Staffordshire Police Cadets got a taste of an award-winning initiative supported by the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office to create anti-sexting ambassadors across the County.
The Cannock cadets unit will become the pilot for the ‘Your Body, Your Rules’ project, which will then hopefully be rolled out across all ten cadet units across the county.
Developed by Cannock and District Soroptimists and supported by Deputy Commissioner Sue Arnold, the project has already seen 13 anti-sexting ambassadors trained across 4 schools with plans for more.
The cadets got a taster of the project this week at a special presentation in Cannock hosted by the Soroptimists, a global women’s organisation aimed at transforming the lives of women and girls.
The Deputy Commissioner praised the Soroptimists for developing such a valuable project to help today’s youth and for extending the opportunity to the cadets.
She said: ‘I was shocked to learn one in six young people have sent indecent images, which is illegal, but many young people don’t realise they’re breaking the law.
‘Sexting is increasingly becoming normal among teenagers, but that one moment of madness could have a huge impact for the rest of their lives.
‘The Soroptimists recognised this and developed this excellent project to make young people think twice before clicking that button. We want them to think about the full potential consequences of their actions which could haunt them for years to come.’
Sue Arnold said careful thought needed to be given to educating even younger children in an appropriate way about what was right and wrong.
‘Children are having mobile phones at younger and younger ages, often for very understandable reasons such as their parents wanting to know they’re safe.
‘But this brings with it real risks and children need to be taught what is appropriate when using their phones. I’m so proud that the cadets, starting with those in Cannock, have embraced the Your Body, Your Rules project and will help to spread the message.’
Key partners and stakeholders were invited to Cannock Chase Civic Centre to learn more about the ‘Your Body, Your Rules’ project, with presentations from the 4 schools that have participated in the project.
The schools that have taken part in the anti-sexting project are Cannock Chase High School, Cardinal Griffin Catholic College, Chase Terrace Technology School and Staffordshire University Academy.
Trish Mellor of Cannock and District Soroptimists said: ‘When we began this project we had no idea where it would go.
‘Thanks to the enthusiasm and efforts of staff and ambassadors in these schools the project has become hugely successful – the schools report a much healthier attitude towards sending ‘nudes’ along with a willingness to discuss the issue. We couldn’t be more proud of the schools, the ambassadors or the project’.
Last year, the ‘Your Body, Your Rules’ project won the Soroptimists International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Programme Award for Best Practice in the field of Education at the annual conference in Liverpool.
The Soroptimists delivered training sessions to pupils on the risks, both legal and emotional, of sending naked or near naked images. The club also encouraged year 11 and 12 pupils in the area to become ambassadors – sharing information with their peers and pointing them to appropriate adults where necessary.
