We’ve been talking a lot lately about online culture.
Earlier this year we announced we received a grant from CIBC to develop a new workshop on digital citizenship. We were blown away with the how engaged and curious youth were when we launched the workshop just a few weeks ago. But what is digital citizenship? Why aren’t we focusing solely on “cyber-bullying?†And how is being connected to the Internet 24 hours a day changing childhood?
We’re thrilled to announce that BYTE’s Executive Director, Chris Rider, will be giving a talk at this year’s TEDxWhitehorse to explore these questions, and more.
His talk. Re-thinking the internet and guiding youth in a connected world, will give a fresh perspective on how the internet can be a powerful and progressive tool for youth.
Online youth culture is topic Chris is passionate about. As our digital lives intersect more and more with our personal lives, it’s a topic that’s become central to our organization.
We’ve asked Chris a few questions about what we can expect from his talk. Here’s what he had to say.
Why did you pick this topic?
I’d like to encourage adults to rethink young people’s relationship with the Internet. Connectivity is such a key part of socialization for youth, and it’s becoming more and more important that we accept that reality and work with it, if we are going to guide young successfully towards a positive and meaningful life.
Why don’t you just talk about cyber-bullying?
Cyber-bullying is an adult concept that we’d like to move away from. It’s a label that lumps a whole range of different behaviors in to one unhelpful box. For example, people use the term cyber-bullying to describe everything from “name calling†over Facebook to the sexual exploitation of minors, which is a serious crime. This overstates the former, while diminishing the serious nature of the latter.  That’s not to say that we aren’t serious about reducing bullying. Our approach is to help give young people the tools to understand the consequences of their online behavior, with a strong focus on building empathy.
 Is there anything we might be surprised by in your talk? Â
You’ll have to come to TedX to find out!
The line up for TEDxWhitehorse: The Power of Reinvention looks pretty amazing: there’s musician Diyet, architect and business owner Jack Kobayashi, prospector Shawn Ryan, and many more. They’ll all be in the same room, and all sharing their experiences in an honest and powerful way. Be sure to check it out. The event is taking place at the Yukon Arts Centre, November 23 from 9 am to 5 pm. You can get tickets online, at the Yukon Arts Centre or Arts Underground.
See you there!