February 9 is Safer Internet Day! This year the conversation focused on how you can play your part to make the Internet a kinder, safer place so we decided to do our part and introduce our newest children’s workshop:
Cyber Safe & Bully Proofing
Cyber Safe & Bully Proofing are two hot topics with parents. This workshop is designed to increase safety awareness when children are using the Internet, as well as to explore the idea of bullying; what it is and how to prevent it. It is intended for children aged 8-11.
“It is estimated that 2 out of 3 households in Canada have a computer and access to cyberspace, and 26% of kids ages 9 to 15 went to meet a friend that they met online without permission of their parents” (source: www.kidproofsafety.com)
This 3-hour workshop, developed by Kidproof Canada www.kidproofsafety.com and facilitated by the Ottawa Safety Council, is interactive and hands-on with role-playing, and group discussion. Individual registrations will start in Spring, 2016, but contact Debbie Baker for more information on Group Bookings!
Cyber Safe (2 hours) – Covers the topic of internet safety. Participants will learn:
- Common definitions they will find on the Internet
- Types of possible dangers found on the Internet
- How to identify warning signs and how to safely respond to them
- Responsibilities for safe surfing
- Safe practice for chatting and Instant Messaging
Bully Proofing (1 hour) – Learn to avoid being bullied and if they are bullied, know how to stop it. Participants will learn how to:
- Define bullying and cyber-bullying
- Recognize bullying behavior in different situations
- React to bullying if they are being bullied
- Avoid being a target
- React if they witness a person being bullied
- Develop empathy and celebrate uniqueness
Need some tips now? Facebook and Media Smarts designed some tip sheets for you to download and share: