More than a year after their14-year-old daughter Dolly took her life following a campaign of sustainedbullying, Kate and Tick Everett are bringing a new program to combat cyber-bullyingto NT schools.
The Dollys Dream Foundation,established by the Territory couple in the wake of their daughters death, haspartnered with the Territory Labor Government and the Alannah & MadelineFoundation to deliver the Dollys Dream eSmart program.
It will be an expansion of aprogram delivered by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation in Victorian andTasmanian government schools to give teachers, schools and parents tools andsupport to implement cultural change around bullying and cyber-bullying.
The Dollys Dream eSmartprogram includes:
- Delivery of an eSmart Digital Licence, an eightmodule online safety tool for grade 3 to grade 6 students, which helps to keepchildren and young people smart, safe and responsible online in engaging andfun ways.
- Implementation of Dollys Dream eSmartframework for 10 schools in up to two high priority regionsinselect schools. The eSmart framework guides school communities toimprove cyber safety, increase digital literacy and reduce cyber bullying.
- Two parent, teacher and student Dollys DreamConnect workshops for 50 select NTGovernment schools in identified highpriority regions. Dollys Dream Connect workshops inform schools,students, parents and communities about cyber safety and bullying, and itsimpact on children and young people.
- Expansion of Dollys Dream workshops deliveredto the Darwin and Katherine based STARS programs. Since 2018, the Alannah &Madeline Foundation has been helping STARS deliver eSmart Digital Licence to500 girls between Years 7 and 12 in Darwin and Katherine. The objective is toeducate vulnerable young Aboriginal girls to be safe and responsible online andto train STARS mentors to deal with online problems.
The Territory LaborGovernment has contributed $160,000 to the Dollys Dream eSmart program, with afurther $80,000 coming from the Alannah and &Madeline Foundation.
Kate and Tick Everettwere named the 2019 Local Heroes at this years Australia Day Awards for theircampaign to raise awareness of the devastating effects of bullying andcyber-bullying.
As noted by Chief Minister and Minister for Children MichaelGunner.
Every Territory child deservesto feel safe and welcome at school, in public places and online.
Territory schools provide arange of programs, services and policy initiatives to prevent bullying andcyber-bullying and this new program, backed by the powerful and tragic story ofDolly Everett, will complement those initiatives and deliver the message thatcyber-bullying is never on.
Additionally, thisyear, for the first time this year, allNorthern Territory Government schools have signed up to participate in the NationalDay of Action Against Bullying and Violence, which will be held next Friday,March 15.
Quoteattributable to Dollys Dream co-founder, Kate Everett.
My husband Tick and I are sopleased to work with the Northern Territory Government to ensure that ourschools and school communities are safe places for children.
The Dollys Dream eSmart toolswork with schools to change their culture around bullying and online safety.The eSmart Digital Licence and eSmart Schools programs help to reduce cyberbullying and bullying and work to ensure students become smart,safe and responsible online.
Quoteattributable to Alannah & Madeline Foundation CEO Lesley Podesta.
The internet gives us greatopportunities to learn and connect but we need to ensure students have theskills to be safe and confident. I congratulate the Northern TerritoryGovernment on its forward thinking approach to digital safety for children andyoung people.
