BIOGRPAHICAL NOTE

Juuso Peura has a Masters in Social Psychology. He has been working as an online safety and media education expert for the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL) since 2004. MLL is part of the Safer Internet Center Finland and Mr. Peura has taken part in the work of the INSAFE network since 2005. As a youth work manager in MLL he is also responsible for the coordination of the national peer support network in Finnish schools. Mr Peura is specialized in youth participation, peer support, and cyberbullying prevention.


ABSTRACT

28 September, Tuesday, 14.30 – 16.30

Parallel session: Educating for online safety

Presentation title: Peer support and online safety

Different forms of youth participation have grown more and more interest among the educators and other professionals working with online safety. Young people seem to rely on peer-to-peer advice, especially when it regards to the use of online technologies. The advice of peers, grounded in lived experience and a shared understanding of how it feels to be young, appears to be perceived as more relevant and trustworthy than that of experts or educators. However, the peer support found online is not always supportive. The presentation is based on Finnish experiences of using peer support and peer education in online safety awareness work. The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL) coordinates the national Peer Support Scheme in Finnish schools and provides trainings and materials for the peer support instructors in schools. The scheme relies on youth participation, so that the trained peer students plan, carry out, and assess their own actions in the schools, under the guidance of an adult instructor. Nearly 90% of Finnish upper elementary schools are using peer support, typically to work for better school climate, anti-bullying, and substance abuse prevention. Online safety is one of the emerging topics. MLL has produced a training program for peer education in online safety. The peer students are trained so that they are able to prepare lessons or discussion groups for younger pupils or arrange some other actions in their school. Peer support and peer education has also been used in cyberbullying prevention. During the years, peer support schemes have proven to be an effective method to promote positive peer relations and prevent bullying. The incidents of cyberbullying are often invisible and not reported to the school personnel. Trained peer students may notice the incidents, influence the informal norms of the school community, and give support for the victims of cyberbullying. Peer support may also be arranged via online discussions. However, it is vital that the role of the peer student is defined clearly and supported sufficiently by an adult instructor. Peer education is an engaging and effective method in online safety education. However, it should be tailored to the school culture and used with certain constraints and as part of a whole school approach for online safety.