January 4th 2016 is a significant date for us here at Zeeko. That is the date that our crowdfunding campaign goes live! So why are we launching such a campaign and how will it work?

A large focus of our work at Zeeko is providing internet safety seminars for children, parents and teachers in primary schools throughout Ireland. In the course of delivering these seminars we have come into contact with a large number of parents, all of whom have questions and often are significantly concerned about their child’s digital experience. Parents can also feel out of their depth in relation to the technology and the myriad of apps now used by children to communicate digitally. Protecting their child is without doubt the primary concern of any parent, but the online world can pose significant challenges to parents, challenges that were not there a decade ago.

At Zeeko we passionately believe that ultimately education leads to empowerment. Therefore we decided to produce a resource for parents to help them keep their kids safe online. The Zeeko Internet Safety Guide is packed with great advice, up to date research and safety tips that parents can use on a daily basis to help their child navigate the digital space.

Why are we launching a crowdfunding campaign?

Our founder and CEO, Joe Kenny is the father of a young son, who believes that the internet is a fantastic resource but one which children need support to navigate. The motivation in setting up Zeeko, for Joe was the impact that online chat rooms were having on the lives of young people and felt that there had to be a better way, a way to embrace the positives that the digital world has to offer while at the same time remaining safe. With this at the forefront of his mind Joe invested.

As a start up company we operate with limited resources! We want to make a digital copy of the Zeeko Internet Safety Guide available to every primary school in Ireland. In order to make this happen we need people to make a pledge and to essentially back our campaign! Crowdfunding is a relatively new concept in Ireland, but it is a very effective way of helping to fund projects, like this one.

What will happen on January 4th 2016?

Our campaign will be launched to the media at 10am and our campaign will then go live! This will mean that you will be able to go online and make a pledge to back our campaign. Depending on the amount you can afford to pledge you will receive a reward, pledges in excess of €15 will receive a hard copy of the Zeeko Internet Safety Guide. Every single pledge matters to us, and will help to ensure that a digital copy of the Guide is available to every primary school in Ireland.

Spreading the word on social media

Regular readers of our blog will know that we see the internet as a fantastic resource; it just has to be navigated with caution, particularly for children. No surprise then that we are using our social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to spread the word about our campaign, both in advance of the launch and of course on the day itself! You can keep up to date by following us on Twitter @Zeeko_Education, Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ZeekoEducation and follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedIn.com/company/zeeko

Why this campaign matters!

Communicating digitally is now a part of everyday life. Children are now digital natives, in other words they are aware of digital communication from a very young age. For parents this can produce very unique challenges and opportunities. The publication of the Zeeko Internet Safety Guide will help to support parents and children as they learn together to navigate through their digital journey.

Help us to support parents and their children on their digital journey, back our campaign on January 4th 2016.