Are you a student passionate about technology, privacy, digital rights, cybersecurity, advocacy, or making a difference on your campus?
Do you want to learn how to mobilise your peers and champion safer, more private digital communication?
Then this opportunity is for you!
Encryption is an essential technology for protecting privacy, securing communications, safeguarding personal information, and creating trust in the digital environment. However, many students and young people use digital services every day without fully understanding how encryption protects them or how they can advocate for stronger digital security.
The Encryption Champions Campus Ambassador Programme seeks to bridge this gap by equipping selected students with practical knowledge, advocacy resources, and mobilisation skills that they can use to educate and engage their peers.
Through training, digital resources, peer engagement, and campus-based advocacy, selected ambassadors will become Encryption Champions capable of communicating the importance of encryption in simple, accessible, and practical ways.
The overall goal of the programme is to build a network of informed and equipped student Encryption Champions who can mobilise their peers, promote responsible adoption of encrypted tools and services, and advocate for the protection of privacy and secure digital communications across tertiary institutions in Africa.
The training goal is to equip selected campus ambassadors with the knowledge, practical skills, advocacy tools, and mobilisation strategies required to understand, communicate, promote, and advocate for strong encryption within their campuses and communities.
The programme will seek to:
- Build foundational knowledge of encryption among students and young digital users, including why encryption matters for privacy, security, freedom of expression, and safe communication.
- Equip campus ambassadors with practical resources for educating their peers about encrypted tools and services and responsible digital security practices.
- Develop student advocacy and mobilisation skills that enable participants to organise conversations, awareness activities, peer learning sessions, and digital campaigns around encryption.
- Create a network of Encryption Champions across tertiary institutions in Africa who can serve as peer educators and advocates for strong encryption.
- Increase awareness and adoption of encrypted tools and services among students and campus communities.
- Strengthen youth participation in digital rights advocacy by providing students with accessible knowledge and advocacy materials they can use to engage their communities and relevant stakeholders.
- Promote the practical use of ME Resources by teaching participants how to combine Mobilisation + Encryption knowledge to turn awareness into meaningful campus action.
ME = Mobilisation + Encryption
ME Resources are the knowledge, tools, materials, and practical guidance that help a student understand encryption and mobilise others to care about and use it.
M — Mobilisation
Learn how to:
- Reach and engage your peers.
- Start conversations about digital privacy and security.
- Organise campus awareness activities.
- Communicate encryption issues in simple language.
- Use social media and digital platforms for advocacy.
- Build support around secure digital practices.
- Encourage constructive conversations about encryption and digital rights.
- E — Encryption
Learn:
- What encryption is and how it works at a basic level.
- Why encryption matters in everyday digital life.
- How encryption helps protect communications and information.
- The relationship between encryption, privacy, security, and trust.
- How to identify and promote encrypted tools and services.
- How to explain encryption to non-technical audiences.
- Why strong encryption matters to students, communities, businesses, civil society, and society at large.
ME Resources = Knowledge + Tools + Action
The programme encourages every participant to make use of the resources, get equipped, mobilise their peers, and become an Encryption Champion.
Participants will be encouraged to make full use of existing Internet Society encryption and mobilisation resources as part of their learning and advocacy activities.
Encryption Resources
The Internet Society Encryption Resources provide factsheets, policy materials, briefings, and other resources that can support training, public education, advocacy, and engagement with decision-makers.
Mobilisation Resources
The Internet Society Mobilization Resources provide materials to support local advocacy and community engagement, including campaign tools, audience-specific resources, policy briefs, and guidance for defending strong encryption.
Participants are encouraged to read, learn, adapt, share, and use these resources responsibly in their campus advocacy activities.
The programme follows a simple action pathway:
M — MOBILISE
Reach your campus. Start the conversation. Build a community.
E — ENCRYPTION
Learn why encryption matters. Understand the tools. Share the knowledge.
ME — BECOME A CHAMPION
Combine knowledge with mobilisation and turn learning into action.
Take advantage of the ME Resources.
Get Set.
Ready.
Go!
Become an Encryption Champion.
Technical or cybersecurity expertise is not required. What matters most is your willingness to learn, mobilize, communicate, and take action. Download the brochure.
Don't just learn encryption. Champion it.
