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The Data Protection Authority is embarking on an outreach programme to teach students about their rights and the possible risks of misuse of personal data.
Outreach Officer Kirsty Bougourd is available to all Bailiwick schools that want their students to learn more about their personal data and how to protect it.
The available sessions have been developed following consultation with PSHCE professionals within ESC, to ensure they fit with the curriculum and are targeting the most appropriate ages. Focus groups were also held with students from different schools and years to ensure they fit timetables and are engaging in a "fun but informative" way.
“There are so many good reasons for starting this programme and I’m very proud and excited to be part of it,” explained Ms Bougourd.
“Young people are among the most vulnerable members of our community and deserve the greatest protection. Yet they are often the most prolific sharers of their personal data through online games and activities.
Pictured: the ODPA's new Outreach programme is available to any local school that wants to teach their students about their rights and responsibilities with regards to data protection.
“Helping them understand how to look after themselves and their data in such a digitally connected world is vital. But I have also tried very hard to show how data isn’t just shared online, but throughout our general daily activities.”
The programme is part of the ODPA’s commitment to ‘promote public awareness of risks, rules, safeguards and rights in relation to processing, especially in relation to children.’ But for Data Protection commissioner Emma Martins, it’s about more than fulfilling legal duties, it’s about ethics.
“This programme is an important pillar of the work we are doing,” she said. “Ensuring young people have data rights incorporated into their broader education has many benefits.
“A well-informed young person is less likely to fall victim to the harms that can arise from misuse of personal data, and is more likely to become a responsible and enlightened adult. When they enter the workforce, they will hopefully already have an understanding of what the Law says they must do but also why ethically, looking after personal data is the right thing to do.
“As well as empowering people through education, we also want to encourage an exploring of the fascinating world of data, and how it impacts our personal lives our economy.”
Pictured: Data Protection Commissioner Emma Martins.
ESC President Andrea Dudley-Owen welcomed the outreach programme, saying that the safety of the Bailiwick’s children was "paramount".
“We know that use of social media can negatively impact the wellbeing, mental health and resilience of our young people, where data can be shared easily and widely in one screen swipe, and privacy often counts for little," she said.
“Working with agencies like the ODPA is really important because it helps us to raise awareness in schools and amongst the wider community, using their legal voice to emphasise that a child has rights, and how essential it is to manage personal data and privacy even from a young age.
“I hope that the students receiving the talks will help to spread the word not just in school, but also to their parents and families that privacy and data management really matters, because it helps to protect and keep our youngsters safe and well.”
Any schools wishing to book an outreach session can email communications@odpa.gg, or call 742074.
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