E-Safety topic of
Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge 2010.

 

Crime Stoppers Tasmania today launched the Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge 2010, with a focus on e-Safety or Electronic Safety.

Housed in the Working for a Safer Tasmania exhibit at AGFEST, the Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge launched into its ninth year of this successful educational program.

The Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge Tasmania is a competition for students in Years 5 to 10.

“The program aims to have students research the impact E-Safety has at their school and on their own community and suggest initiatives to tackle the issues and reduce related crimes,” said Brian Aherne, The Chairman of Crime Stoppers Tasmania.

Participants are encouraged to work together in school groups to design practical solutions to assist in addressing the issues of Electronic safety.

  Why this topic?

  In collaboration with Tasmania Police, the board of Crime Stoppers Tasmania, the Education Department and schools, E-Safety was chosen as a particularly topical and pertinent theme affecting Schools as well as the Tasmanian community.

The rapid growth and success of online learning has opened wonderful new opportunities for learning and creativity, but it also means schools need to think ahead of potential new risks to the students in their care.

Crime Stoppers Tasmania invites schools to participate in this year's challenge

to assist in identifying and addressing many of the issues linked to E-Safety and examining the role that Crime Stoppers can play in tackling these issues.

  The recently launched ThinkUKnow program by the Federal Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O'Connor will help protect Tasmanian children from the risks they may face on the internet as well as improve their knowledge and skills on cyber safety and this program fits in well with this years Youth Challenge topic of E-Safety.

ThinkUKnow raises awareness of how to keep our young people safe online. This initiative aims to educate parents, carers and teachers about how to create a safe online experience for our young people.

Three entry categories are:

• Upper Primary Years 5/6
• Lower Secondary Years 7/8
• Upper Secondary Years 9/10

  The Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge is designed to help young people:

• Understand the context of crime, ethical issues surrounding crime, the motivations of those committing the crime, and the causes of crime;
• Understand the consequences of crime for individuals and the whole community including any personal, legal, economic and social impact;
• Suggest solutions to reduce and prevent crime through research and presentation of their findings to the community;
• Understand the formal processes of solving crime, including the role of Crime Stoppers;
• Involve the community in understanding crime and the role of Crime Stoppers; and
• Make purposeful use of the educational tools and information technology available.

Important dates to remember: 

• Thursday, 6th May, 2010 - Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge Launch
• Friday, 9 th July, 2010 - Registrations Close
• Tuesday , 19 th October, 2010 - Closing date for Entries
• Friday, 19 th November, 2010 - Awards Ceremony

Entries close Tuesday, 19 th October, 2010 Judging will take place in October with an awards ceremony to be held on Friday, 19 th November 2010 at the Tailrace Centre in Launceston.

 

For more information:

Visit the Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge Web site at:

www.crimestoppersyouthchallenge.com

or contact:

Bruce Free , Project Manager, Crime Stoppers, Tasmania .

Email : Bruce.Free@police.tas.gov.au

Office : 03 6230 2172 Mobile : 0418 817 263

  The Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge is fully endorsed and supported by:

  The Minister for Education and Skills, the Minister for Police and Emergency Management.

Tasmania Police; and The Department of Education.

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Police highlight child web dangers

Posted Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:07pm AEST

Tasmanian parents are being encouraged to do more to protect their children from the dangers associated with the internet.

A new program run by the Australian Federal Police called Think-U-Know is designed to educate parents and teachers about what their children are doing on the internet and the risks associated with social networking sites and chat rooms.

The program has been launched in Tasmania today after trials in other Australian states.

The Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O'Connor, says parents need to engage with their children about what they are doing on the internet.

"So that children feel comfortable in alerting their parents to anything they are concerned about when they are online and I think this program equips parents and teachers and carers to actually consider what potential risks there are."

The program is already operating in other states.