Did you know that one in every three students in thirty different countries have experienced online bullying. With one in five skipping school because of online bullying. Now more than ever teenagers are spending enormous amounts of time on their electronic devices. All over Rio you will see posters saying “Do you know who you’re really following?” Or “What kind of digital footprint are you leaving behind?” It’s sad to say but this is a real problem at not just our school, but every single one in our country. That’s why the
#ICanHelp is on a mission to inform teens on online safety.
#ICanHelp is a non profit organization that has been promoting digital safety for teens since 2013. After an incident that targeted a school teacher spread all over social media #ICanHelp was founded so that nothing like that would ever happen again. Kim Karr and her team go to sc
hools all across the globe and perform interactive assemblies to teach students on how to behave on social media with the ultimate goal of eliminating online negativity.
Mr. Flores, who is in charge of the whole assembly answered a few questions about the assembly. He was asked if there will be a special schedule, where will the assembly be held, and is this the first time Rio has had the #ICanHelp assembly. He said that, “ This is the first time Rio has had the assembly and I’m very excited about it. There will be a special schedule for the day but the only major difference is that advisory will be at the end of the day. Yes it will be in the gym.” Also the Friday before the assembly some students who have been making a positive impact at the school were given #ICanHelp shirts to wear them on the day of the assembly. And of course staff had to wear the shirts too.
Kim Karr, the ICanHelp co-founder, came to our school on the 26th of September and presented a very engaging assembly. For starters, a few volunteers were put in
to awkward situations such as having to spin someone around of their choice, and teachers had to go through some of their photos. Some of the students were even given rocks to symbolize their oath to behave online. By saying I rock.
But the most important thing about the assembly was the impact it had on Rio Norte. The silence in the room spoke for itself. Everyone knows that we have to begin to do our part in making online a safe place for everyone.