DAVOS, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Turkcell (NYSE:TKC) (BIST:TCELL) and DQ Institute have announced that the “#DQEveryChild”, a global movement in association with the World Economic Forum (the Forum), will be available in Turkey in Turkish language as of Monday, January 28th. With this launch Turkish becomes the 5th language globally where #DQEverychild is available, after English, Korean, Chinese and Spanish.
#DQEveryChild program measures children’s level of DQ and improves their digital citizenship competencies in 8 categories – digital citizen identity, screen time management, cyberbullying management, cyber security management, privacy management, critical thinking, digital footprints, and digital empathy. The DQ (Digital Intelligence) was identified as a global standard framework for digital literacy and skills by the OECD and IEEE through the “Coalition for Digital Intelligence” formed in association with the Forum and launched at the institution’s Sustainable Development Summit in New York in September 2018. Building on DQ Institute’s research-based education tools, the program combines the power of gamification, and easy-to-use and fun interaction models to equip children with digital citizenship – which is the core competency of DQ.
Turkcell is the world’s first telecommunications company to go through a successful digital transformation, creating digital apps and services that have reached more than 150 million downloads. Turkcell’s digital portfolio covers digital communication, media and entertainment, digital identity and mobile payment services among others. The company is a proponent of using technology for the benefit of those who can make the greater difference in their lives with technology; and supports the special education needs of disabled children and exceptionally gifted children as well as entrepreneurship, women’s employment and refugee integration.
Empowering Children for Full Digital Citizenship
Speaking at the Forum’s Annual Meeting session “A Common Language for Digital Intelligence”, Dr. Yuhyun Park, the founder of the DQ Institute, and Turkcell CEO Kaan Terzioglu emphasized the importance of having children grow up as empowered and aware citizens of the digital world.
“Our 2018 Impact Report shows 56% of 8-12 year old children around the world are exposed to at least one cyber risk including cyber-bullying, game addiction, online sexual behaviour and offline meeting with strangers. It is critical to empower children with a comprehensive set of digital citizenship skills at the onset of their digital lives so that they can minimize cyber-risks and maximize their potential of digital future with ethics and discernment. It is a great privilege for DQ Institute to work with Turkcell, a major telco operator in the nation to empower Turkish children.” said Dr. Yuhyun Park, the Founder of DQ Institute.
“The digital world can potentially be the biggest equalizer and growth engine of our times, ensuring that the benefits of Globalization 4.0 transpire to every segment of the society. It can also be the greatest problem, blurring the lines between honesty and manipulation. As a telecommunications company, we do not only make sure that our business serves the former purpose, but also make sure that we help the education of our children as individuals who use technology for growth and for social benefit” said Kaan Terzioglu, the CEO of Turkcell. “The awareness and skills provided by #DQEveryChild are a solid foundation on which they can build their digital future, and we are thrilled to be the company that brings this opportunity to Turkish children.”
There are more than 4 million children between the ages of 8-12 in Turkey, most of whom do not speak English. With the launch of #DQEveryChild in Turkey, the partners aim to reach at least 1 million children from all around the country both through online platforms and on mobile iOS and Android apps.