Earlier this month our Year 11 and 12 pupils took part in a project called Operation Online designed to raise awareness about the consequences of sexting and cyberbullying. This project has been carried out simultaneously in post-primary schools across the area. The project, delivered by Big Telly Theatre Company has been commissioned by the PSNI and the PCSP via Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. The first stage was a piece of invisible theatre (when the actors play out a scene which the audience believe is real life) performed by two actors in role, one as a new pupil and the other as an older sibling of the pupil’s friends. PSNI officers arrived into Assembly to remove the new pupil for questioning about the sharing of illegal images and the whereabouts of her missing friend. The older sibling burst into the assembly to confront her.
The pupils were then informed that what they had witnessed was a fictional performance and not real life. A follow-up discussion was then led by Big Telly Theatre Company, actors and PSNI.
The purpose of the event was to impress upon our young people the gravity of generating and sharing potentially harmful images or messages of themselves or others. It also informed them of who to go to for support if they are being coerced or pressurised to upload, post or share such images or messages.
The event generated a lot of discussion: we hope it will have been another means of raising awareness of these crucial issues for our pupils.
