The digital world is constantly developing and innovating. At Melbourne Girls Grammar we empower our Grammarians to make educated choices about how they interact with technology. As we support and prepare our students for an unknown future, they are able to make educated choices.
Part of the way we educate our students about their choices and guide them through life’s ups and downs with support and understanding is by employing knowledgeable and passionate staff members like our innovative Digital and Youth Advisor, Idil van der Linden. Idil is a dedicated youth worker whose role is to give support and advice to young people to enable them to have the power to make the right choices when navigating their lives online.
At the end of last year Idil, along with four other educators, was selected to travel to Canberra to celebrate the success of the first year of the PROJECT ROCKIT Digital Ambassadors initiative, powered by Facebook and Instagram.
The PROJECT ROCKIT Digital Ambassadors program aims to bring together 10,000 young people from 400 schools to form a united source of leadership who use their knowledge and skills to safely connect and tackle online hate.
The four educators selected four students to accompany the Digital Ambassadors at Parliament House to give policymakers a chance to hear the youth perspective on how we can build a safer, kinder digital world.
Melbourne Girls Grammar Year 8 student Maisie was chosen by Idil to accompany her to the event as someone who shares Idil’s passion for the digital world, and creating change.
Maisie said, “The program gave me an insight into how a variety of different people may interact with social media platforms. The experience was taught in a very engaging way and included a positive mindset about the abilities of the ’Youth Ambassadors’, as they called us.”
Idil’s role at Melbourne Girls Grammar is extremely important to the Digital Citizenship Program in the Middle Years (Years 5-8) which focuses on the education and training of effective digital citizenship.
Growing up I didn’t have support or understanding of how the digital world could impact my life, so I want to enable young people to have the power to make the right choices when navigating their lives online.
“I hope to inspire young people to be the positive change they want to see in the world,” said Idil in response to why she’s so passionate about educating our students about the digital world.
With Idil’s support, our students have the right tools to raise digital awareness and promote self-regulation. Throughout the year, our Middle Years Students participate in a range of workshops and online courses to equip them with the right tools and give them the ability to be productive digital citizens. By participating in initiatives with organisations such as PROJECT ROCKIT, Idil can further develop ideas and strategies on how to support young people on the issues faced in the digital space.
Check out the video below of Maisie and the other ambassadors talking about their experience in Canberra.