Rayna Carruthers, 16 years old, speaks about her week-long work experience with Childnet
Guest blog:
I was happy to do a week’s work experience at Childnet as I’ve always been interested in charities and how they work, and I was drawn in by their positive message about the internet. While at Childnet, I saw just how hard their small team works. Every team member is so passionate about what they do and want to ensure that children can navigate the internet safely and responsibly.
As part of my work experience, I was able to go along with one of the education team members to a primary school to see how they speak to young people about internet safety. The students were very engaged and enjoyed sharing some of their favourite apps and websites with Gareth, the presenter, as well as learning important internet safety tips. I especially liked how actions helped the students remember the tips effectively. One of the most important messages for the children was to always tell a trusted adult if something happens on the internet that they don’t understand or feel uncomfortable about.
It was also interesting to watch a parent session. The importance of creating dialogue with your children about internet safety was particularly stressed at this session. As there was so much content in the presentation, there was lots for the parents to think over and discuss.
After experiencing these sessions and what the education team had to do, I was astounded at how much effort goes in to them. Every presentation I witnessed was extremely engaging, which is just testament to the Childnet teams passion for what they do.
I have found this week-long experience extremely interesting and useful. It really has given me a real insight into how a charity runs and into the many ways charities raise awareness. During the week I was with Childnet I found that as a young person, the Childnet team was interested in what I had to say about the internet. I was asked my thoughts on some of their educational resources, the new theme for Safer Internet Day for the 7th of February 2017 and also the presentations they give in schools.
Over all, I have learnt that though we must educate people on the dangers of the internet, we must also promote the positives, and empower young people and children to use the internet and technology in positive and inspiring ways.
