The youngest participant was only 11 years old. The students came from the Gottfried-Linke-Realschule, the Hauptschule am Fredenberg, and the IGS Salzgitter.

The prevention and media literacy project has been running for four years in the city of Salzgitter and is unique in the region. What makes it special is that dedicated students undergo training so they can then inform their peers at school about the topics they’ve learned, answer questions, and demonstrate media literacy.

The main task of the “MedienScoutZ” is to serve as trusted points of contact for their fellow students. They educate their peers about the opportunities and risks of media use and support them in using digital media responsibly.

During the three-day workshop at the Heider Youth Hostel, they learned the basics of safe social media and internet use from Claudia Kramer (SZ/PE/WF Police Precinct) and André Greco (Youth and Democracy Education Team – Media Education). This included information on legal topics, such as the right to one’s own image. This concerns personal rights in connection with photos and videos. Both current laws and their practical application when publishing content online were discussed. One important point, for example, was that people who are photographed must be asked for permission before their pictures can be published online.

The topic “Security Settings in Apps” focused on raising awareness about security on one’s own smartphone and the use of various apps such as WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, and others. In a workshop on WhatsApp, participants learned which settings are useful for avoiding constant pressure to respond and, for example, what everyone can do to better protect their own data in chats from Meta’s AI. Afterward, the young people worked independently in small groups to determine which settings and tips they would recommend for the apps themselves, as well as for games like Roblox. The goal here was not to restrict the young people, but rather to help them learn how to customize the apps to their own needs and thus feel more comfortable using them.

However, the event wasn’t limited to the workshop phase, which focused on knowledge transfer and group work. There was also plenty of time for fun and for the participants to get to know one another. During their free time, they went shopping in town, baked bread on sticks over a cozy campfire, and played games.