The C3P will train police officers and school administrators to navigate through challenges that can arise when removing sexual photos from the internet, working with teens and providing guidance and support to help them manage these types of crises.
SROs will be focusing this workshop around students who are in junior high school.
“We’re aware that students in junior high school are starting to engage with social media more,” says Acting Staff Sgt. Em Chan with the EPS SRO Unit. “Students in this age group are starting to own their first smart devices. We want to help them learn good habits when posting content and photos to the internet.”
The training workshop will help school administrators gain the necessary tools to pass along to students and help them remove posts from the internet they may regret or that are inappropriate.
“One mistake does not define who you are,” says Acting Staff Sgt. Chan. “This is one of the key messages we want our students to take away today.”
The C3P website, NeedHelpNow.ca will also encourage teens to reach out to an adult – a parent, teacher or police officer - for support.
“We are optimistic that by raising awareness of Needhelpnow.ca and by engaging teens in spreading messages of support that we can better help those youth who are in crisis,” says Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
The NeedHelpNow.ca website shows teens how to access the information they need to remove sexual images from websites. It also includes information to support youth who have been impacted by cyber bullying and critical information for adults dealing with a youth in crisis.