Cybersecurity 101 At Philly STEM Equity Week

All three survey respondents rated our Cybersecurity 101 workshop 5 out of 5 and said they would come to another We Love Philly event. This is an early, small-sample pilot (3 responses), so it shows how participants felt, not proof of lasting impact.

Event Details

• Event: Cybersecurity 101: Foundations of Digital Safety
• Part of: Philly STEM Equity Week 2026
• Date and time: Monday, October 26, 2026, 12:00–2:00 pm
• Host: We Love Philly
• Survey responses: 3

Background

For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, We Love Philly conducted Cybersecurity 101 as part of Philly STEM Equity Week to reach out to the community and make cyber safety knowledge available to people. It was an introductory session on digital safety practices, as well as the basic principles of data protection.

Cyber safety awareness is an equity issue, since some vulnerable populations, particularly marginalized minorities and less fortunate youth, are the most affected by the risks of digital exploitation, fraud, and privacy breaches. Building inclusive cybersecurity literacy for everyone helps close the digital gap.

Eight people showed up, including three survey participants, representing both local community members and some students.

The Session

The two-hour workshop covered four topics and used hands-on activities, which one participant said helped them learn.

1. Passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
2. Phishing
3. Devices and privacy
4. The CIA pillars of information security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability

• Activity 1 (Passwords & MFA): Participants evaluated password strength and configured multi-factor authentication securely on personal accounts.
• Activity 2 (Phishing & Privacy): Attendees walked through real-world phishing simulations and reviewed device privacy settings to identify data-tracking risks.

What Participants Said

Every respondent rated the session highly and reported feeling more confident about their digital safety.

• Overall rating (1–5): 3 of 3 gave a 5
• Confidence in digital safety compared to before (1–5): 2 gave a 4, 1 gave a 5
• Most useful topic: Devices and Privacy: 2 · Passwords and MFA: 1 · Phishing: 0 · CIA Pillars: 0
• Would attend another We Love Philly event: 3 of 3 said yes

“I love engaging activities. This helped me learn better.” — Workshop participant

When asked what they wanted more of, another participant answered, “Everything.”

What We Learned

Many people wanted more hands-on content. Everyone who responded to the survey felt that the section on devices and privacy was the most useful, and the activities kept them involved.

Some topics landed better than others. No one rated Phishing or the CIA pillars as the most useful topic, which suggests those subjects would benefit from real-life examples in the future.

People wanted to repeat the experience. Everyone said yes to attending another event.

A Note On The Data

Three survey answers are not many. These results are a snapshot of how this group felt, and we will keep collecting feedback at future workshops.