1. AEGEE enables young people to participate in and contribute to a safe and inclusive digital environment.

The rising use of online tools and media increases the risk of exposing sensitive information or becoming a victim of cyberbullying and discrimination. AEGEE strives for a world, both online and offline, where everybody’s personal privacy and safety are respected, and has experience with protecting these values. By organising initiatives and collaborating with other organisations working on data privacy and social equity, AEGEE helps young people to learn about threats to digital safety and inclusivity, and to create safe digital spaces.

2. AEGEEans reduce the digital divide in society by enhancing the competences of young people with the goal of easing their transition to the job market in the digital era.

There is a digital divide which consists of three levels: (1) digital access, (2) skills and usage, and (3) outcomes. These levels affect the way groups in society are able to catch up with digitalisation. This digital divide further amplifies existing social inequalities. With 90% of jobs nowadays having a digital component, not having digital skills hinders opportunities to enter the job market. Not everyone is aware of the inequalities that exist related to the digital domain, and the bigger differences that exist between genders and regions. As AEGEE strives to create an equal society in which everyone can participate, its aim is to help reduce this digital divide. This can be done through providing opportunities for sharing knowledge and enhancing the needed skills. As a result, young people, especially underprivileged groups, should be able to translate their access to the internet and use of skills into positive gains and outcomes. AEGEE hereby contributes to addressing the second and third level of the digital divide with the goal of ensuring similar opportunities for everyone.

3. AEGEE empowers young people to improve access to digital participatory tools and use them for actively participating in politics and society and expressing their opinion in an informed and responsible manner.

Even though youth are the leaders of the future, their active participation in society and politics remain at a low level. Increasing youth engagement in politics and society as well as ensuring that the opinions of youth are represented can be facilitated by digital participatory tools. AEGEE can play a role in activating young people and make them more aware of the options they have for obtaining useful information, voicing their opinions, participating in and deciding on topics that affect their future. This can be achieved by guiding them towards and educating them on the availability of digital tools. If these tools are not available, AEGEEans should organise campaigns and advocate to make sure that these tools are available. As a European network, AEGEE can utilise their reach and means and share their local experiences in using these tools to increase youth participation in society.

4. AEGEE enhances the ability of young people to critically evaluate and use information found in digital spaces as well as to create meaningful and responsible digital content.

The development of technology in artificial intelligence, social media algorithms, and deep fake technology have made digital spaces one of the most difficult environments to evaluate the quality and integrity of information that is found there. Hence there is a necessity for young people to be able to think critically and increase their media literacy. Increasing media literacy can help young people to improve their ability to voice their opinions with accountability. Additionally, considering the risks native to the digital landscape, it is needed to create respectful and inclusive content which is accessible for everyone. AEGEE can support this by using its collective and acquired knowledge and its reach as a network.