QLD Gov enlists TikTok stars and social media influencers to raise awareness of cyber bullying
The Queensland Government, Born Bred Talent and Publicis Worldwide are joining forces to combat cyberbullying through a collaborative youth event – CONVO2019.
CONVO2019 will be held on Monday October 21st in Brisbane and will feature a panel discussion with TikTok, YouTube and Instagram influencers and co-creation sessions to help design a campaign that will make a real change to the lives of young Queenslanders.
Clare Winterbourn, Founder of Born Bred Talent, has hand-selected 6 influencers to be involved in the event and share their personal challenges and experiences with cyberbullying.
Winterbourn said it is great to see the Queensland Government recognising the need to partner with industry leaders in the social media and influencer marketing space to combat cyberbullying: “By partnering with social media Influencers, the Queensland Government recognises the positive and negative power of social media and the ability of the platforms to connect with young Queenslanders, especially those aged 13 to 17 who are vulnerable and at-risk to cyber-bullying.
“The influencers involved in CONVO2019 are really positive role model for teens – there is Matt from Alright Hey who is a passionate advocate for the LGBTIQ+ community, Emma Carey who suffered a life-altering injury when her parachute malfunctioned but has learnt to thrive in her new body and rugby superstar Nathan Charles whose “I Will” attitude has seen him play for the Wallabies despite living with Cystic Fibrosis from three months old.
“They are joined by TikToker Rory Eliza who was bullied in school and uses her platform to build and sustain resilience and Riley Hemson and Elly Awesome who are advocates for body positivity, inclusion and kindness.”
17-year-old Rory Eliza, who has 990k fans on TikTok, said she is thrilled to be involved in an initiative that will do so much good for young people who are more exposed to cyberbullying than any other generation: “I’m excited to be part of CONVO2019 and to share my experiences with other young people.
“I have experienced the impact of cyberbullying myself and know how devastating it can be, so I’m grateful that CONVO2019 is a chance for young people to connect with positive role models, be inspired, learn new ideas and develop solutions to combat cyberbullying if they experience it in their life.”
Publicis Worldwide managing director Simone Waugh said the Queensland Government is committed to combating cyberbullying at a grassroots level and will roll out an anti- cyberbullying campaign across Queensland in 2020 following insights and ideas from attendees at CONVO2019.
Waugh said cyberbullying is cited as one of the biggest causes of anxiety for young people and an event like CONVO2019 gives young people the opportunity to voice their attitudes towards cyberbullying and develop realistic ways to combat it.
Says Waugh: “Young people don’t believe that mobile phone and social media restrictions are the total answer, they need support and help with “what to do” and “how to deal with it” effectively.
“Our research also tells us they need support and understanding from adults to help combat it versus creating drama that makes it worse.
“We’re also aware young people need to be educated on what the consequences are for cyberbullying to deter them from engaging in it.”
CONVO2019 will be held on Monday October 21st at the Queensland State Netball
Centre.
For more information visit www.csyw.qld.gov.au/campaign/convo2019/join-convo.
Born Bred Talent website – http://bornbredtalent.com/
3 Comments
This is a super important conversation to be had.
However looking forward to talking about the work that comes out of this.
As opposed to talking about a self-promoting press release that’s talking about talking about what the work should be talking about.
More attempts to stifle free expression. People are going to say shitty things. Labelling them cyber bullies and trying to “stamp it out” is a fools errand and is just virtue signalling. If you disagree with someone’s view, argue your point. If it’s online, simply close the app. I might not agree with someone’s controversial sentiments but I think they have the right to express them.