Digital Champions

We currently have six Digital Champions who underwent an application process to be selected as our youth representative board. The Digital Champions help the Childnet Digital Leaders team to ensure that the programme is youth led. They represent a youth voice which is essential to the programme’s success and support us with module development, content creation, events and consultation, as well as representing the programme in the wider online safety community.

Click on the photos below to learn more about our Digital Champions and find out about their plans in our recent blog post here.

The Digital Champions were involved in the development of the Young People’s Charter for Safer Internet Day 2020. They fed into the charter through consultation, helping to shape the charter’s four key points which highlight the demands that young people need government to act upon to keep them safe and free to be themselves online. The Digital Champions then presented the charter to MPs at Westminster and to industry at the Safer Internet Day event in London. Read more about the clear demands for government and the Digital Champion’s involvement in developing the Young People’s Charter here.

Aimee

Aimee

What I like doing best online:

I spend my time making memes with my friends based on relevant things happening in today’s world because I think making memes is definitely a fun way to pass time and enjoy yourself. I also tend to use Reddit in my spare time to look at food pictures and recipes, although they do make me very hungry!

What I like doing offline:

I like to recreate some of the food pictures I find online. I’ll try to recreate anything from snacks to desserts, all ranging from around the world. I also like to look for exotic fruits from around the world because I enjoy trying new things and generally being experimental. I’m currently trying to taste as many exotic fruits as possible for one of my new year’s resolutions 😂

What I hope to achieve as a Digital Champion:

My aim as a Digital Champion will be to teach many parents as well as children about online safety and how to help their child if they encounter problems online, especially in a world where social media is changing every second. I would also like to be able to reach people further away and help them as well as be able to give anyone advice on safety online if they asked.

My top online safety tip:

My online safety tip would be, no matter how difficult or scary your situation is, never hold it in. Always tell somebody because there is always someone who has been in that situation or knows how to get you out of it, someone is always willing to help.

Cosima

Cosima

What I like doing best online:

My favourite thing to do online is probably either watching YouTube or Netflix or doing BuzzFeed quizzes!

What I like doing offline:

When I’m not on my phone (or any device!) I like to walk my puppy in the fields or park or go on a zip wire with my friends.

What I hope to achieve as a Digital Champion:

As a Digital Champion, one of my main aims is to help people to identify what’s an online trap and what isn’t as it’s a rarely touched-on topic on its own so I personally think it should be addressed.

My top online safety tip:

Be careful what you say online as once it’s out there you can never take it back, believe me!

Dominik

Dominik

What I like doing best online:

I like gaming online.

What I like doing offline:

Offline, I like travelling.

What I hope to achieve as a Digital Champion:

In Digital Champions, I hope to achieve safety online and to help companies build their security software to higher demand.

My top online safety tip:

My safety tip is to ignore other people who talk with you online and talk to your friends that you know in real life.

Indira

Indira

What I like doing best online:

I love to watch YouTube and Netflix, communicate with friends and scrolling on TikTok (which can be an endless cycle!) Recently I have discovered iMessage games and love to play pool and battle ships with my sister.

What I like doing offline:

When I am not engrossed in a new TV show or a reel of TikTok videos I love to spend time with my dogs! I am also an avid singer, so I am often found belting tunes in the shower! I love to travel and explore different cultures and environments, but I usually capture the adventures on my iPhone camera, so does that count as being offline? I guess technology is part of our daily lives now!

What I hope to achieve as a Digital Champion:

Having been a Digital Leader for 5 years now, I know how rewarding the role is. As a Digital Champion I hope to achieve a more positive use of technology both in my community and beyond. So far, I have been able to communicate with companies like Brook and Microsoft and privileged to attend an event at the BT Tower in London for Safer Internet Day to talk about how technology merges with the lives of young people and how we can take actions to improve the online environment, making it a more positive and happier place for everyone!

My top online safety tip:

I would say to spread positivity and important messages online. PICK your words: have Patience, have good Intentions, have Clarity and have Kindness. Interact with others on the internet in the same way as you would in person if not more respectfully, as what you say online can be easily skewed and come across differently to who you are communicating with due to a lack of tone and facial expressions. It is important to only comment kind things online especially, since people can view a mean comment over and over again, physically experiencing the hurt it causes again and again, whereas in person although it can be upsetting it can only be revisited in memory.

Jayden

Jayden

What I like doing best online:

Online, I love listening to music on my phone. It helps me to de-stress, especially after a long day at school! I like researching information about past gaming consoles and the evolution of computers, and I am good at designing PowerPoints. If I had to pick one app to keep in my life, it would almost certainly be PowerPoint as the possibilities are endless and you can create cool animations, where objects move around a page, to engage listeners and make information stand out. I watch videos online to achieve new goals and learn new things, which help me develop as a person!

What I like doing offline:

At school, I am a part of the Tech Team, working in various places to ensure quality and immersion in all areas, such as in productions at a local professional-grade theatre, sound and lighting in our newly-built Performance Space, and setting up and using PA systems, alongside many other technical roles. I am also a Peer Mentor, which involves me going to a form group of younger children in the school with two other Peer Mentors, where we are the support for the form tutor and a friendly face for the younger new entrants to the school.

What I hope to achieve as a Digital Champion:

My goals as a Digital Champion with Childnet are to educate myself on Online Safety to an extent where I am able to confidently assist with teaching many people: this is not just other children, but advise adults and important individuals on how us young people feel on certain situations, and how we would want a scenario to be handled or amended to represent us in a positive light, not just in front of one business, but on a wider scale, both nationally and internationally. I also would love to be able to build a better future for all young people, including generations to come, and keep both national and global organisations on their toes with regards to updating acts protecting young people online.

My top online safety tip:

My top online safety tip is to always talk to someone you trust, whether it be a teacher, parent, or any other trusted adult, if something worrying happens to you on the web. It is essential for the wellbeing of anyone to talk to others, and a statement I like to use is “A problem shared is a problem halved,” as this is a reminder of the fact that no matter how old you are, how wise you are or how independent you seem, you’ll never be able to live life without somebody to lean on.

Lauren

Lauren

What I like doing best online:

I love playing games with my friends, especially since the rise of among us. Other than that, I like surfing the internet in general, whether it’s social media, researching a topic I find interesting, or watching some kpop music videos and looking at lyric translations! I definitely spend a long time on YouTube too, mostly watching Minecraft streamers like WilburSoot and TommyInnit, but you’ll often catch me looking at storylines behind my favourite kpop music videos.

What I like doing offline:

I love swimming, and a lot of exercising in general, it’s something I’ve been doing for a long time and I still really enjoy it! I also like art, mostly just sketching, but my goal for the future is to learn how to paint well too. I really love languages, I’m currently taking French, Mandarin and Latin at school, but it’s really interesting and you get to learn about many different people and cultures.

What I hope to achieve as a Digital Champion:

My main goal is to learn as much as possible about online safety in order to help others learn, and maybe even teach my younger brother about it too. I want to help spread awareness about topics that are important, but are less ‘popular’ when it comes to talking about online safety, things like digital wellbeing and how to use the internet to enhance your learning, not just academically, but about the world. I’d like to help people see the good that social media and technology can do, especially since we often think about it so negatively.

My top online safety tip:

Don’t do or post anything you don’t want to online. It’s really important for your digital wellbeing because your platforms online are for you to follow who you want and to post what you want, as long as it is appropriate. There’s no point in following someone you don’t like, or liking posts you don’t want to. Feeling pressured to do these things online can build up and make you anxious, or lead you to not enjoy going on social media, so only do things if you want to!