Nil by Mouth is setting out to help young people consider the long term consequences of online behaviour on their employment prospects supported by the Scottish Children's Lottery.
Nil by Mouth’s ‘Pause B4U Post’ programme will see the charity work with a range of training and employment providers across west central Scotland to help 16-25 year olds consider the real life consequences of online behaviour and hate crime on their employment prospects. One of the first groups to benefit from the partnership was young people attending a Street League programme in West Dunbartonshire.
Participants will join workshops helping them better understand the potential consequences for posting online abuse in terms of their own reputations and those of potential employers as well as looking at the impact on the mental health of those being targeted. The charity has extensive experience of dealing with the fallout from online hate speech and will also offer one-to-one awareness sessions for young people who have indulged in these behaviours. The package helps participants think about their own social media use and balancing their right to free speech with the rights of others to live their lives without feeling threatened or being discriminated against.
The Scottish Children's Lottery has provided over £7.6 million pounds to support children and young people across the country and is funded solely by its players. The award of £2,300 to the project will allow any group offering training and employment opportunities to 16-25 year olds to access the prigevr free of charge.
Nil by Mouth Director Dave Scott said:
‘Over the past decade I’ve worked with dozens of people who have made bad mistakes on social media resulting in serious consequences for many of them, both professionally and personally. We know young people spend ever increasing amounts of time on their phones and this can sometime lead to them dismissing sectarian, racist or homophobic language as simply being part and parcel of life rather than the crossing of legal and moral boundaries. This project isn’t about telling people what to do or what to think. It’s about helping them make informed choices and the activities we do focus on how easy it is for others, including potential employers, to walk away with a bad impression of you based on what you post on social media platforms. Many of the young people we will be working with already have significant obstacles in their path to gaining employment so if we can help prevent them putting more up that can only be a good thing.
We’d like to thank the Scottish Childrens Lottery and its players for their generosity in supporting this project. Investment like this is a real boost to our work and allows partners to access services free of charge and we are keen to hear from any training and employment groups who would like to avail of this project over the next 12 months.’
Scott Millar, Head of Charity Operations at Scottish Childrens Lottery said:
“As our world becomes more digital it is important that our young people are able to understand how to make informed choices, striking a balance between exercising their right to free speech and respecting others' rights to a life free from threats and discrimination. We are delighted to be able to support the excellent 'Pause B4U Post' programme by Nil by Mouth which not only helps young people by empowering them to consider the long-term consequences of their online behaviour, but also helps them understand the real-life impact on their employment prospects. A thanks must be offered to the players of the Scottish Children’s Lottery, as without them, we wouldn’t be able to support fantastic charities like Nil by Mouth who are creating a positive impact on the lives of young people across the country.”
For more information on how your group can benefit from the project simply email Emma Alexander at engagement@nilbymouth.org
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