Summary
GEYC is proud to announce that our "Pixels of Change" project, an initiative developed under the framework of the European Solidarity Corps program, has recently secured 1st place in the European Youth Goals Awards. This distinction comes in the context of the 2025 European Year of Digital Citizenship Education, in a time where digital education is more needed than ever.
Pixels of Change will return this September during the week of Digital Citizenship Education. This initiative, aimed at empowering high school students in Romania with essential digital competencies for democracy, aligns with the EU's emphasis on digital literacy and responsible online engagement.
In the Pixels of Change programme, we focused on the following issues:
| Join the digital adventure | Digital safety 1-on-1 | Know your information |
| Create your content | Voices in the digital world | |
As technology continues to reshape every aspect of our lives, the need for digital literacy has never been more pressing. Navigating the digital world goes beyond just using devices; it involves understanding how to communicate responsibly, protect personal data, produce meaningful content, and critically assess information online. The rapid pace of technological advancements demands a proactive approach to learning, where young people not only acquire digital skills but also develop the mindset to adapt continuously. Through fostering digital competencies, the Pixels of Change programme aims to empower students to take control of their digital experiences, preparing them to participate safely, ethically, and effectively in an increasingly digital society.
In this context, digital competencies are seen as essential life skills, contributing to personal growth, academic success, and active citizenship. The Pixels of Change programme embraces a holistic approach, where learning is not confined to traditional classrooms but extends to interactive and engaging settings that foster real-world applications. By equipping students with foundational digital knowledge, skills, and attitudes, the program seeks to lay the groundwork for lifelong learning and inspire young people to use digital technologies for positive social change.
Context
As technology continues to reshape every aspect of our lives, the need for digital literacy has never been more pressing. Navigating the digital world goes beyond just using devices; it involves understanding how to communicate responsibly, protect personal data, produce meaningful content, and critically assess information online. The rapid pace of technological advancements demands a proactive approach to learning, where young people not only acquire digital skills but also develop the mindset to adapt continuously. With this project, we wanted to tackle the following challenges:
- The lack of approachable digital education in highschools (only hard skills are covered in the schools curriculum and no soft skills are tackled during K12).
- The low digital citizenship readiness of young people in highschools. Romania has one of the lowest level of basic overall digital skills, according to EuReporter. The EU average is 56%, but in Romania that amount the amount of people who have a basic level of digital competencies is only 28%.
- The growing trend of AI generated content online and the increasing amount of fake or deceptive news.
In a significant achievement, GEYC's "Pixels of Change" program has been awarded 1st place in the European Youth Goals Awards, recognizing its impactful approach to digital education. To achieve this relevant milestone, 5 European Solidarity Corps volunteers have been continously developed, improved the methodology and facilitated the workshops over a period of 6 months.
"Pixels of Change" is designed to equip high school students with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. Through a series of five interactive workshops, students explore topics such as digital safety, critical evaluation of information, content creation, and ethical online behavior.
2025 EU Year of Digital Citizenship
The upcoming edition coincides with the week of Digital Citizenship Education in the EU's dedicated year for Digital Citizenship Education, emphasizing the importance of digital competencies in today's society. By participating in "Pixels of Change," students not only enhance their digital skills but also contribute to broader European objectives of fostering informed and responsible digital citizens.Impact
“facilitators were really involved”
I liked that the facilitators were really involved, communicative and easy-going. The activities were really fun and interesting. The short movie we did was really awesome to do!
“entertaining and informative”
It was a very nice workshop, entertaining and informative. The people were very nice and overall I loved it!
“more effective and attractive”
I loved the workshops, they were always very fun, interactive and it was a very nice break from traditional classes. I consider this method of learning more effective and attractive than the usuall lessons
“learned more things about internet”
I really found this experience helpful, because I learned more things about internet. The atmosphere was amazing and the stuff awesome and friendly
“helped me understand the online world much better”
They were very nice and calm people that helped us. They helped me understand the online world much better. Would have liked longer and more workshops
Join the Movement
We invite educators, students, youth associations, volunteers and community members to be part of this transformative experience through both our in-person series of workshops, as well as the online series of Pixels of Change this September. Get in touch for more details on how to participate in the upcoming workshops and contribute to a digitally empowered Europe!For more information, visit our Pixels of Change page.
Contact
If you would like to bring Pixels of Change workshops in your hishchool, please contact us.
| Location(s) currently available: | Bucharest, Romania |
| Pixels of Change workshops are organized free of charge by GEYC with the support of the European Commission through the European Solidarity Corps programme as part of our Digital commitment. |  |