Promoting a Safe Cyber Environment

Blue Elephant is a project that aims to prevent cyberbullying of youth by conducting various programs such as surveys around cyberbullying, mobile platform development and operation, education for prevention, and counseling.

At the ‘Blue Elephant Online Forum: Cyber Violence Prevention for Youth’ held in December, participants discussed the state and severity of domestic and international cyberbullying, as well as countermeasures to solve the issue. Let’s find out what efforts are being made for a better society.

Don’t turn a blind eye

Ji-eun Park, a senior in high school who participated as a speaker at the forum, talked about the seriousness of school violence, which she herself had experienced, and suggested possible solutions. Ji-eun was bullied by friends she had known since elementary school. She pointed out that indifference and negligence from adults can do great harm. “The fundamental problem of school violence is the surrounding adults’ lack of sense of crisis. Above all, just staying together can be a great help.”

Lee Joo-ha, a 6th grader in elementary school, joined as a representative youth speaker for the forum. Joo-ha said that she felt a heavy heart when learning of the pain her peers were experiencing. She introduced the ‘Stop It Challenge’ to help victims and eradicate rapidly increasing cases of cyber bullying. “You can make a big difference if you have the courage to start changing your perspective on cyberbullying and shout out, ‘Stop it!’

Progress on eliminating cyberbullying

At the forum, achievements made by Blue Elephant were also introduced. Blue Elephant was selected as UNESCO’s ‘Official Educational Project for Sustainable Development,’ as it received exceptional evaluations in improving policies and education environments, developing educator competencies, youth empowerment and participation, and practice at the local level. It is recognized as an education program that equips children with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to tackle global challenges.

In addition, Blue Elephant publicized cyberbullying as a social issue and was able to make prevention education part of a government policy task. We hope to see the eradication of cyberbullying through the efforts of Blue Elephant, students, and the adults around them.