates the campaign through its 11 networks. The Spanish National Partner developed several activities for the promoters of the campaign. The activities have been programmed from the different networks that form the association and include workshops, webinars, talks with experts.

A joint digital skills and services promotion campaign will be organized by National Digital skills Coalition in Latvia, led by LIKTA, together with other partners.  Traditionally events will be organised across the whole country or broadcast, they will include secure use of the Internet and data privacy, youth ICT, digital skills and services. In Romania, EOS Romania Foundation, involves 100 partners in the campaign to deliver training on on First Click, ICT and Entrepreneurship for Women, Digital skills for seniors, and Minecraft for Education courses.  Stiftung Digitale Chancen (SDC) is the German National Partner and will conduct multipliers training events and will teach senior citizens how to use tables. SDC will lead the campaign with the support from Scientific Institute of the Technical University of Dortmund and 21st Century Competence Centre.

In Italy, ALL DIGITAL Week 2018 happens in collaboration between ERVET and Fondazione Mondo Digitale (FMD). ERVET will coordinate a wide range of events from promotion of Coding Camp for Girls and digital library service Emilib to Open FabLab session, Apps for Carers workshops for educators and students. FMD will organize workshops in schools on coding, gaming, robotics and events on digital entrepreneurship and digital arts. Föreningen Sambruk and Digidelnetverket, coordinating ALL DIGITAL Week in Sweden, offer a variety of information & training sessions for drop-in’s, including beginner’s classes on ICT skills for employment, as well as protecting e-ID and fostering trust in e-services. Simbioza Genesis Social Enterprise, in Slovenia, plans activities in three ways: through primary schools with pupils and seniors; with senior citizens in an innovative lab of technology Simbioza BTC City Lab; and in Digital Academy with young people and adults.

Though involving people of all ages, still the main focus will be on young people in Albania, Portugal, Russia, and Serbia.

Thus, Albania, through AIS, will focus in involving young people in using the Internet in the most efficient way and will organize meetings in different schools.Tvoy Kurs: IT for Youth project in Russia, and its partners as in previous years, are organizing diverse events across the whole country: school codethons, competitions, e-skills testing and IT career guidance training, online safety seminars, meetings with the leaders of IT companies and video lectures for school kids. In Serbia, International Aid Network’s main partners will be 150 schools with ICT training and workshops, coding classes, online safety and e-Participation events. In the westernmost country of Europe, the Programa Escolhas represents Portugal as a National Partner. Some of the planned workshops are on 3D printing, building a robot, social networks for the elderly, Internet of Things, cyberbullying, and Scratch marathon.

In the following countries the campaign will have a stronger focus on online safety and digital media literacy. For the second time the campaign will be held in Switzerland, and National partner Ynternet.org puts the emphasis on promoting responsible behaviours in digital environments. They have also partners with TEDxGeneva, and the flagship event will be the TEDx “And the day after?”. In Lithuania, with Langas į ateitį as a national partner, the main activities will include training and awareness raising for safe use of social networks and e-services, anti-bullying campaign, promotion of General data Protection Regulation for citizens and organizations.  In Poland, Information Society Development Foundation have developed ready-to-use scripts for meetings for their partners. This year they are ‘Think critical, beware fake news’ where the participants will learn how to identify fake news and how to assess the reliability of information. The two main topics for the ALL DIGITAL Week 2018 in Denmark are Cybersecurity and ‘How to die on the internet’. As in previous years, Telecentre-Danmark will produce a TV programme focusing on practical use, legal aspects and rights pertaining to these functions.

Campaign activities will also happen in Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, UK.

What are you planning for the ALL DIGITAL Week?  Join the campaign and put your event on the MAP!