CYBER BYTES
Our Approach: Empowering Women and Queer Youth Through Cybersecurity Education
This series aims to offer inclusive digital safety and advocacy practices that center the needs and experiences of women and gender diverse people from Indigenous, Black and racialized communities.
We are designing a comprehensive educational framework with a national reach. Our goal is to provide women, queer individuals, and youth with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves from online threats, increase their cybersecurity awareness, and boost their confidence in navigating the digital world.
Workshops & Webinars
Interactive sessions that teach essential cybersecurity skills, focusing on protecting personal information, identifying online risks, and preventing online harassment.
Online Training Videos
Short, easy-to-follow videos on topics such as privacy settings, password management, safe browsing, and how to recognize and respond to online harassment or doxxing. These videos will be accessible to participants across the country, regardless of their geographical location.
Educational Campaigns
National campaigns that raise awareness about the importance of digital safety, particularly for vulnerable groups. These campaigns will address the growing issue of misinformation, as well as teach users how to discern trustworthy sources online.
Research Reports
We will conduct ongoing research to better understand the cybersecurity challenges faced by women and queer people, particularly in remote and rural communities. The findings from this research will inform our training programs and help shape future educational efforts.
Focus on Online Safety and Civic Engagement
One of our primary goals is to help women and queer youth overcome the barriers to online participation created by cybersecurity threats. By increasing their knowledge of online risks, privacy settings, and safe online behavior, we aim to foster an environment where they can engage confidently and securely in online spaces. This is crucial not just for their personal safety but also for their ability to participate in civic activities, social movements, and public discourse.
Our training will specifically address issues such as:
- Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Understanding how online platforms can be used as tools for GBV and learning strategies to avoid and combat these forms of abuse.
- Activism and Personal Safety: Learn best practices for organizing activism safely online, including using encrypted communication tools, avoiding digital surveillance, and protecting group members’ privacy. Discover how to safeguard your identity during protests, campaigns, or movements, and mitigate risks such as doxxing or harassment when facing opposition.
- Doxxing and Privacy Intrusions: Teaching women and queer youth how to safeguard their personal information and what steps to take if they become targets of doxxing or other privacy violations.
Partnering with Remote and Rural Communities
We recognize that access to cybersecurity resources and education is particularly limited in Northern, remote, and rural areas. That’s why we have formed intentional partnerships with organizations that have a strong presence in communities in Yukon and NWT. Through these partnerships, we aim to ensure that the cybersecurity education we provide is accessible to those who need it most, regardless of their location.
Our online resources, webinars, and workshops will be designed to reach people in these communities, and we will work closely with local organizations to deliver in-person sessions when possible. By doing so, we hope to bridge the digital divide and provide young women and queer youth in these areas with the same opportunities for online safety and empowerment as their urban counterparts.
Through this initiative, we are not just teaching cybersecurity skills; we are fostering a culture of safety, resilience, and empowerment for women and queer youth in the digital age. Together, we can create a safer internet where everyone can thrive.
