Press Release

22.02.2016

ARAG supports film competition on the theme ”Cyberbullying-Civil Courage Pays Off“

Award ceremony on the 22nd of february 2016 at the Ministry for Education and Schools

Schools in Dortmund, Burscheid, Köln, Bielefeld and Düsseldorf named winners in the film competition on the theme “Cyberbullying-Civil Courage Pays Off”. Prizewinners demonstrate exemplary commitment in the battle against cyberbullying.

The award ceremony for the film competition on the theme “Cyberbullying-Civil Courage Pays Off” was held at the Ministry for Education and Schools today. The following five schools were among the prizewinners: the Robert-Bosch-Berufskolleg in Dortmund (1st prize), the Gemeinschaftsgrundschule Dierath in Burscheid (2nd prize), the Gemeinschaftshauptschule Nürnberger Straße in Cologne (3rd prize), the Schule am Niedermühlenhof, Förderschule für geistige Entwicklung in Bielefeld and the Georg-Schulhoff-Realschule in Düsseldorf (both awarded 4th prize).

Minister for Scholls Sylvia Löhrmann spoke at the ceremony: “The competition proves that the use of new media is not an end in itself. The important thing is to enable young people to use of new media in an intelligent, responsible and self-determined manner. The films we are honoring today feature school students who have demonstrated courage and commitment in dealing with the issue of social conclusion. These films emphasize the consequences suffered by victims of cyberbullying.”

In the words of Paul-Otto Faßbender, Chairman and CEO of ARAG SE: “Our goal is not to take the joy out of cyberlife for children and youth. ARAG is committed to protecting and improving quality of life for everyone who is fascinated by the multifaceted world of the Internet. And that is why we were happy to support this competition.“

The competition was announced jointly by the Ministry for Education and Schools and the State Office for the Prevention of Violence and Cyberviolence in schools in North Rhine-Westphalia, with the support of the ARAG family enterprise of Düsseldorf. Eligible participants included school classes, learning groups, project teams and students in courses at all school levels and for all age groups. Entrants were asked to submit video clips about a project devoted to promoting civil courage within the context of new media. The goal of the competition is to encourage groups of learners to deal actively with the problem of cyberbullying.

Fifty-Seven different learning groups from all over North Rhine-Westphalia took part in the competition. A jury nominated twelve films as finalists, from which the winners were then chosen. Sylvia Löhrmann and Paul-Otto Faßbender were joined by actor and competition patron Thomas Hohler in congratulating the students and presenting the prizes. The top three entries were awarded 3,000, 2,000 und 1,000 EUR, respectively while the two fourth-place schools received 500 EUR each.