Optus empowering Young North Public School students to stay safe online

13 March 2019

On Tuesday 12 March 2019, Young North Public School participated in Optus’ Digital Thumbprint program, a free in-school program that supports young people to be safe, responsible and positive online.

Since 2013, the government accredited Optus Digital Thumbprint program has educated over 300,000 primary and secondary students across Australia on how to be safer and smarter online.

Tom O’Dea, Optus’ Territory Manager for Central West New South Wales, said he was thrilled to bring the program to Young North Public School to teach grade 6 students the power they have when it comes to what they choose to share online.

“The Optus Digital Thumbprint program educates students on the advantages of having a positive online presence in a fun and interactive way through free in-school workshops,” Mr O’Dea said.

“The workshop at Young North Public School focused on safety in the digital world, which involved taking grade 6 students through the skills of creating strong passwords, enabling privacy settings on social media, and understanding just how easily and far things can spread when shared on the internet.”

“The program was led by trained facilitators, empowering students to be digitally educated and responsible; ensuring an understanding of how they can shape their future for the better,” Mr O’Dea added.

Young North Public School Principal, Ange Gay, said: “At Young North Public School we are committed to our school vision of 'Equity, inclusivity, innovation and impact. Every student, every classroom, everyday'. As part of this in 2019 we have begun a school wide focus on STEM."

"Opportunities provided like these by Optus are particularly important for our regional students to access the most up to date technologies at no cost. Our commitment will continue to prepare our students to leave our school with a skillset that allows them to be future focused in the modern world and we are grateful for the opportunities like these that Optus may continue to provide."

Optus empowers the next generation to learn, achieve their potential and enjoy a bright future. Optus Digital Thumbprint is completely free for schools and does not promote any Optus products or services.