I attended a reception in Parliament with Facebook and youth charities Childnet International and The Diana Award
The reception was for MPs to learn more about the roll-out of a major programme to offer every UK secondary school dedicated digital safety ambassadors. The ambassadors are young people trained to provide peer-to-peer support and online safety initiatives in secondary schools.
I met Digital Leaders from Childnet International and Anti-Bullying Ambassadors from The Diana Award who told me about their efforts to eliminate bullying and promote digital citizenship online and offline.
I also talked to representatives of Facebook about the steps they are taking to keep young people safe online and this new commitment which could see tens of thousands of pupils in schools across the UK trained as Digital Leaders or Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. It’s vital that students in Fareham have the tools to stay safe and tackle bullying. I welcome Facebook’s commitment to provide digital ambassadors and encourage schools to find out how to get involved."
Will Gardner, CEO at Childnet International said "we launched the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme two years ago as part of our work in the UK Safer Internet Centre, with support from Facebook and the European Commission. Since then we have trained thousands of peer educators in schools across the UK using our innovative digital platform and we are constantly inspired by the amazing activities they deliver to make a really positive difference in their school communities. This new partnership with Facebook will enable us to grow the reach and impact of the programme – offering exciting new opportunities for schools involved in the programme and empowering many more young people to become Digital Leaders and inspire their peers to use technology safely and positively."
Katie Collett, Head of Anti-Bullying at The Diana Award said "Facebook’s support will enable us to upscale our work empowering 20,000 more young people to stand up to all forms of bullying and protect their peers over the next two years. Our tried and tested peer-led approach has transformed the lives of thousands of young people in schools across the UK & Ireland who spend 11,000 hours of their hours in education. We know that what happens offline often extends to young people’s online world, this is why we are proud to partner with Facebook, creating a community of young people who will help shape the behaviour and attitude of their peers; as well as take responsibility for the well-being of their peers. We know that with our support, these young Anti-Bullying Ambassadors have the power to close the empathy gap and encourage positive behaviour choices online and offline."
Schools who don’t yet have a Digital Leader or Anti-Bullying Ambassador can register their interest in the programmes at www.childnet.com/digital-leaders or www.antibullyingpro.com.
Childnet International is a UK charity that empowers children, families and schools in the digital age, and its vision is to make the internet a great and safe place for children. Find out more at www.childnet.com
Childnet Digital Leaders Programme: delivered by Childnet as part of its work in the UK Safer Internet Centre, this pupil-powered online safety programme empowers young people to be Digital Leaders so they can educate their peers, parents and teachers about staying safe online. With interactive training and an exciting online community, the programme helps schools put young people at the heart of their whole-school approach and ensures internet safety learning is fun and effective. Find out more at: www.childnet.com/digital-leaders
The Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme. The Diana Award runs the leading Anti-Bullying Campaign in the UK and Ireland giving young people the skills, confidence and training to tackle all forms of bullying as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in their schools, communities and online. Find out more at: http://diana-award.org.uk/registerforantibullying/