FREE WORKSHOPS TO TRAIN TEACHERS AS FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE IN ONLINE SAFETY
Teachers are being invited to take part in free online workshops to help them keep pupils safe online being held by award-winning youth engagement agency Beatfreeks.
The ‘Train the Trainer’ webinars, which which will to equip teachers with the skills to support young people aged between 11 and 16 to stay safe online, will begin this week as part of the UK wide Be Internet Citizens campaign – delivered by Birmingham based youth engagement agency Beatfreeks, supported by Google.org and Youtube.
According to research by The Institute of Strategic Dialogue, an estimated 1 in 3 British children aged 12-15 have encountered sexist, racist or discriminatory content online while 38% of young people say that social media has a negative impact on how they feel about themselves.
With education professionals spending a large proportion of the working week with their students, they are often the first port of call for young people making it increasingly important that they are aware of potential issues that their students may be facing as well as having the skills to address them.
From Thursday 11th February, teachers, safeguarding leads, deputy and head teachers are invited to take part in the free 2 hour and 30 minute sessions, which will tackle issues including fake news and misinformation, unconscious bias, discrimination and the difference between free speech and hate speech.
The interactive sessions aim to deconstruct misconceptions around the ever changing digital world while building teacher’s confidence in teaching these complex subjects in a way that is both structured and engaging for young people. Accredited by the PHSE Association, the training feeds into key areas of the national curriculum including RSHE, Prevent and SMSC.
As well as receiving training from a team of expert facilitators, which qualifies as a Continuing Professional Development activity, attendees will also be provided with a suite of resources to help them deliver lessons to their students, including session plans, supporting handouts and reflective journal templates.
Founded in 2013 by social entrepreneur Anisa Morridadi, Beatfreeks was established to address the growing divide between young people and the institutions that were meant to support them. The initiative began as an experiment – a Poetry Jam held in Anisa’s home city of Birmingham which offered young people the opportunity to share their ideas, thoughts and feelings, allowing for genuine insight into grass roots youth culture.
Beatfreeks now works with companies across the UK to offer insight and youth engagement, connecting them with a community of young creatives and offering the opportunity to consult on existing ideas, collaborate on new ones and shape a culture that stays ahead of the curve.
Founder and CEO Anisa Morridadi said: “Digital consumption has accelerated over the last 18 months with our research showing an estimated 99% of young people actively using social media platforms. Social media is an incredible resource but it’s crucial that young people have the awareness and the skills to stay safe in a digital world and that educators have the right resources to support them to do that.
“With a digital world that is ever changing, it can be tough for teachers to keep up with new developments. These free sessions are a fantastic way for teachers to not only become confident in speaking about current trends but we hope that they will empower them to address what can be difficult subjects, like online harassment, stereotyping and hate speech head on.”
For those unable to attend the session later this month, further sessions will be held on Thursday 10th March, Tuesday 29th March and Thursday 26th May. For more information or to secure your place, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/beatfreeks-presents-be-internet-citizens-31198017043
