With ongoing lockdowns seeing a rise in reports of serious cyber bullying and other online safety issues for our children, the need for schools to build safe, supportive and connected communities has never been greater.
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Now in its seventh year, National eSmart Week - an initiative of national children's charity, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation - creates awareness and highlights solutions and ideas for schools and libraries around issues of online safety, bullying prevention and wellbeing.
National eSmart Week: September 6 to 12
Held this year from September 6 to 12, alongside National Child Protection Week, National eSmart Week is a week when schools and public libraries around Australia come together to help raise awareness of cyber safety and encourage positive online experiences for our kids.
A calendar of free and online live events is available throughout the week for students and parents, as well as school and library staff. It includes story time readings, interactive activities and specialist topics to promote positive connections.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation's CEO, Sarah Davies, said this year's theme is "Responsible Action".
"It's critical we do everything we can to ensure our kids are safe online and our schools are strongholds of safety. Respectful behaviour, both online and offline, is key," Ms Davies said.
"For schools and libraries, this can mean looking at reporting processes and implementing policies. For individuals, this is about being thoughtful and being responsible for positive action, both online and offline,"
The Foundation's eSmart range of programs and tools use a cultural change approach to improve online safety and increase digital literacy.
They include two gamified tools, media literacy lab for students aged 12-16 and a new e-smart digital licence for 10 to 14-year-olds.
"Student wellbeing has always been a top priority for schools. Unfortunately, managing anti-social behaviours online is an ongoing occurrence for young people and schools are constantly needing to react to student incidents," Ms Davies said.
"The most effective way to connect and embed respectful behaviours both online and offline is by using a whole-school approach through education on relevant topics and emerging trends.
"Our eSmart range of prevention programs are designed to build confidence and resilience in behaviour and practice and to give young people the skills to navigate challenging situation and thrive in this complex world."
eSmart prevention programs
eSmart Schools
eSmart Schools has been used by schools to keep students safe online for 10 years. eSmart helps schools collate and map all the cyber safety and wellbeing work that they are already doing against current best practice, and then offers targeted resources and programs if any gaps are identified to deliver wellbeing outcomes for the entire school community.
eSmart Libraries
eSmart Libraries is a cyber safety framework designed to fully equip libraries, staff and library users with the skills they need for smart, safe and responsible use of digital technology.
eSmart Media Literacy Lab
Aimed at students aged 12-16, the eSmart Media Literacy Lab empowers young people to think critically, create responsibly and be effective voices and active citizens online. Aligned to the Victorian and Australian curriculums, the Lab engages secondary students in essential media literacy education through an innovative, gamified resource that reflects youth experiences.
eSmart Digital Licence+
The soon-to-be-released eSmart Digital Licence+ for students aged 10-14 years focuses on building knowledge and skills in areas such as technology use, cyber risk management, cyber security and online cultures, supporting the development of important social and emotional skills in those 'middle years'.
Connect workshops and presentations
eSmart's Connect workshops and presentations offer a range of live session in the areas of cyber safety, bullying and wellbeing for children and young people, as well as the adults who work to support and protect them. They can be delivered online or face to face.
For more information, visit www.esmart.org.au
