Preparing For Change: When Teams Become Community Agents
October 14, 2025 – From participants to organizers: The birth of 4 Cyber Chats
Tuesday morning at CCSS Tei had a completely different energy. The atmosphere was electric, full of anticipation and a little nervousness. If in the first 4 days participants were the learners, today they became the teachers. Tomorrow, each national team will organize their own online Cyber Chat – an event open to their community, where they will share everything they learned about digital skills.
„Today you are no longer just participants,” announced Nicoleta. „You are event organizers, facilitators, ambassadors of digital change. Are you ready?”
European Values in the Digital Age: When ideals meet reality
Before diving into preparations, facilitators led a crucial morning session about European values and how they apply (or don’t apply) in the online world.
Mihai projected the 6 fundamental EU values on screen:
- Human dignity
- Freedom
- Democracy
- Equality
- Rule of law
- Human rights
„These values sound wonderful on paper,” he said. „But what do they look like online? In YouTube comments? On Twitter? In WhatsApp groups?”
Uncomfortable silence.
Exercise: Values vs. Online Reality
Participants were divided into 6 groups, each receiving a European value. Their task? To find examples of when this value is:
- Respected online
- Violated online
- How it could be better protected
The „Human Dignity” group presented:
„Respected: Anti-bullying campaigns, content moderation, abuse reporting.”
„Violated: Cyberbullying, doxing, revenge porn, online harassment, extreme cancel culture.”
„Solution: Mandatory digital education in schools, stricter laws, platform accountability.”
The „Freedom of Expression” group had the most heated debate:
„On one hand, the internet gives everyone a voice. Anyone can speak.”
„But on the other hand, that means hate speech also has a platform. Where do we draw the line?”
„Your freedom of expression ends where my dignity and safety begin.”
„But who decides what’s hate speech and what’s just an unpopular opinion?”
The „Equality” group brought harsh statistics:
„73% of internet users in Romania are urban. Only 27% rural.”
„Women receive 27% more online harassment than men.”
„LGBTQ+ people are 3 times more likely to be victims of cyberbullying.”
„The elderly are the most vulnerable to online scams.”
Digital Wellbeing: The Vital Balance – The Wellbeing Wheel: Self-assessment exercise
Participants received a circle divided into 8 sections, representing different aspects of wellbeing: 
- Physical
- Mental
- Emotional
- Social
- Professional/Educational
- Creative
- Spiritual/Meaning
- Financial
Nicoleta presented the 5 pillars of digital wellbeing, which participants discussed intensely:
1. AWARENESS „Do you know how many hours you spend online? On which apps? At what times of day?” „Use Screen Time, RescueTime. You can’t change what you don’t measure.”
2. INTENTION „Why are you opening the app? What’s the purpose? Or are you just bored?” „One Sec app asks you ‘Do you really want to open TikTok now?’ and makes you wait 10 seconds.”
3. BOUNDARIES „It’s not enough to ‘try to use less’. You need CLEAR BOUNDARIES.” „No phone zone: bedroom, dining table, first/last hour.” „App limits: 30 min Instagram/day. Done.”
4. ALTERNATIVES „If you take away your phone, what do you replace it with?” „Reading, walks, conversations, hobbies, sports.” „Nature abhors a vacuum. Fill it with something good.”
5. COMMUNITY „You can’t do this alone. You need accountability.” „Digital wellbeing buddy. We check on each other.”
Preparing for Cyber Chat: When chaos becomes organization
After lunch, adrenaline was at maximum. Each national team retreated to their own „War Room” to prepare tomorrow’s event.
Tomorrow: THE BIG DAY! The 4 Cyber Chats happen simultaneously. Romania, Poland, Italy, Spain – each team will host their own online event. Communities will connect. Knowledge will be shared. Change will begin.
Are you ready? We certainly are! 🚀
Future Skills: Digital for Life – The day when participants become organizers, starting October 15, 2025.
Project co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme
