Cyber Week Bootcamp Berkane

3 days. 200 students. A city in northern Morocco. And one simple question: what does a generation of children look like when they are taught digital safety before being exposed to the dangers of the internet?

As part of Safer Internet Week 2026 — a global initiative bringing together more than 170 countries around young people’s digital safety — Cyber Sqool organised a full three-day bootcamp in Berkane, in collaboration with the provincial education directorate and Alpha Connect. A first for the city, and a model worth replicating at a national scale.

Why Berkane? Why now?

Berkane is not an exception — it is a mirror. According to Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT), 84% of Moroccan teenagers are online every day (2023). Yet according to a UNICEF MENA study published in 2022, 1 in 3 Moroccan children has already been exposed to disturbing online content — without being prepared for it.

Moroccan schools teach computing as a productivity tool — not as a space of risk. The national curriculum includes no module dedicated to digital emotional safety: cyberbullying, privacy, online predators, or disinformation. That is precisely the gap this bootcamp set out to fill.

The 3-day programme

• Day 1 — Awareness of digital risks: Real-world threats (grooming, cyberbullying, phishing) were presented through age-appropriate scenarios. Students tested their own digital vigilance levels.
• Day 2 — Practical workshops and challenges: In groups, students simulated dangerous situations and learned the right instincts — how to report, how to block, how to ask for help. Hands-on activities made learning stick.
• Day 3 — Final quiz and certificate ceremony: Each participant received a Cyber Sqool training certificate, recognising their commitment and new digital skill.

The measured impact: what the numbers don’t yet show

Educational research shows that children who receive in-person digital safety training retain up to 70% more information than those who learn through online content alone (Childnet International). Group training also creates a shared culture: children protect each other because they speak the same language.

In Berkane, it wasn’t just 200 students who were trained — an entire school community was sensitised. Each child went home carrying knowledge they can share with their parents, siblings and friends.

What comes after Berkane?

Cyber Sqool continues to roll out training in schools across Morocco and France. If you would like to organise a Cyber Day or bootcamp in your school, get in touch at cybersqool.fr. Because cybersecurity is something you learn — and the earlier, the better.