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Infracapital-backed alternative broadband ISP Fibrus, which is building a gigabit-speed full fibre (FTTP) network across rural parts of Cumbria (England) and Northern Ireland, has today launched a new campaign to help keep children in N.Ireland safe online. The ‘Surf Smart Stay Safe’ campaign is being delivered through a variety of workshops in Primary Schools across the country.
The first cohort of the campaign saw Fibrus deliver workshops to 350 P5-P7 pupils in Cookstown, Downpatrick and Randalstown, with the sessions designed to build children’s confidence in navigating the online world. Each workshop aims to empower children with age-appropriate resources to help tackle issues such as cyberbullying, password protection and fake news.
Created to work alongside a take home 12-page booklet, the programme also encourages parents to get involved in the activities with their children, helping spark constructive conversations at home about navigating the online world their children will encounter every day as they grow. This includes a series of puzzles, crosswords and practical advice to help build their understanding of what it means to stay safe online.
Colin Hutchinson, Group MD of Fibrus, said:
“Being a young person today means having more access than ever to the digital world, but there can be a serious side to it, including learning to stay safe online. We are very happy to work with community groups and schools across Northern Ireland in producing these very helpful booklets. Hopefully they will encourage hundreds of children to take a fresh look at staying safe online.
We’re committed to ensuring the communities we serve stay safe online and are proud to support young people with the knowledge and confidence they need to navigate the online world, which will be part of their lives for years to come.”
The operator’s new full fibre network, which recently passed a take-up rate of 30% (here), currently covers over 450,000 UK premises and around 332,700 of those are in N.Ireland.