Childhood development and education
Safe Junior Academy
As an e-commerce leader, Allegro.pl is aware of its responsibility for security on the internet. Special attention is paid to the youngest users of the platform who spend time on the internet without being fully aware of the related hazards.
Allegro understands that the internet can be a perfect work and entertainment tool when used reasonably and responsibly. However, the company wants children to know how to use it without putting themselves and other users at risk. This includes drawing their attention to what can be found on the internet and teaching them how to behave in various situations.
Accordingly, Allegro invited juniors to its offices in the summer of 2010 (when users aged 13-18 years officially appeared on the platform). This move was both bold and unprecedented in the e-commerce sector. Early data seems to indicate this has contributed to higher security levels and convenience for all platform users.
The next step of Allegro's campaign was to create a group educational programme for its youngest users, the Safe Junior Academy. Nobody’s Children Foundation, the local authority in this area, was invited to cooperate and has become the content-related partner of the project.
The main aim of the academy is to educate teenagers across Poland on three topical issues:
- Internet security
- Safe online transactions
- Hazards on the web
The project was officially launched in February 2011 in Warsaw on Safer Internet Day, coinciding with related educational classes, events, information campaigns and competitions. As a corporate partner, Allegro exhibited during the Safer Internet Day fair and operated a project-related stand.
The first training course was conducted at a lower high school in Warsaw. The most active children and schools during Safer Internet Day 2011 were awarded gifts and courses at the Safe Junior Academy, and Allegro lecturers visited schools in Jarosław, Nienadowa and Sieradz.
The project is directed at lower high schools that raise the subject of internet security. All academy training is provided free of charge.
Meetings are held every month (excluding holiday months and December) in different parts of Poland, covering villages, towns and large provincial cities.
During the one-hour course, Allegro deals with the topical issues noted earlier. As part of the training, schools receive:
- Information brochures for all children
- Educational boards to be hung in IT classrooms
- Allegro gadgets for active listeners
As at January 2012, this Allegro initiative had educated over 2 500 children, covering 11 educational facilities. Given the very large number of applications received, Allegro believes the project is raising issues that are essential for young learners.
The benefits for programme participants include:
- raising training participants’ awareness of safe use of the internet
- improving learners’ knowledge of hazards on the internet
- enhancing the knowledge of learners and teachers about safe online shopping in an attractive way
- providing schools with information boards
For Allegro, the benefits and consequences of the project include:
- higher Allegro Group brand awareness among 13-17 year-olds
- higher security of transactions on Allegro
- better knowledge of rules on the Allegro website
- higher awareness among teenagers of hazards on the internet
- higher awareness of how to use one’s computer safely
- higher awareness of online shopping
- positive external partners’ reaction after training
Contact: All entities wanting to participate in training can submit written applications to a contact e-mail on akademia juniora.allegro.pl, the official project website.
The aim of this project is to engage more mature people by training them in the scope of e-commerce using Allegro platforms.
The concept was developed by the Allegro Group educational projects team as an offshoot of the internet business academy. It is focused on seniors with leisure time who are eager to acquire new skills.
The programme was conducted monthly in large cities like Warsaw, Cracow, Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, Łódź and Katowice on behalf of Allegro by an external company. Allegro also invited external partners, like Onet.pl, mbank.pl, Fakt and Helion Group.
Fourteen training courses were attended by over 700 participants. Trainees used special demonstration software to simulate preparing an offer and selling an item online. They also practised using Allegro services and gained insights into making online transfers using demo.mbank, specially developed for the project.
As an educational initiative, the Senior Academy was extremely successful, particularly in a demographic market largely categorised as disinterested in computer technology. This is evidenced in the amount of interest Allegro attracted from this particular group of users, who saw that the platform could be used safely to buy affordable products online.
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