Safer Internet Ireland Youth Advisory Panel
On Tuesday 9th February 2010, The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe, T.D., will launch the Safer Internet Ireland Youth Advisory Panel (SIIYAP) marking Safer Internet Day in Ireland.
Minister O’Keeffe said,” There is a tendency to view young people using the Internet as being dangerous, irresponsible, or vulnerable; as adults, we often reinforce this belief through fear and control. However, most young people are availing of the opportunities afforded by technology to enhance their development”.
“For this reason, I am delighted that confident, creative and responsible young people will be involved in the awareness raising work of the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) and the policy work of the Office for Internet Safety (OIS) through the establishment of the Safer Internet Ireland Youth Advisory Panel (SIIYAP)”.
The members of SIIYAP have been engaging in activites from the newly published ‘Think before you click’ learning resource (www.thinkb4uclick.ie). This comprehensive education programme has been specifically developed by the NCTE and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) for teachers of Junior Certificate CSPE who wish to explore the issue of online privacy in the context of online rights and responsibilities. O2 Telefonica sent copies of this resource to every post-primary school in the state.
SIIYAP members reviewed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and highlighted those rights which are most relevant to young people and their use of the internet. One of the rights they identified was Article 16 Children have a right to privacy. This article has been the focus of their work today. They will develop advice that will be included in an awareness campaign targeting boys and girls in Primary schools.
Jerome Morrissey, Director NCTE said, “The growth of online tools like Facebook and Twitter provide a wealth of opportunities for young people to write about their lives, express their views and, more importantly, a place where they can connect and share their lives with friends”.
In these spaces audiences are invisible and distinctions between public and private are becoming increasing blurred. Young people try to use privacy settings to restrict who see their personal information, how it can be searched, and in what context it can be seen. However, in reality these measures can be circumvented easily. We join our colleagues across Europe in calling on young people to “Think Before You Click”.
Safer Internet Day is an initiative of the European Commission Safer Internet Programme. The 7th Safer Internet Day will be celebrated on 9th February 2010 in more than 60 countries across the world.