On 6th February 2018 Brainstorm Productions celebrated Safer Internet Day, a worldwide event that is coordinated by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner in Australia. 

CREATE, CONNECT AND SHARE RESPECT

On 6 February 2018 we’re celebrating Safer Internet Day!

In recent years we've seen greater acceptance and communication around the topic of mental health. We've also seen a growing number of initiatives aimed at reducing stigma and increasing support for people who are struggling with mental health issues.

During the month of October, communities across NSW will come together and hold events to celebrate Mental Health Month, which coincides with World Mental Health Day on the 10th of October. This year the focus is on sharing the journey: promoting positive social connections to help people cope with mental health issues, build resilience, and improve their wellbeing.

Bullying, and in particular cyberbullying, can have a serious impact on the mental health of children and adolescents. Students involved in cyberbullying have poorer mental wellbeing [1], and higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, and substance abuse [2]. 

Today’s high school students have grown up using smartphones and iPads, and most have had a digital footprint since birth.

In 2015, eighty-two per cent of teens were online, according to ACMA research, and 80 per cent used a smartphone. These figures rise every year. 

White Ribbon Day 2014

Brainstorm Productions teamed up with Canterbury Girls High School and Girraween High School for White Ribbon Day 2014 on 25th November to help raise awareness and much needed funds to support White Ribbon Australia’s work to break the silence around violence. 

Violence against women is at epidemic proportions. Devastatingly, on average, one woman is killed every week in Australia as a result of partner violence. While death is at the pointy end of a broad spectrum, violence against women and girls encompasses verbal, emotional, psychological, physical and sexual abuses, which all form part of a destructive cycle of violence.

The two Brainstorm Productions White Ribbon Day events held at Canterbury Girls High School and Girraween High School used educational theatre to address anti-social behaviour and how this can have a profound effect on student mental health and wellbeing. Students participated in a performance of ‘Cyberia’ which tackled digital violence in the form of cyber-bullying, one of the biggest threats to teenagers today.

Bullying is a difficult issue for schools everywhere. Research from the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics ‘Census at Schools’ survey shows that bullying is now the #1 issue for Australian school kids, and with the average weekly time schoolchildren spend on a computer jumping from 3 hours in 2006 to 13 hours in 2013, there has been a correlating increase in kids struggling and falling victim to cyber bullying. 

Privacy Awareness Week 2014

Cyber Bullying Programs to Help Your School 

Brainstorm Productions is a proud Privacy Awareness Week educational partner. This annual event is designed to promote awareness for privacy issues and the importance of the protection of personal information. Privacy continues to be a hot issue, especially for Australian school students. Research has shown that 1 in 3 young people have posted something on social media that they have later regretted.

Technology and social media is all around us and can be used to great effect, however things can easily turn and you can’t always press “undo”. Brainstorm Productions has a range of cyber bullying programs that look at the risks and impacts of the world online on the very real world of primary school and high school students.