Schoolbeat Launch 2011
EXTRA CYBER SAFETY RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOUNG PEOPLE AS PART OF THE ALL WALES SCHOOL LIAISON CORE PROGRAMME
Launch
Two new DVDs and the pupil section of the www.schoolbeat.org website were launched at West Monmouth School, Blaendare Rd, Pontypool, Gwent NP4 5YG on Dec 12th 2011 at 10.00am.
DVD Resources
Young people in Wales now have extra resources available to them to ensure their safety thanks to the development and introduction of new initiatives from the All Wales School Liaison Core Programme (AWSLCP).
The AWSLCP is an educational initiative funded by the four welsh police forces and the Welsh Government. The programme is delivered by trained police officers to pupils throughout Wales between the ages of 5 and 16 years of age. The focus of the programme is to help prevent crimes and to promote positive citizenship through lessons around three main themes: drugs and substance misuse; social behaviour and community and, safety.
Two bilingual DVDs have also been produced in partnership with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), for use in lessons delivered to pupils aged 9 to 14 to raise awareness of safety issues when using the Internet.
Key fact
Almost one in eight young people aged 8-18 discovered that someone they were communicating with online was an adult pretending to be much younger.
The very hard hitting Key Stage 3 bilingual DVD ‘Look Who’s Talking’’ is aimed at pupils of 11 to 14 years of age. It focuses on Bethan, who is groomed by a paedophile without realising it, illustrating that not everyone is who they say they are online. It highlights the need for young people to be very careful when developing online friendships, if they are not familiar with that person in real life. The lesson concentrates on identifying danger signs and considers the consequences of Bethan’s poor and good choices. It also reiterates important safety messages and highlights who to go to if they need help.
Key fact
20% of all 12-15 year olds in Wales have had a negative mobile or online experience in the past year.
The Key Stage 2 bilingual DVD ‘Be Cyber Safe’ focuses on Megan, a girl who unwittingly becomes a victim of cyberbullying. It illustrates the vulnerability of children to this form of bullying and the impact it can have on their lives. It is aimed at pupils of 9 to 11 years of age. The lesson highlights the problem and promotes discussion and debate around the issue.
Pupil Website
The AWSLCP have also been developing an accompanying website – www.schoolbeat.org which is to be used as an additional interactive resource for police officers, teachers, parents and pupils. The teachers and officers section have already been developed providing a wealth of follow up work and resources that can be easily downloaded for use. Since Dec 12th the pupils section is also live which will assist in disseminating safety messages on important crime prevention issues such as drug and substance misuse, alcohol, internet safety, domestic abuse, diversity, anti social behaviour, bullying, car crime, weapons and personal safety in a fun and interactive way.
CC Carmel Napier Gwent Police commented:
“We welcome the development of the DVDs and website resources to ensure children in Wales are safe on the Internet. The Internet is accessible 24 hours a day which means that without the correct knowledge about the risks and prevention measures put in place, children are at risk. Teenagers often post personal, potentially exploitable, information about themselves online which often leaves them vulnerable to grooming by people who do not reveal their real identity and true motivations. The resources developed by the AWSLCP initiative will help inform young people about the risks and how these can be minimised in clear and simple language. This is a fantastic development.”
Chief Constable Peter Vaughan commented:
“The School Beat website is a fun and informative way for young people to learn how to keep themselves safe not just online, but also within our communities. The site will provide them with invaluable lessons on crime reduction, and how to deal with any issues that may be affecting them. I fully welcome this new development and would like to urge young people to log on.”
Local Government and Communities Minister Carl Sargeant said:
"I'm pleased to hear about the development of these resources to raise the awareness of safety issues when youngsters use the Internet. Making our communities safer is a priority for the Welsh Government and the All Wales School Liaison Core Programme is an excellent example of how the Welsh Government and the four police forces in Wales are working together to help young people stay safe and to encourage them to play a vital role in society."
Jonathan Baggaley, Head of Education at CEOP, said:
"There are enormous opportunities online for young people in terms of learning, exploring their interests, creativity and communicating with friends. However, along with these opportunities there are real risks and people who will try to exploit the Internet to target children and exploit their vulnerabilities. Through resources like these films and via our Thinkuknow awareness raising programme we can empower children to know how to protect themselves from the risks they face and how to report suspicious or inappropriate behaviour.”