HSBC Middle East recently teamed up with ICDL GCC Foundation, which promotes digital skills across the region, to organise a summer camp in cyber safety and social media skills for 200 children from Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.

This initiative launched yesterday (August 18) runs until September 5, is dedicated to educate the orphans and underprivileged children on safety concerns when using social media websites and smart devices. The summer camp will offer the students a chance to learn new skills as well as to socialize with others in a fun learning environment and receive gifts.

At the ICDL GCC Summer Camp in 2012, 72 underprivileged boys and girls from Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah received ICDL computer skills through funding from HSBC Middle East.

The initiative represents a unique and sizable public/private sector partnership between a number of educational authorities, charities, ICDL GCC and HSBC Middle East aimed at bridging the digital gap for youth from impoverished backgrounds and helping them to engage responsibly and safely in today’s connected society.

The summer camp will also include a group of national job seekers in partnership with Sharjah Human Resource Department that will go through the ICDL international certification programme.

Director general of ICDL GCC, Jamil Ezzo said: “We’ve always believed that the task of effectively nurturing the next generation’s talent and upgrading their digital skills is a collaborative effort – a responsibility shared by the government and private entities including educational institutions, non-profit organisations and corporations.”

Ammar Shams, regional head of Corporate Sustainability at HSBC Bank Middle East added: “We recognize the importance of sustainable development in this part of the world and young people are key for future success. We are proud to support an initiative that gives youngsters access to learning opportunities that they would not have otherwise and empower them to make informed decisions.”

The International Computer Driving License (ICDL) is a global computer literacy initiative developed to provide knowledge about IT and enhance competence of using personal computers and common computer applications for all. – TradeArabia News Service