ySafe Year 7 and 8 Cyber-safety Workshops
On Day 1 of Term 2, all students in Years 7 and 8 attended a workshop run by Yasmin London from ySafe focusing on online wellbeing and managing screen time, cyberbullying, and taking and sharing explicit images, especially in relation to consent and the law. These interactive sessions encouraged students to reflect on their technology use through real-life case studies. Yasmin spoke about the positive role of technology in their lives and encouraged students to reflect on how their use of social media and other forms of technology can impact others and also themselves. They examined the different forms of cyberbullying and discussed some helpful strategies for dealing with it, including where to go for support. Yasmin spoke about making the right choices around what they post and empowered the girls to take action if they see something that makes them feel uncomfortable online. She spoke about the amount of time spent on their screens and the importance of setting boundaries around this.
The girls found the workshop engaging and helpful as reflected by their comments:
“Yasmin was on top of the trends and knew how to connect with us” and “she was well-educated on the benefits of social media and the negatives”. Their excellent and insightful questions throughout the presentations highlighted what a worthwhile session this was for the girls. As one student said, “Yasmin did not talk about the bad things like a parent who doesn’t understand technology and social media but spoke honestly about the positives as well”.
If you are a parent of a Year 7 or 8 student, we would encourage you to talk to your daughter about the session they attended, and to engage regularly with them about their online life. We would also suggest all parents continue to look at the eSafety Commissioner website for parents on a regular basis to help guide discussions you have at home, to keep up-to-date with new apps your daughter might be using, and explore ways that you can assist your child to navigate the online world safely and respectfully.
Michelle Demaine (Year 7 Coordinator) and
Olivia Matthews (K-7 Counsellor)
