Sunday, January 19, 2014

Before we built it out with more details, this was the working draft of the StopCyberbullying Youth Community Action Plan

The StopCyberbullying Canada Youth Community Action Plan working draft

1. Train trusted adults and stakeholders to identify, prevent, respond and support to incidents of cyberbullying and related digital abuses, including creating protocol, training and certification programs for:a. Medical and wellness professionalsb. Parents, caretakers, guardians and youth leaders organizationsc. Educatorsd. Social workers/guidance counsellors/mental health professionalse. Victim services providersf. Law Enforcement first respondersg. Policymakersh. Criminal justice professionalsi. Digital industry moderators, risk-managers and policy professionals2. Create a support program for families and friends of bullycide victims.
3. Make sure that everyone uses the same words and meanings when talking about, researching and addressing cyberbullying.
4. Encourage members of the media, documentary-makers and journalists to adopt identified ethical standards when addressing bullycide victims’ stories and their family and friends and not exploit the bullycide victims.
5. Identify and partner with community groups, regionally and nationally (Girl Guides, Scouts Canada, Red Cross, Medical Society, church youth groups, etc.).
6. Identify and create/adopt programs to address the root causes of cyberbullying and related digital abuses, including digital literacy, traditional bullying, bigotry and hate.
7. Identify and create/adopt standards to make it clear when something is and is not cyberbullying.
8. Create materials, information, resources and awareness that focus on “hurt” and not exploit bullycides.
9. Create a set of skills for young people of all ages to prevent and address cyberbullying and help support young people targeted by cyberbullying.
10. Recommend that the education departments/ministries create and implement a reporting and accountability structure for bullying/cyberbullying and violence in schools.
11. Deliver local, regional, national and international events to bring young people together with other leaders in the cyberbullying field and coordinate more youth involvement in the design, maintenance and delivery of stop cyberbullying programs.
12. Broadly communicate messaging and make all resources available at “go to” site for each special interest group.
13. Encourage digital industry involvement and broad adoption of “best practices” and implementation of a seal program to recognize those which have met these standards.
14. Identify, create/adopt legal literacy programs and inventory and assess existing laws and policies, identifying any existing gaps.
15. Identify effective peer counseling program models (for students beginning as young as 5th grade early peer counseling models) and adopt and maintain them across PEI as well as train-the-trainers for youth to enable them to run programs for their peers and adults.
16. Identify, create and advocate use of diversionary and alternative justice models as well as restorative justice models adopting the role of “elders” and being relevant to cyberbullying.
17. Design, set-up and manage an organizational structure for StopCyberbullying Canada’s youth and adult leadership, expert advisors and volunteers that uses online tools to facilitate communications.
18. Identify intervention points so that cyberbullying is identified and addressed earlier and create awareness to make sure there is “no wrong door” wherever a young person reaches out for help.
19. Create risk management models for educational institutions to address all school safety issues, including bullying and cyberbullying.
20. Create a position for a school safety/bullying/cyberbullying coordinator in each jurisdiction.
21. Create the role of a coordinator among all relevant government departments and ministries to make sure that all are working effectively across silos.
22. Research scope of problem and regional trends and make sure that the resources, programs and models reflect what is discovered.
23. Provide helplines/supportlines where young people can help their peers in cases of cyberbullying and related digital risks and deliver them using digital technologies used by young people.
24. Require that digital networks address cyberbullying and related digital risks, design report abuse systems and facilitate their use, properly screen and train their moderation team members and have an appeal process or outside user ombudsman to handle cases that have been mishandled or have fallen between the tracks.
25. Develop fundraising, sponsorships and programs to help deliver the programs and action plan items that require funding, but use unpaid grassroots volunteers, especially young people, to reduce the costs of fulfilling the plan.