DAFA: Importance of Being Smart online

Just last month, The Straits Times reported on a “record number of scams in 2020” where Singaporeans have lost more than $201 million, which means there’s been over 15,700 cases.

One of the Top 10 scam types was social media impersonation scams and it’s a serious concern when Make The Change works with youths. It’s why “Be Smart” is one of Digital Arts For All (DAFA)’s three foundational values. The core is for students we teach to comprehend media literacy and the meaning of being safe, smart and kind online.

And when we celebrated Safer Internet Day (Feb 9), it was a reminder to us on the serious dangers that come with our overuse of technology, which include hacked social media accounts, dangerous trending challenges, fake news and cyberbullying. Unless we are directly affected by them, we don’t realise how awful they can be.

But that shouldn’t deter us from using it once we receive the right education.

That is precisely why our DFG Youth Competition design brief this year is the Better Internet Campaign, which is all about creating a safer and better internet for everyone. We are open for submissions and close on June 15.

It’s been a strong start to DAFA. Since the end of Circuit Breaker, we’ve had the chance to educate Sec 1s to 4s on media literacy. They include schools like

• CHIJ St Theresa’s Convent

• Mayflower Secondary

• Holy Innocents High

• Hwa Chong Institution

• Ngee Ann Secondary (twice)

• Yuying Secondary

• as well as reaching our interns from Temasek Junior College, Raffles Girls Secondary, Singapore Chinese Girls School, ITE Central, PeiHwa Secondary and Zhenghua Secondary

Schools that wish to enter will get a complimentary 2-hour Digital Arts and Cyberwellness Workshop for your students.

“At this digital arts workshop, there are no crayons and paper. Instead, participants create drawings on iPads, and also pick up media literacy skills along the way.” - Read more at TODAY ONLINE