We are incredibly lucky to have a fantastic team of presenters working with Zeeko. We thought you might like to know more about them! So, over the next few months we will be profiling each of our presenters, where they will share their expertise and experience of delivering our internet safety message in schools throughout the Country. This week we talk to Davina Brady. Davina has worked with Zeeko as a Presenter since January 2016 and brings huge experience to her role. She has a M.A. in Psychotherapy and Counselling, and BSc. in Psychology and Criminology, and a diploma in Social Science. Davina has over 7 years’ experience working with young people from the age of 5 to 18 in the educational, community and justice sectors.
What made you want to work in the area of internet safety for young people?
I noticed it was becoming more difficult to be a teenager. The problems were the same is many ways but with the exposure they have to everything now, the problems have intensified.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The really street wise kid that just gets the whole message. I meet these young people that are really smart, not always academically but socially and spiritually.
What one positive anecdote can you share about your time working in schools?
Kids want to talk, adults just have to learn how to listen.
What one negative anecdote can you share from your experience of working in schools?
As a society we are still tip toeing around such topics of sex or porn. In secondary school I have noticed that many young people are so afraid to talk about the realities of these topics with adults, that they are educating themselves. They are curious and they will seek information but the problem is, it can often be mis-information. This fear we have contributes greatly to young people making bad decisions about sex and sexting. They want information and it should be the adults that care about them most giving it to them.
Is there a school you have visited that took a particularly positive stance on internet safety? Tell us about that.
Most schools do their best. Where schools have a problem is the limited interest of parents to really engage in conversation about the internet with their children. Then schools have great resources and use them but the devices are not being used in school so teachers cannot do any more.
In the course of your work with Zeeko have you learned any particularly good tip(s) from a parent about how they manage internet safety with their child?
Just listen. Don’t judge. Empathise.
What has surprised you most in your role with Zeeko?
The number of adults who are naive about what young people get up to.
If you could offer one piece of advice to parents about kids and the online world what would that be?
Trust your gut feeling. When we are about to make any decision, we get a gut feeling. We do not always go with the gut feeling but when it comes to the internet, that is what will save you. Trust yourself.
Do you have a light hearted story you would like to share from your experience of working as a presenter with Zeeko?
A 9 year old girl in a school around the time of the American election. She said, are adults not bullying Trump on the internet? I think they are. She was right they were. She then went on to say. How could adults tell kids not to bully when they bully? What I found light hearted here was kids see the truth better than most adults. That gives us faith in this weird but wonderful world.
What do you find most challenging about your job?
Days are intense. 5/6 seminars squashed into 5/6 hours is a strenuous day. You get a real feel for the school.
The stories the kids say and so on I do not find challenging as I am not surprised. If we do not educate kids, mistakes and challenges will occur.