Unprecedented industry collaboration to promote responsible use of technology

Fourteen leading mobile operators, mobile content, social networking companies and internet providers today launch TeachToday.eu, a website designed to help teachers encourage children to use the internet and mobile technology responsibly and safely. This is the first time such a significant number of major businesses have worked together to address this complex issue. This initiative will be launched in Brussels in the presence of Commissioner Viviane Reding.

Available in English, Czech, French, German, Italian and Spanish, TeachToday provides teachers with a wealth of information. This includes lesson plans, case studies, reporting procedures, as well as outline policies which are designed to keep them abreast of the changes in communication technology. The website facilitates teachers to guide their pupils to take advantage of the opportunities and avoid the risks of new technology.

“New technologies bring huge benefits to children and young people, but issues such as online safety, cyber-bullying, and privacy are of major concern,” states Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet. “Teachers are telling us they want to have the know-how to deal with these issues in the classroom – and TeachToday will help them to make sense of technology.”

The industry consortium worked closely with European Schoolnet, a network of 28 Ministries of Education across Europe, to create the materials and ensure that teachers were consulted throughout the development of the site.

Marc Durando comments, “This collaboration between technology companies and educators shows we are all determined to make sure that teachers have the latest advice on how to promote safe and responsible use of new technologies.”

Participating companies are AOL, BEBO, Buongiorno, Deutsche Telekom /T-Mobile, Facebook, Google, GSMA Europe, Microsoft, MySpace, Orange, 02/Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Vodafone and Yahoo! Europe. The website is online at www.teachtoday.eu

For further information please contact:
Gregg Svingen– The Centre, gregg.svingen@thecentre.eu, Mobile 0476490603
Claudia Martinez - The Centre, claudia.martinez@thecentre.eu, Mobile 0485977313

Note for Editors
Commissioner Reding will be the keynote speaker during the launch event at Solvay Library in Brussels and there will be a wide representation from the industry, education, NGOs, and the government sector. Senior executives from the ICT companies and European Schoolnet representatives will be presenting the Pan-European Campaign from 15.00 CET and will be able to offer interviews, from 16h00 CET onwards following the event launch.

European Schoolnet (EUN) is a unique not-for-profit consortium of 28 Ministries of Education in Europe created in 1997. EUN provides major European education portals for teaching, learning and collaboration and leads the way in bringing about change in schooling through the use of new technology.

The following quotations are from companies who are members of the TeachToday consortium.

AOL Europe
"I am delighted that AOL is involved in this pan-European initiative. It is important that as an industry we can help to empower teachers to understand all aspects of the online world and how they can benefit from it.”
Dana Dunne, CEO, AOL Europe

Bebo
"Bringing together leading ICT companies and European Schoolnet in an aim to support head teachers and teachers looking to stimulate dialogue about the safe and responsible use of the Internet, both in and out of the school environment is an extremely positive move. We fully support 'TeachToday' as an extension of our schools engagement strategy centred around www.safesocialnetworking.com, and believe that by working closely with teachers and educationalists we can help bridge a very real knowledge gap and empower them, enabling them to further support young people to use the Internet safely whilst promoting positive regard, tolerance and inclusion.
Dr Rachel O'Connell, Chief Safety Officer, Bebo

Buongiorno Group
"The growth of mobile usage amongst children is enabling them to access mobile content at a very young age. Therefore, as global leader in mobile content, Buongiorno is proud to work with European Schoolnet and our industry partners in educating children on how to use this powerful device and technology to have fun in a safe and responsible way. As market leaders, we must take responsibility for the impact of our activities on our youngest customers.”
Andrea Casalini, CEO Buongiorno Group

Deutsche Telekom/ T-Mobile
"As a leading European communications provider for wireline and mobile Internet, the safety of our customers, especially children and teenagers, is at the centre of our strategy. With TeachToday Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile have helped to launch the third international initiative in a row to improve online child safety – following the EU Safer Mobile Framework in 2007 and the “Mobile Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse” at the beginning of this year."
Wolfgang Kopf, Senior Vice President,Public & Regulatory Affairs, Deutsche Telekom

GSMA Europe
"Across Europe, the rollout of mobile broadband services is enabling children to use mobile phones to both easily access and post information online," said Kaisu Karvala, Chair of GSMA Europe, the European arm of the GSM Association. "Our industry is aiming to give teachers across the region the support they need to educate children in how to use this powerful technology in a safe and responsible way."
Kaisu Karvala, Chair of GSMA Europe,

Google
"Google is deeply committed to protecting children on the Internet and providing all of our users with a safe experience online. We are proud today to be participating in the launch of the TeachToday website, which supplies teachers with the tools they need to promote safe Internet usage."
Simon Hampton, Director of European Public Policy & Government Relations

Microsoft
“Microsoft continues to support public private partnerships such as TeachToday as models to follow across Europe, as they allow many different stakeholders to come together and work on issues of great societal importance. Microsoft will continue to work towards empowering people through technology, helping open new doors while promoting safety and responsibility.” Jan Muehlfeit, Chairman Europe

MySpace
“Teachers are uniquely positioned to educate our teens about online safety. As responsible corporate citizens, we must work together to provide teachers with the tools to do so effectively,” said Michael Angus, EVP and General Counsel for Fox Interactive Media. “MySpace is proud to be a founding member of this partnership to bring online safety into our schools, empowering educators throughout Europe to guide our youth in using the net safely."
Michael Angus, EVP and General Counsel for Fox Interactive Media

Orange FT Group
"We believe that education is the most effective method of protecting young people by teaching them to use mobile and internet technology responsibly. The delivery of the TeachToday website is testimony to our industry’s commitment, to empower teachers to deliver greater protection to young people. Orange is proud to be part of this initiative."
Olaf Swantee, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Mobile

Telefónica
“At Telefónica, we tailor our social actions as closely as possible to our business strategy. We want Telefónica’s activities to drive progress and improvements in peoples’ lives. So, when it comes to protecting children and young people we take this seriously by giving them the guidance and information they need to use technology responsibly”.
Carlos Lopez Blanco, Director, International Office, Telefónica

Telecom Italia
"Awareness raising activities are key for the protection of minors in mobile and internet use. With this initiative Telecom Italia aims at enhancing its broader action towards educators taken on the basis of the commitments signed last year with the European Framework for Safer Mobile Use. Youngsters and teenagers regularly interact via mobile and ubiquitous access to new convergent  services, and this makes it imperative to empower teachers to better understand and educate about the responsible use of new mobile services".
Paolo Annunziato, Public Affairs, Group Senior Vice President, Telecom Italia

Vodafone
We are currently in the middle of a communications revolution. Children and young people are using mobile capabilities and social networking services in ways unimaginable to adults who did not grow up with this technology. Although there are many benefits in using this technology, a generational digital divide has evolved. Vodafone believes it is critical that industry plays its part in bridging this divide which is why we support TeachToday.eu. We want to help teachers ensure children enjoy the opportunities our services and technology offer in an enthusiastic but responsible and safer way.
Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive Officer, Europe

Yahoo! Europe
“Yahoo! is pleased to be part of this project that represents a unique partnership to support the teaching of today’s young people and to help them to get the most out of their online experiences. This is a great starting point to empower this generation, who rely so heavily on the internet, to use these services safely and responsibly.”
Geraldine Wilson, GM and VP Yahoo! Connected Life, Europe