The first edition of the HEY course on data protection will be in French and it will run from 8 September to 12 October 2025. The deadline for applications is 24 August.

The training course aims at providing young people with a better understanding of data protection, including the associated challenges and risks, and potential solutions, so that they can participate safely and responsibly in the digital space. This course will equip participants with theoretical knowledge and practical skills and tools to enhance their personal or professional online activities. They will also be able to share these skills with other young people, helping to build stronger and more resilient digital practices.

The course targets young people (18 to 30 years old) from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, with the potential to act as multipliers to:

• Deepen young people's knowledge and understanding of European, regional and international legal and ethical approaches (such as specific treaties, conventions, protocols and charters of the Council of Europe, the United Nations, the League of Arab States and the African Union) relating to personal data protection, highlighting their close link with human rights (in particular privacy).
• Promote greater awareness among young people of their rights relating to personal data protection and privacy and how to exercise them in the event of a violation.
• Provide young people with tools to become more informed, responsible and respectful digital citizens, encouraging them to develop their critical thinking and reflect on the challenges and risks associated with the use and processing of personal data.
• Equip young people by giving them the ability to act to promote a shared culture of personal data protection, by opening dialogue between cultures and developing a universal vision of digital issues (including points of convergence and specificities).

Topics covered

• Human rights frameworks related to data protection and privacy: key concepts and useful resources
• Main principles of data protection and their reflection in international practices and legal frameworks
• Risks, challenges and good practices in data protection
• Main actors in the field of privacy and data protection and their responsibilities

Follow-up

Participants who successfully complete this and/or other HEY courses will have the opportunity to apply for the Trainings of Tutors (ToT) to become certified HEY tutors. Two ToT are planned every year, in the framework of the NSC Summer Youth Universities.

Useful links

 Call for participants: EN | FR

 Application form

 HEY programme

The HEY course on data protection was developed in partnership with the Arab Information and Communication Technologies organization (AICTO) and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). It is being implemented as part of the South Programme V ‘Protecting human rights, the rule of law and democracy through shared standards in the Southern Mediterranean’, a joint initiative between the European Union and the Council of Europe co-funded by both organisations, and implemented by the Council of Europe with the objective to support the creation of a common legal area beyond the European continent. The HEY Programme complements other training initiatives implemented by the South Programme in the region.