Google’s philanthropic organisation is to provide an extra $1 million (€920,000) in grant funding to children’s charity Barnardos to promote internet safety for younger users.
The extra funding comes in top of the €1 million grant Google.org gave to fund Barnardos’ Online Safety Programme in 2019. The programme has held more than 3,000 workshops in 700 schools throughout Ireland in five years, reaching more than 90,000 students. In addition the programme funded 2,000 parent workshops on online safety nationwide.
The funding through Google.org will see the existing programme extended to include artificial intelligence, facilitate the development of a virtual programme, to further its reach, and adapt the existing online safety programme to reach an older audience, extending it to children between 10 and 15 years old.
The new programme will also design a response to support schools where a significant incident of online bullying or abuse has occurred.
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“Over the last five years we have seen high levels of engagement with our Online Safety Programme supported by Google.org,” said Suzanne Connolly, chief executive of Barnardos. “This new grant allows us to extend both the reach and scope of the Online Safety Programme.”
Barnardos will work with online safety organisation Webwise and Media Literacy Ireland to develop the programme.
“The internet is laden with opportunity and promise for young people, but education on how to confidently and safely explore the online world is crucial,” said Mindy Brooks, senior director and general manager for kids and families at Google.
Secondary schools will begin to get the programme from September 2024, with the virtual version to come in 2025.
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