An issue that was discussed with Princes Trust staff, Richie and Jade, was when the young people are required to produce a CV and to search and apply for training and employment online. The staff struggled to do this in the time they had due to computing facilities and the lack of experience the young people have had using computers. We discussed the idea of assessing the students existing skills at the start of the course and helping them to improve to a standard level; having the ability to use the Microsoft Office, Internet and E-mail. This would not only help with the production of a CV but also equip the young people with essential skills they need to go to further education, training or employment.
Furthermore we discussed the type of email addresses that the students have and use on their CV’s and application forms. In the past staff have found these e-mail addresses to be highly unsuitable for potential employers, it was therefore agreed that a useful exercise during the course would be to help the students to set up a personal e-mail address for professional distribution, for example Google Mail, with which they can then use to apply for training and employment. They can also continue to use this once the course has finished. This would not only help the young people in the future but would educate them on the importance of how they present themselves physically and virtually. This would also tie into e-safety, for example; how accessible their Facebook content is to the public.
In the UK headlines today major social networking sites have been criticised for not using the ‘CEOP Report’ button. This button is embedded into many websites and programs including MSN for young people to use to report any suspicious individuals or behaviour whilst using the internet. When this button was launched on Instant Messenger software, MSN in 2006, reports to CEOP increased by 113%. Every month the ‘CEOP Report’ button gets 10’000 hits, helping CEOP trace any harmful behaviour from bullying to paedophilia. The button links young people with a range of service from the local police through to Childline giving them the help and support they need and internet safety advice. 
Nonetheless, Facebook and Myspace, are two of the most popular social networking sites that still do not have the button embedded despite the amount of young people that use them and the number of serious incidents that have occurred recently. Social networking site Bebo, has stood out and adopted the use of the button. This is a step forward for social networking, Jim Gamble from CEOP states that “Parents can be reassured because they know this environment is appropriately managed” but also “the predator, the person that goes on with harmful intent – whether it’s the bully or whether it’s the paedophile – they know when they see it that there is an active deterrent here.” Facebook and Myspace will now hopefully realise the benefit of embedding the button for the safety of their users and promotion of online safety. Last year Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service produced pin badges in the design of the CEOP ‘Report Abuse’ button for Safer Internet Day. This helped to promote the awareness of the button and to familiarise the public with what it looked like.
The button has since been revamped and has a new design; still using the same logo the text has changed from ‘Report Abuse’ to ‘CEOP Report’. With Safer Internet Day coming up in February we are currently looking in to what we can do this year to make a difference and make Merseyside safer online.
New CEOP design on the left, the old design on the right.
This week I joined John ‘Mogsy’ Morris from the Youth Engagement Team for a day. As it is half term for most schools across Merseyside this week, the team run a course called LIFE (Local Integration Fire Education). Based at community Fire Stations, the course runs across five days during school holidays, a time when diversionary activities are crucial. This is because Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service attend more deliberately set fires and encounter more antisocial behavior during these times. LIFE is designed to help young people understand fire safety, prevent arson, provide positive role models and help youngsters develop confidence, resilience, and self-esteem.
I joined a group consisting of ten young people aged thirteen to fourteen all from the same school in Speke. It was the second day of their course and John and I were taking them to Moel Famau in North Wales where we would meet Dave Garry, the Youth Activity Advocate.
John had arranged to meet the group at Speke Community Fire Station where the course was based. When we arrived in the mini-bus they were all already there waiting for us! Not surprisingly they had made a good start on the crisps and sweets they had brought for their lunches! They eagerly got into the bus and we set off.
When we arrived at the car park we met Dave Garry who gave the team a short talk about the area and some rules for the day such whatever we bring, we take back i.e. litter, and staying within ten meters of each other.
Whilst walking up to the top of Moel Famau we stopped a number of times and Dave would set up a problem solving activity for the group which relied upon teamwork. The first activity consisted of the group getting into two teams and being set apart by a certain distance. They then had to work together to get a cane from one group to the other without entering the ‘no-go’ zone. Each time they did it successfully the area in-between them got larger and larger. It was not long before the team realized that in order to succeed they needed each other and must communicate. These energizers not only distracted them from the “miles and miles“ they had left, but kept them keen as well teaching them valuable teamwork skills. The group learnt to listen clearly to Dave’s instructions, discuss the ideas and plan between themselves then carry out the task by working together and communicating.
The time we spent walking in-between the energizers was invaluable to me. I used this time to have one-to-one talk and also group discussions about emerging technologies. Because we were not in a classroom environment, the group talked openly about how they use emerging technology in school as well as at home. I was able to collect a great amount of information just by listening and talking to them.
All members of the group have and use Facebook regularly, mostly every day. They are extremely comfortable using it despite only being thirteen. When I asked about other social network sites they all agreed they use MySpace to listen to music but not as members and don’t use Bebo at all. The majority of the group had not heard of Twitter or did not understand fully what it is.
A number of the group members asked if I could create a Facebook group on which the photographs from the week could be posted so that they could show their friends and family and add comments to them. They thought that having a Facebook group would raise the profile of the course as well as show others what they did and the lessons that they learnt.
Whilst in this informal setting I was able to ask the young people about their Facebook profiles and how much they know about security and privacy of personal details. The majority of the young people knew not to put sensitive data such as phone numbers and addresses on their profiles; however they were not sure about how private their photographs were. This indicated that they had not received any Thinkuknow training or similar which, due to the amount of time they spend on social networking sites, is needed.
Published on
2 November 2009 in
E-Safety.
Thinkuknow is an education initiative by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre – the UK’s national law enforcement agency that focuses on tackling the sexual abuse of children.
There are five strands to Thinkuknow; ‘5-7 year olds’, ‘8-10 year olds’, ‘11-16 year olds’, ‘parents and carers’ and ‘teachers and trainers’. Each strand has a section of the website full of activities, information, resources and advice, catered for the specific age group.
I recently completed the Thinkuknow training which now enables me to deliver the CEOP Thinkuknow programme to 11-16 year olds (key stage 3 and 4). My next step is to complete the ambassador training which will then enable me to cascade train colleagues in the Thinkuknow training for 11-16 year olds.
As online technology is becoming a larger part of our lives it is important that all users, from young people through to parents, are informed and educated so that that they stay in control of the risks and have fun with the technology. The Thinkuknow training allows this knowledge to spread across our communities quickly and effectively.
The Thinkuknow training is slowly spreading throughout schools; however it is not meeting the most vulnerable of young people. By increasing the amount of people who can train young people this will in-turn increase the amount of knowledge and awareness of e-safety not just in young people but in adults as well.
Hello!
I’m Kate, the new Emerging Technology Officer in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.
I will be using emerging technologies to encourage and capture innovation and creativity when working with Children and Young People. This will range from using YouTube and Social Networking to utilising Smart Boards and Podcasts.
Many people are not familiar with these initiatives and are therefore sceptical and anxious about using them, especially to aid learning and express creativity. Initially I will look at safer use of the internet in order to protect young people and adults, helping them to understand the risks and act accordingly. This in-turn will give users confidence when introduced to Emerging Technology and by creating an E-Safety policy, Emerging Technologies can be used to their full advantage.
Any research, ideas and projects that I carry out will be blogged onto OurOpenSpace to create a forward-thinking reflective space where others can comment, compare and share their own experiences.
