Google launches poetry and animation to teach digital responsibility in the Philippines

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, February 9, 2021–Google launches a collection of spoken word poetry and animated videos on its local YouTube channel to teach digital responsibility and help Filipinos be better netizens and stewards of the internet. The content is developed by the youth volunteers of Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM), an NGO which aims to build peace online and in vulnerable communities nationwide.

The themes of the YouTube videos are kindness; the value of strong passwords and online security; critical thinking, oversharing prevention, and courage online. Together with YouTube’s reach of over 40 million Filipinos, digital responsibility can be effectively taught to more people online using videos of creative expression.

The spoken word poetry is written and produced by TiTik Poetry, a youth group from Cavite who strives to use words and art to make a social impact.

“Poetry is powerful and we can use it as a tool to make the internet a safer place. Each of us has a unique talent or skill and if we use it for an important cause like digital responsibility, we can make a positive impact in the community,” said Verlin Santos, founder of Titik Poetry.

The animated videos were illustrated and animated by Christwin Felix, a volunteer, who has been teaching multimedia arts for more than 10 years. The stories were written by Grace Bufi, a housewife and a passionate storyteller. Grace, along with her husband Rey Bufi, established the Basa Bookstore and The Storytelling Project, a non-profit organization which aims to spark hope, inspiration and imagination through storytelling.

Dingdong Dantes provided a voice over in all the five animated videos playing the role of the “Badge Giver”, a character who explains the moral of the story. Meanwhile, YouTube creator Janina Vela introduces, narrates, and concludes each of the stories to highlight the lessons.

Believing in the purpose of the campaign, Dingdong shared, “Sa panahon ngayon, napakahalaga ng responsableng paggamit ng internet. Gamit ang aming boses bilang mga miyembro ng entertainment industry, sana’y makatulong kami upang maitaas ang kaalaman ng lahat tungkol sa proper internet etiquette at online safety, lalung lalo na sa mga kabataan.”

Janina Vela underscored the important role of creators: “YouTube creators play an important role in teaching digital responsibility. We can use our voice and platform to raise awareness on how we can all be better stewards of the internet. I hope that beyond Safer Internet Day, we can always practice healthy digital habits online and offline.”

Bernadette Nacario, Country Director of Google Philippines said, “At Google, we believe in enabling partners, communities and volunteers so we can all build a safer internet. The campaign is a shared effort of individuals from different walks of life to demonstrate that everyone can make a valuable contribution and be a better netizen. Everyone can use their passion, talents, or skills to promote digital responsibility in their own way.”

On Safer Internet Day of 2019, Google and TPBPM launched a campaign called Cyberpeace to teach at least 10,000 high school students about digital responsibility. Amid the pandemic, with the help of several volunteers, the campaign reached more than 416,000 netizens nationwide through digital means such as social media and webinars.

Check out the spoken word poetry and animated videos on Google Philippines YouTube Channel. You can also join the conversation online using the hashtag #SaferInternet4Filipinos.

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