A Rangatahi UpdateWelcome to the second He Whakaatu Rangatahi to celebrate the mana that rangatahi bring to our office. We will also be highlighting the amazing work of our Youth Advisory Panel. We issue two newsletters a year acknowledging rangatahi and the work we do with them. We encourage you to share and ask others to sign up! Panel Meeting SnapshotEach month members of Youth Advisory Panel share their views and perspectives on issues to do with media harms that impact rangatahi in Aotearoa. We value our journey with the panel and we are so excited to share their mahi! MOSAIC Cards:Ara Taiohi and The Prince's Trust trialed their new Mosaic cards with the Youth Advisory Panel. The cards were designed to be a resource that can be used by young people to support healthy conversations about prejudice. The panel valued having open conversations about sensitive topics in a safe and supported way. Clifton StrengthsFinder:The panel did the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment to find out their top 5 strengths. This helped the new members of the group understand the strengths they bring to the panel. It helped current members and leaving members recognise their value and skills they have. Chatbot development:The panel collaborated with Well Good Digital and the Ministry of Social Development on developing a chatbot aimed at rangatahi. They advised on the content design, voice and persona of the chatbot. They provided clear, honest and practical feedback that will shape the direction of the project going forward. Porn Instagram Campaign The Classification Office ran a campaign spanning three weeks in September. The purpose of the Instagram campaign was to encourage rangatahi to have healthy conversations about porn. It consisted of a series of memes, jokes and information about porn posted on Instagram. Young people know it is important to have these conversations. Removing the taboo and stigma around talking about porn and sex creates safe and easy pathways for rangatahi to get the support they need. We took key points from our 'Growing up with Porn' research report and co-designed relatable content for rangatahi with the panel. It was a no brainer collaborating with the panel. They are the experts of being and understanding rangatahi. Together we created effective and engaging messages. A few members helped the office moderate our Instagram during the campaign. Talking about porn meant that we needed to ensure engagement remained healthy, positive and supportive. Without the panel's input and support the campaign would not have been nearly successful as it was. "A lot of porn doesn’t show any type of conversation about checking on your partner which is so important because a lot of people have trouble telling their partner their uncomfortable during sex, especially girls." - Comment on Instagram - Examples from the campaign "This is really important. Being a teenage boy I've seen a lot of my mates who have learned most of their knowledge around sex from porn which isn't good at all." - Comment on Instagram Youth Engagement Training When working with rangatahi it is important to upskill and be aware of the ever-evolving youth sector. In December Shannan and Christina from Ara Taiohi took us through the Mana Taiohi training in the morning. In the afternoon the panel showed the office how to use the Mosaic cards. “Having young people in any space is uplifting. They are vibrant, positive, open to learning, and willing to share. Their perspective reminds us to look at things without complication." - Registrar We are mindful that it is sometimes a bit intimidating working with young people. A lot of us haven't talked to a young person since we were one. Supporting our staff with training means they can be confident and enjoy engaging with the panel. We value the time we spend with rangatahi and see that every moment is an opportunity to learn from them. Their perspectives and ideas about the world are unique, inspired and really thoughtful. "Wow, she’s so engaged with me, I must be cooler than I thought!" - Executive Assistant Other Rangatahi Engagements Kōrero Cafe Facilitators Georgia and Caitlin and AJ from the panel were invited to talk at the 5th Kōrero Café session held by Ara Taiohi. The facilitators detailed their experiences implementing and managing the panel. They also provided a brief overview of what the office does, and why it is important to have ongoing and meaningful engagement with rangatahi. AJ described his experience being on the panel and highlighted why youth voice is important. Check out Georgia's article in volume 2 of Kaiparahuarahi!
Youthline Facilitators Georgia and Caitlin have had the privilege of working with Youthline Wellington. In collaboration with Netsafe they delivered a presentation on digital harms and how to better support rangatahi with sensitive content like porn, violent material, suicide and media harms in general. The facilitators also held a workshop for Youthline call centre operators. Georgia and Alexi from the panel attended the Youthline AGM where Alexi spoke about his experience on the panel.
What's next? Coming soon: Look out for our Youth Advisory Panel Update Report! It will contain a full rundown of what they got up to in 2020, as well as a detailed understanding of what it is like to work with rangatahi. Our first panel meeting this year will focus on updating our Censor for a Day presentation. Censor for a Day is valuable opportunity for Media Studies students to learn about the classification system. Have you seen our Instagram? It's full of interesting info and creative content. Check it out! We also post a quote from the panel every Friday! Want to join our panel? Click here to find out more? |