LOCAL students and parents took up the opportunity to become more cyber aware in a session hosted by Nannup CRC and Nannup District High School on Tuesday November 18.
Thanks to funding provided by the Ministerial Council of Suicide Prevention on behalf of OneLife, speaker Robyn Rishani was invited to Nannup.
During the day students from years five through to 10 were entertained and informed about safety in the online world and how to protect themselves. Bullying, both in person and online, was discussed with the students, who were encouraged to support others who are being bullied and to tell an adult if it is happening. The students all said they had learned something from the sessions and thanked Ms Rishani warmly for coming.
Later, an enthusiastic group of parents from Nannup, Balingup and Manjimup attended the evening session.
“As a mum of a teen and a tween and one who tries to have open discussions as to cyber safety and internet use, I was blown away in the first 5 minutes of the seminar,” Participant Jen Bornatici said.
“Presenter Robyn Rishani said that if I thought “friending” my children in social media sites increased their safety and my awareness of their activity, I was sadly mistaken. Later discussions with my kids proved her very right. If nothing else, the conversations with my girls after the seminar and the opening of discussions were of huge benefit to me and by follow on, benefit to my children.”
“We were fortunate to be able to have Robyn Rishani come to Nannup and provide students and parents with the knowledge and skills to be better able to address the effects of bullying and cyberbullying,” Cate Stevenson from the Nannup CRC said.
If you, or someone you know, needs assistance telephone support (24 hour) is available through Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or LifeLine on 13 11 14.