This archive report was first published on 26 November 2019.
On November 26, 2019, the three-day Web Rangers Africa Summit concluded in Nairobi, Kenya, with a focus on addressing online threats against the youth.
Organized by Google and Content Development and Intellectual Property Trust (CODE-IP), a local NGO, in partnership with the Kenya Scouts Association, the annual Summit drew participants from Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
According to Alex Gakuru, the executive director of CODE-IP, each of the three countries had four students attending the summit, accompanied by two teachers per country.
Web Rangers is Google's online safety program for teenagers, aimed at empowering them to become ambassadors of safe and responsible internet use.
Founded in Israel, the program has since grown and currently has chapters in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, the Philippines, India, Turkey, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and the Czech Republic.
Government officials from all three countries attended the Summit, including representatives from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), and the Ministry of ICT.
As a build-up to the Summit, CODE-IP and Google ran a five-week training program on online safety throughout the country.
The Summit attendees visited the Rowallan Camp in Nairobi, the headquarters of the Kenya Scouts Association, a key partner in the program.
During the visit, the summit organizers sought to demonstrate the value system of the Scouts, which resembles the values advocated by Web Rangers.
Google also ran a session on Critical Thinking, aimed at helping the youth deeply analyze situations and avoid being duped by fake news.
According to Michael Murungi, Government Affairs and Public Policy lead at Google, the Critical Thinking program is meant to help Web Rangers and those participating in the program learn how to apply critical thinking when faced with conflicting situations online.
