Best Enemies is a cyber safety education program which uses an engaging and confronting film to provide resources on cyber safety to young people, parents and teachers.
Best Enemies targets schools and youth organisations to address the causes and consequences of the serious social problem of cyber bullying and cyber safety.
The program is accredited by the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) and supported by Youth Interagency Groups, the Department of Education and Training and various agencies of the NSW Government.
Feedback from students, teachers and other participants in a tour of more than 75 NSW schools shows young people will talk about the issues and want to understand the issues after seeing the Best Enemies 12-minute film, based on the true experiences of a 15-year-old girl.
Our team have worked with youth psychologists and educators to create a program that includes workshops, community panel discussions, and study resources.
Best Enemies’ ability to show the consequences from both the victim and the bully’s perspective makes it unique and really connects with young people.
In 2009, the NSW Parliamentary inquiry into school bullying found that existing, one-off programs fail because this problem requires an on-going whole-of-community approach to understand its causes and consequences. This is what Best Enemies provides.
Cyber bullying in Australia is on the rise with recent research showing that one in five 16-17 year olds have experienced some form of cyber bullying(Source: Click and Connect: Young Australians use of online social media)
One in every 10 Australian teenagers experience repeated and abusive cyber bullying. (Source NCAB Conference 2010)
The Best Enemies Education Program aims to provide the resources and tools not only to address the problem but more importantly to prevent it.