On Safer Internet Day, we are proud to announce the launch of our new program to help young people navigate online content and media in healthy and age-appropriate ways.

The AtFirstSite program has been developed to address the needs of teachers, parents and youth by tackling the realities of the modern world.

The seven-part program will help those aged 11-14 make sense of online and media images, which range from sexually charged music videos to sexting to adult content. The program is designed to provide them with the skills and tools to build on their own personal values and empower them to make healthy decisions.

In celebration of Safer Internet Day, we are making one of our lessons available for free to download. The lesson comprises 16 pages of Teacher’s Notes, a 12-page Powerpoint presentation and two accompanying worksheets.

The second part of seven-part program covers Body Image and also works as a standalone lessons for teachers who wish to help young people reflect on what they see online and how it affects the view of their own body as well as other people’s bodies.

It explores the dynamic of how men and women are portrayed differently and how the male and female form is used to sell products. It also looks at the issue of doctoring and changing images online so that they are deemed perfect.

Just add the program to your cart and type in the code “SID2016” at checkout to download the lesson plan and accompanying Powerpoint presentation and worksheet for free.

The AtFirstSite program deals with everything from body image, to unrealistic media representations, to recognizing what is safe and what is not; it does so in an age-appropriate way that puts young people themselves, and their experiences, at the heart of the discussion.

We would encourage you to review the other six parts of the program, which combine to give youth a full and well-rounded understanding of a topic that teachers, parents and the youth themselves have said they wished to better understand.