Encouraging the positive use of technology through community engagement

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe a seven stage community engagement process to develop and disseminate community uptake strategies which encouraged cybersafety as part of a positive transition from primary to secondary school among Australian young people. Design/methodology/approach - The combined principles from socio-ecological models, community development models and student participation models formed the foundation for the strategies. Resources were developed for all members of the community - students, parents, teachers and the broader community. The methods included: the formation of a steering committee and a Youth Advisory Board; review of the current literature; development of online resources; a youth resource development activity; development of youth resources; translation of resources into health promotion initiatives; and the dissemination of resources at community events and facilities such as schools, libraries and recreation centres and through print and social media. Findings - Community engagement strategies - in particular a partnership between a Western Australian university and local government body, the steering committee consisting of local organisations, and the student advisory board - were used to successfully design and promote resources developed by young people for young people. Originality/value - This study utilises a community-level approach to develop resources to encourage cybersafety and a positive transition from primary to secondary school

Community crime prevention and crime watch groups as online private policing

“…Our research shows that the groups were associated with the potential to misrepresent the amount of crime in the neighbourhood, instill fear and create legal concerns. Though the use of online communication technologies can lead to positive developments such as community and social development (Lester et al, 2016), we find that many of the communications in our sample are fear-based. Whilst such groups may bring the community together, the groups may also encourage private policing, stereotyping, shaming and even vigilantism through misrepresenting the amount of crime occurring in the community and focusing on fear.…”

Exploring the ethical issues in research using digital data collection strategies with minors: A scoping review

“…CYACs seek to balance children’s protection while supporting their participation in research [ 40 ]. In particular, CYACs have been implemented in research with minors which addressed similarly contentious topics including cyber safety [ 41 ], hazardous agricultural labor [ 42 ], self-advocacy for pediatric patients with chronic illness [ 43 ], and child rights [ 40 ].…”