The Manitoba government is strengthening its partnership with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to provide new programs and services that will target cyberbullying. This announcement was made by Education Minister Nancy Allan.
“To keep our children safe, we need to educate them about cybersafety and ensure all students, educators, administrators and parents are equipped with the knowledge and tools to deal with cyberbullying,” said Allan. “The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has been a leader in keeping children safe from cyberbullying and other forms of child victimization, and we are proud to strengthen our partnership with them.”
“We are very pleased to be partnering with the Government of Manitoba on these important cyberbullying initiatives to better protect young people,” said Lianna McDonald, executive director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “In the last few years, the issue of self/peer exploitation and cyberbullying has become a growing concern for parents and school personnel across Canada. By working together, Manitoba youth, families, schools and communities will have access to the critical educational resources and support they need when addressing the collision between sexual exploitation, technology and bullying among peers.”
The minister said the partnership with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection will include:
- providing the Self/Peer Exploitation Resource Guide to assist schools in responding to incidents where teens have been negatively impacted by a sexual picture/video being shared by peers,
- promoting educational resources such as www.NeedHelpNow.ca in schools to support youth who may be cyberbullied,
- developing further resources for grades 8 to 10, and
- hosting the second annual Safe and Caring School Leadership Conference on cybersafety in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection next May.
“It’s increasingly important to prepare students to be engaged in their communities in positive ways,” said Allan. “The resources we will provide and develop through this partnership will empower youth to recognize cyberbullying, deal with its impacts and challenge this harmful behaviour.”
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. Its goal is to reduce child victimization by providing programs and services to Canadians.
This announcement is another component of the province’s comprehensive anti-bullying action plan designed to further protect students and create a safe inclusive environment for students, the minister said.
