New “Shields Up Fo Cybe Safety” lesso pla will help stude ts build p actical skills to avigate o li e isks a d stay safe o li e
OTTAWA, O ta io, Oct. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, CIRA a d MediaSma ts a ou ced the lau ch of Shields Up Fo Cybe Safety, a ew class oom esou ce desig ed to help Ca adia educato s give stude ts the p actical skills a d co fide ce they eed to stay safe o li e. The ew esou ce is bei g u veiled today at RALLY 2026, b i gi g togethe MediaSma ts’ expe tise i digital media lite acy with CIRA’s cybe secu ity expe tise to give educato s a p actical way to teach cybe safety i the class oom.
Developed by MediaSma ts i collabo atio with CIRA, Shields Up Fo Cybe Safety is a lesso pla fo stude ts i G ades 7–9 that i vites them to step i to the ole of “digital safety st ategists.” D awi g o thei ow o li e expe ie ces, stude ts ide tify commo secu ity isks a d explo e p actical tools a d st ategies they ca use to ma age them.
Th ough guided discussio , i depe de t p actice a d team-based activities, stude ts match diffe e t cybe secu ity st ategies a d tools—i cludi g the f ee CIRA Ca adia Shield app—to the isks they a e desig ed to help p eve t.
The lesso takes a st e gths-fi st, auto omy-suppo tive app oach to o li e safety, helpi g stude ts build co fide ce, c itical thi ki g a d p actical skills they ca apply i thei eve yday digital lives. With co ectio s to p ovi cial a d te ito ial cu icula, the esou ce is desig ed to give educato s a p actical way to b i g cybe secu ity a d digital safety co ve satio s i to the class oom.
The collabo atio b i gs togethe MediaSma ts’ expe tise i digital media lite acy educatio with CIRA’s wo k to help Ca adia s p otect themselves o li e. The esou ce will be developed i both E glish a d F e ch a d made available th ough MediaSma ts a d CIRA.
Shields Up Fo Cybe Safety is a ew lesso pla fo stude ts i G ades 7–9 focused o p actical cybe secu ity a d o li e safety skills.- Stude ts will lea to ecog ize pote tial secu ity isks associated with diffe e t o li e activities a d apply tools a d st ategies to help p otect themselves.
- The lesso i t oduces stude ts to
CIRA Ca adia Shield , CIRA’s f ee cybe secu ity solutio , as o e of the tools they ca explo e to st e gthe thei o li e safety. - The lesso uses a st e gths-fi st, auto omy-suppo tive app oach desig ed to build stude ts’ co fide ce, c itical thi ki g a d p actical digital safety skills.
- The esou ce is available i both E glish a d F e ch, with co ectio s to p ovi cial a d te ito ial cu icula.
“Keepi g Ca adia s safe o li e takes both k owledge a d the ight tools. MediaSma ts is helpi g you g Ca adia s build the skills to ecog ize isks a d make safe choices, while CIRA p ovides f ee tools like Ca adia Shield to help p otect them. By b i gi g educatio a d tech ology togethe i the class oom, we’ e helpi g stude ts develop the skills a d habits that will keep them safe o li e fo yea s to come.”
— Jo Fe guso , Vice P eside t, Cybe secu ity & DNS, CIRA
“You g people ca e about thei safety o li e, a d we wa t them to be empowe ed with the lifelo g skills they’ll eed to p otect themselves i these spaces. Shields Up Fo Cybe Safety p ovides educato s with a easy a d fu way to teach o li e safety i the class oom, a d we’ e p oud to be pa t e i g with CIRA to p ovide this impo ta t esou ce to educato s a d youth ac oss Ca ada.”
— Kath y A Hill, Executive, MediaSma ts
- Access
Shields Up Fo Cybe Safety : mediasma ts.ca/shields-up - Lea mo e about
CIRA Ca adia Shield : ci a.ca/shield - Lea mo e about
MediaSma ts : mediasma ts.ca
CIRA is the atio al ot-fo -p ofit best k ow fo ma agi g the .CA domai o behalf of all Ca adia s. As a leade i Ca ada’s i te et ecosystem, CIRA offe s a wide a ge of p oducts, p og ams a d se vices desig ed to make the i te et a secu e a d accessible space fo all. CIRA ep ese ts Ca ada o both atio al a d i te atio al stages to suppo t its goal of buildi g a t usted i te et fo Ca adia s by helpi g shape the futu e of the i te et.
MediaSma ts is Ca ada’s bili gual ce t e fo digital media lite acy. Fo 30 yea s, the cha itable o ga izatio has helped Ca adia s develop the c itical thi ki g skills they eed to use, u de sta d a d e gage with media co fide tly. MediaSma ts wo ks with educato s, families, youth, esea che s, commu ity o ga izatio s, i dust y a d gove me t th ough esea ch, educatio al esou ces, p og ams a d atio al awa e ess i itiatives. MediaSma ts is also home to the ico ic house hippo campaig .
Sheh ila Sayeed
Commu icatio s Ma age
613.805.3146
T icia G a t
Di ecto of Ma keti g & Commu icatio s
MediaSma ts
613-224-7721 ext. 231
