I met Sango in the summer of 2020.
In the midst of the pandemic, I was able to learn about the new ITU Child Online Protection (COP) Guidelines.
Alongside other international experts on child online protection, governments, private sector representatives and children, I was introduced to the mascot of ITU's Child Online Protection Initiative, who – as I learned – was entirely created by children and launched on Safer Internet Day 2020.
At first sight, I found Sango an intriguing figure and decided to get to know him better.
Bringing Sango to life
Following the event, I contacted ITU and indicated that as an expert, I would be very happy to collaborate on the promotion of internet safety through the ITU COP Guidelines.
A few email exchanges later, I found myself in a position to negotiate translation plans and deadlines to implement COP Guidelines in Hungary. On 3 December 2020, as part of an online event, we announced the Hungarian translation of the Guidelines.
But our adventure is far from over yet…
Empowering children online
Over the Christmas holidays, I wondered if I could introduce Sango to more kids and even some adults to support them further in protecting and empowering their children online.
It was then that the idea for the drawing competition called "Sango and Me" was born.
Children between the ages of 9 and 12 were invited to share their artwork showing how Sango's help comes in handy for them as they learn to navigate the online world.
Wonderful drawings came in from all over the country. With incredible ingenuity, the kids showed their everyday lives on the Internet, confidently asking Sango for help in resolving different scenarios, illustrated in the prize-winning artwork below:
Challenge for children aged 11 to 12:
1st prize: " Think before you click"
2nd prize: "Sango's adventure on the planet Internet Safety"
3rd prize: "Sango's advice on data protection"
Challenge for children aged 9 to 10:
1st prize: "The Internet Safety fairy tale"
2nd prize: "Sango in a virtual classroom with children"
3rd prize: " Sango and the Apps' age limits"
The situations presented above show the great need for Sango as well as his ability to enable every child to have a safer, more empowering, and positive online experience.
Happy first birthday to my dear new friend Sango! Our digital adventure continues.
Learn more about Dr. Katalin Baracsi and her advocacy work on Internet safety here.
Header image credit: Sarah Dietz via Pexels
