Guiding online safety

A new initiative to provide training on internet access, online safety and the use of social networking in today’s society has been launched by Girlguiding Ulster.

Supported by Nominet Trust, the organisation is running training for 200 volunteer leaders across Northern Ireland to help develop its work with girls and young women.

Insight and understanding

It is a new and innovative approach for Girlguiding Ulster, which works with young people across four age groups spanning a range of 4-25 years. Project co-ordinators are hoping that working closely with other organisations, such as Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, for example, will enable them to deliver meaningful and useful training for the volunteer leaders.

The organisation recognises that volunteer leaders need to be updated on areas that many young people are currently already aware of, having received information through the education system. This new insight and understanding will allow them to safely use and supervise the use of the internet where young people are involved.

A safe and useful resource

By providing this training, Girlguiding Ulster hopes its volunteer leaders will acquire the confidence and knowledge they need to ensure that the girls and young women they work with on a weekly basis can use the internet as a safe and useful resource. This, in turn, will enable those young people to fully participate within Girlguiding as part of a worldwide organisation.

The skills that each volunteer leader gains and the information they take away will also naturally filter through to other communities in Northern Ireland, helping to increase overall internet use and safety.