PRESS RELEASE
EmpowerTECH, Anti-violence Centers for the Future:
Digital empowerment of activists of anti-violence centers
A project selected and supported by the Fund for the Digital Republic Social enterprise created by the association D.i.Re – Women in Network against violence and the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Calabria.
The project , that aims to strengthen the digital skills and relational of the activists from anti-violence centres and the shelters of the Network D.i.King, it will develop until July 2026.
The project has various objectives: to make the operators increasingly autonomous and aware in the use of digital tools, improve the quality of services offered to women welcomed and support the growth of a widespread digital culture, inclusive and attentive to the prevention of violence. To make the project accessible to operators throughout Italy, EmpowerTECH provides courses in online training, organized to integrate with the daily work of the Anti-Violence Centers. The training, personalized on the basis of the starting level of each of the 650 activists involved, is structured in courses aimed at strengthening of IT, social-relational and organizational-administrative skills. At the end of the training, the University of Calabria will issue a certificate of competence.
"We wanted to think about this project together with a competent and innovative body, to disseminate important digital skills to a significant number of the approximately 3000 activists of the anti-violence centers of our network and to refine their relational skills." declares Cristina Carelli, President D.i.Re - Women on the Net against violence. "One of our strengths is knowing how to listen and read the changes: with this project we add an important piece to the fight against gender violence. Keeping up with the changing world is essential to combating male violence against women” concludes President Carelli.
"The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Calabria (DeMaCS) offers its expertise to spread knowledge as a lever to combat gender violence and, more generally, all forms of oppression, discrimination and marginalization.” declares the Coordinator of the Degree Course in Computer Science at DeMaCS, Scientific Director of the project, Simona Perri. “Cultivating awareness means forming free and responsible minds: knowledge is the decisive step towards freedom” concludes Perri.
D.i.Re. - Women on the net against violence is the national anti-violence network and is made up of 89 organizations located throughout the country, which manage approximately 120 anti-violence centers and over 60 shelters, supporting over 23.000 women every year. D.i.King and member organizations are politically active to bring about the cultural change necessary to eliminate male violence against women.
Il Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Calabria is a training and research center that has been present since the foundation of the University of Arcavacata. Always a Third Mission garrison, it constantly interacts with the territory to promote innovation, dissemination and continuous training, putting knowledge at the service of a more equal, inclusive and sustainable society. In line with its mission, the Department also promotes Equal Opportunities regardless of gender, religion and personal beliefs, race and ethnic origin, disability, age, sexual orientation.
Il Fund for the Digital Republic is a partnership between the public and private social sectors (Government and Association of Foundations and Savings Banks - Acri), which moves within the scope of the digitalization objectives set out in the PNRR and the PNC and is funded by payments from the Foundations of banking origin, which are recognized a tax credit. The Fund selects and supports training and digital inclusion projects for different population targets such as NEETs, women, unemployed and inactive people, workers at risk of unemployment due to automation, students of lower and upper secondary schools, social economy operators, prisoners and people in vulnerable conditions. The objective is to evaluate the impact of the supported training projects and replicate on a larger scale those deemed most effective in order to offer best practices to the Government so that it can use them in defining future national policies.
For more information fundrepubblicadigitale.it