NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 6 – Kenya Scouts Association, with the support of Google, launched the 2019 edition of Web Rangers, a youth programme for online safety at an event to mark Safer Internet Day.
The initiative has been implemented in over 15 countries and was launched in Kenya in 2015. This year, Web Rangers is expanding its reach and is targeting 90,000 scouts and 50,000 scout leaders in the country.
Google is also collaborating with Kenya Scouts Association, CODE-IP Trust and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to launch an online safety manual.
Approximately 1.4 million scouts and 50,000 scout leaders and trainers are expected to receive the Kenya Scouts Association Online Safety Learners’ Handbook and Teachers’ Guide, which will provide counsel on how to safely navigate online platforms.
“Google is proud to be a partner of the Kenya Scouts Association, Kenya’s largest youth movement, in scaling the Web Rangers program to empower an even greater number of young people to be safe and responsible users of the Internet,” said Michael Murungi, Google’s Policy & Government Relations Lead for East Africa.
According to McAfee Security, 87 percent of youth today have witnessed cyberbullying, while nearly 69% have experienced it.
This year, the Safer Internet Day theme is: “Together for a better Internet”. The slogan is a call to action for all stakeholders to join together and play their part in creating a better internet for everyone, and especially for younger users.
