I happened to notice a poster the other day whilst
researching changes in the local government landscape. The headline message
simply asked the question 'Whose coming into your home tonight to talk to your
children?" The little poster showed two young children cosily looking at a
shimmering computer screen. Intrigued I read rather than skimmed the
information. You might, as I did, raise an eyebrow at that because we tend to
know exactly who is coming into our homes! But do we always know? This campaign
is about the Internet and what we allow, perhaps unwittingly, our young people
access. If you have children and allow them to access the Internet then you
really really should read what the Virtually S@fe team have to say!
If you read the Herald Express regularly then you will have
been aware of the consequences of unpleasant people using social media
platforms online to work against the good of a community. As a parent we always
want the very best for our children and therefore take as much care as we can to
keep them from harm. I guess that is why this little poster made me shiver. The
thought of some unpleasant character having a conversation in the bedroom of a
young person is horrible and yet that is exactly what evil predators attempt to
do via the Internet.
The Internet is of course the most wonderful creation and has
probably made the world a smaller place. I love it and spend many useful (and
not so useful!) hours each week communicating, learning or simply being
entertained by this magical invention. But as with most things unpleasant folk tend
to spread their darkness causing mayhem and harm. That is sad and also a worry
which is why this campaign by Virtually S@fe caught my eye. Virtually S@fe is a project delivered by Devon and Cornwall Police, Hele’s
Angels and Safer Communities Torbay with funding from the Torbay Safeguarding
Children Board. You can find them at http://www.torbayvirtuallysafe.co.uk/ by phoning 01803 207263 or 207262 or email scatt@torbay.gov.uk
Having
said all that we must remember that true friendship is such a precious thing
and good friends bring warmth into all our lives. Friendship is a two way
process and not a function that should ever carry a score card. To be there for
another without counting the cost is a huge thing and too often lost in our
fast moving confusing world. Being there for a friend at a time when help is
needed doesn't mean that a credit has been added to some emotional balance
sheet to be claimed at a later date. Being there for a friend when it matters
is a special gift and provides a spiritual lift to both! Friendship builds
healthy communities!
A
few weeks ago I mentioned loneliness and the curious fact that even though we
have wall to wall methods of communication social isolation seems to be on the
increase. It is a particular problem amongst the lonely as the nights get
longer. Even though we may drift around Facebook and other social media platforms
it cannot replace the energy of being physically present! Meeting friends and
making new friends, it seems to me, is increasingly important to our community
as the social landscape changes. It is actually hard work to keep in regular
contact with friends in this busy world but worth the effort.
The
regular meeting places and community hot spots must be developed so that we do
as a community pull together. Perhaps as a consequence of these hard economic
times there is an increasing potential for greater community action and I have
been very aware of new social enterprises developing. There are some very good
people doing wonderful work and we must do all we can to support them. One such
organisations is Aly Lazell’s Future Shores, a new non-profit project which
has just registered with Companies House as a community interest company
looking at collaboration for social change with young people in Torbay. They
share their skills as professionals with young people to support them to build
the projects which they believe will make a difference to their lives now and
their futures. They work with the arts, education and enterprise and want to
try new ways of working to make positive experiences happen. Projects already
include Agatha's Closet (working with fashion, young women and enterprise to
create creative industry and event opportunities), Make Music Now (working with
young people to create a music offer that is relevant to what they want) and
In-Tent (re-homing festival tents to families who need to get some time out and
organising some amazing events so they can do just that).
I guess that where I am going with all this is the continued
need to keep our eyes open and engage with the community. By working together
we can make the world a better place that really is in the interests of all
rather than just a few.
Keep the smile.
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