Abstract:

Introduction:
A study by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) showed that 30% of Europeans finds acceptable to buy counterfeit products when the original price is too high. When it comes to young people, this figure jumps to 50%.
Young consumers are not aware of the hidden risks of counterfeit products, which are not always obvious. Awareness-raising and education at early stages of education is key to fight counterfeiting, and make future generations aware of their role as consumers and the importance of intellectual property for the development of society.
SAFEorFAKE? From school to university is framed within the above premises to develop an educational toolkit and to carry out awareness-raising activities among students and future teachers.

Objectives:
The “SAFEorFAKE? From school to university” Project aims to:
- Conduct an awareness-raising campaign in Portugal for children 8-12 years old and teachers/future teachers at Primary schools.
- Expand the age range in Spain from 12-18 years old to carry out awareness-raising activities with Secondary and VET students, and develop new educational resources.
Through using popular products as case studies, it aims to highlight the importance of intellectual property and raise awareness about the health, societal, and environmental risks associated with counterfeit products.
This project has been designed for children, teachers, future teachers, and other trainers with the support of the EUIPO.

Methods:
The SAFEorFAKE? Toolkit was developed using the Lean Design e-Learning methodology.
The new resources content design involved the participation of high school and VET students through face-to-face events and questionnaires during awareness-raising workshops in Spain.
Most attractive products for young people have been used as a learning vehicle through case studies, such as cosmetics, electronic devices or toys and games.
The SAFEorFAKE? Toolkit From the school to university has been disseminated and promoted through four main dissemination channels: events, online platforms, social media and traditional media.

Results:
Two tangible results have been obtained:
- Toolkit for 8-12 years old children (https://www.safeorfake.eu/pt-pt/toolkit/), materials in Portuguese for children’s learning and awareness-raising through their parents, and didactic guides to support these materials in Portuguese primary schools.
- Toolkit for 12-18 years old children (https://www.safeorfake.eu/toolkit-12-18/) in Spain, new educational resources to raise awareness among high school and VET students, and to be used by teachers and future teachers as educational project.

The training contents are segmented in four learning topics around counterfeit products:
- Importance of intellectual property
- Health risks
- Risks to society
- Environmental risks

More than 1000 students and 100 future teachers were reached within the awareness-raising workshops in Spain.
Intangible results include the improvement of skills of children from 8 to 18, teachers/future teachers and other trainers as future consumers and educators; and to motivate young people to change their perception of safety and counterfeit products, and to consume responsibly.

Conclusion:
The SAFEorFAKE? Toolkit has proven its viability to be applicable to other Member states. Topics covered are relevant and common to all Member states, and it has been clear that awareness-raising is key for young consumers to become responsible consumers.

Keywords:

Child safety, product safety, counterfeiting, education, awareness-raising, educational project, intellectual property.