The institution takes stock of its work and proposes to the educational community and professionals research and training to face the challenges in face-to-face and online coexistence
The data collection of the CiberResistance project, which in collaboration with Deusto seeks to prevent the third gender digital divide and cybermachista violence in childhood, is completed
SIPACM teaches nearly 2,500 people in education, health and social sectors how to prevent digital violence
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 20 December 2024
‘In a world that is moving unstoppable towards greater digitalization it is vital to promote digital ethics and work for the achievement of responsible cyber citizenship that promotes coexistence based on personal and online well-being. Technology generates immense possibilities; but also risks to democracy and human rights. Many are already seeing them: the use of AI for harmful practices, the increase in disinformation, the violation of basic rights, the rise of extremism, the consolidation of the aftertruth, the machist resistance to the advances of feminism. Given this scenario, we must prioritize emotional and social intelligence in the online sphere. Opciónate continues working on it, also committed to raising awareness to prevent cyberviolence and to continue research, the training and institutionalization of equality and identification of unconscious gender biases to professionals and public administrations and the promotion of greater leadership by women. With these words, its director, Ana Lydia Fernández-Layos, begins the balance of a year of intense activity in which the entity has also paid special attention to the accompaniment of victims of digital gender violence, managing the Island Prevention and Employment Service.
The association works mainly in three main areas. On the one hand, equality between women and men and the elimination of sexist and discriminatory practices, by supporting public and private entities in carrying out gender audits and equality plans, in inclusive language and theoretical practical training for staff through participatory processes of reflection-research-action; secondly, the one on digital ethics, cybercitizenship and cyber equality; finally, the care and prevention of cybermachist violence through the development of teaching materials, research and training for both the educational community and professionals in the legal, health and social fields as well as care for women, Affected adolescents and girls and their families, and dissemination of key materials and resources.
Opciónate carries out all its actions through theoretical-practical and experiential learning, where individual and collective reflection processes are encouraged, which also include the strengthening of emotional and social intelligence with a rights-based, gender and intercultural perspective.
The director of Opciónate invites those who are interested in cyber equality and digital ethics and their potential to improve society to visit her website and social networks, from which they will continue to make visible the work that the entity will carry out in 2025.
From the CyberResistance project to Being, Being and Participating in the digital age
During 2024, Opciónate has continued to promote online citizen participation from a digital ethic, essential for coexistence based on respect, equity and good treatment. This work line includes the Being, Being and Participating in the Digital Age projects and participation in the project of the University of Deusto CyberResistance, whose first stage of data collection with the educational community has just been completed.
Also participated in the #MuseumsContacted meetings organized by Canarias Ahora, HackforGood at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Awareness Days against Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation of Daniela-Oblatas and the Connected Voices Day, with which the Diputación del Común celebrated the past 25N.
That secondary school students approach the digital age from the point of view of care, rights, responsibility and social participation is the objective of the project Ser, estar y participar en la era digital, which generated a document (https://opcionate.com/es/materiales) for the subject Ethical and civic values, with practical exercises and proposals from participants to improve both the near environment and global reality. Financed by the Citizen Participation Unit of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, it will continue throughout 2025.
Without leaving school, now with primary school students, Opciónate has worked this year in CyberRESISTANCE, a project that explores the limits and potential of co-education, its opportunities and resistance. That it aims to analyse, diagnose and prevent the third gender digital divide and the cybermachist violence that is already occurring in childhood, particularly between the ages of 6 and 12. This research is based on the hypothesis that the covid pandemic has accelerated and accelerated access of minors to the virtual world (and thus, to machista content harmful to their development); and that families and educational establishments did not have sufficient resources to cope with this new reality. During this year, Opciónate has worked through discussion groups with minors, families and teachers, completing the collection of data that will serve for diagnosis and analysis of the situation and which will lead to a report and a pilot experience to be developed in 2025 and 2026.
2,067 people learn with SIPACM to prevent cybermachista violence
Specialized in the prevention of cyber violence, Opciónate has managed since 2023 the Insular Service for the Prevention and Attention to Machista Cyberviolence (SIPACM), which this year has carried out more than 100 coordination with professionals. In addition, the legal, psychological and cybersecurity and digital self-defense team of the Service has carried out more than 400 actions including attentions, accompaniments and legal advice, Including also psychological follow-up interventions and advice on cybersecurity and digital self-defense. In addition, the Prevention and Awareness area has provided 85 workshops in 23 educational centres, 4 CEPs, a health centre and 5 professional entities, providing training to detect and deal with cyber violence to 2,418 people; between students, teachers and families as well as professionals from different fields all over Gran Canaria. This large multidisciplinary team of professionals has worked in a coordinated way to meet the needs of individuals and groups that have requested advice, training and/ or psychological, legal and cyber security and digital self-defense.
Through SIPACM, Opciónate has continued its work to train professionals in cybersecurity from various entities; Training courses for young people, teachers and children in the form of face-to-face workshops and sessions on the Co-educational Practices online course and on the Youth and New Technologies Days organised by the Directorate-General for Youth and the Directorate-General for Child and Family Protection; respectively, the Government of the Canary Islands.
Since the association has continued to work in network with other social entities to maximize learning and exchange of experience, a collaboration that has allowed greater and better achievements.
The SIPACM website has a section on Resources (https://serviciociberviolenciamachista.opcionate.com/recursos/page/2/) very useful for those who work in the prevention of sexist cyberviolence, for teachers and anybody specialising in social uses and the impact of technology on the life and health of the population, on children and adolescents or on education and training and families. It has a wide variety of documents available for download (reports, studies, laws, directives, protocols, teaching guides, videos, posters) which can be searched through various filters (keyword, year of publication, geographical scope, type of document and key theme).
Supporting the institutionalization of equality
Adding to the researcher’s educational environment, Fernández-Layos comments how satisfactory it has been to advise the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society (ACIISI) in the implementation of the European project ATHENA, in which the ULPGC is also involved. Funded by the EU, the main objective of ATHENA is to implement gender equality plans in research institutions to remove existing barriers, both in recruitment and retention and career progression of female researchers. It also aims to generate cultural change, which is necessary to avoid future gender bias and discriminatory practices. In this context, the consultancy of Opciónate includes, among other actions within the equality plan of the entity, the review of dozens of calls for funding and the content of the websites of ACIISI and Ciencia Canaria; the assessment of staff training needs in gender equality and the design and delivery of training for the entire workforce.
Throughout the year, Opciónate has supported various entities for the institutionalization of gender equality. On the one hand, through gender audits and diagnoses; also through recommendations for using inclusive language -a legal mandate, on the other hand; and finally, through training of managers and all staff, both in gender equality and unconscious biases also collaborating with the Canary Islands Ocean Platform (PLOCAN) and the European project of which it is part: Winblue for the promotion of gender equality in the blue economy. Among its last actions this year, Opciónate carried out the gender audit of the Lanzarote 2024 Film Show and provided training to the staff of Tenique Cultural, organizer of the event.
