WHITEHORSE - The Yukon Information and Privacy Commissioner, Diane McLeod-McKay, has just wrapped up a tour of Whitehorse-area schools to work with Grade 6 students on how to protect their online reputation by protecting their privacy. This built on her school visits throughout Yukon last spring, which helped elementary school students think about the information they share online and the effects it could have on themselves and others.

“This year we reinforced our previous messages about why it’s important to protect and look after your online reputation,” said McLeod-McKay. “In addition, we began offering the students easy strategies and practical tools to help them protect their privacy and prevent the negative consequences of failure to do so. Young people today often use social media every day, and this creates new risks to their reputation and privacy.  As well, improper privacy management can sometimes cause harm. It’s critical to ensure students understand that and learn how to be smart users of social media.”

As she did last year, McLeod-McKay worked with Yukon theatre artist and musician Claire Ness to create and deliver an entertaining presentation which included games, masks, costumes, and role play to demonstrate the consequences of sharing too much or the wrong kind of personal information. She had additional assistance this year from her tech-savvy staff member, Sebastian Paauwe, who created a video to engage students, provide useful security tips, and demonstrate ways to protect their personal information.

“We felt it was important to continue the work we began last year,” added McLeod-McKay. “This year we were able to reach more students and raise awareness even further amongst young Yukoners. We were impressed by the high level of interest from students, and the great conversations with them about this topic.”

The school visits began on May 24th and wrapped up in early June, including Jack Hulland, Hidden Valley, Elijah Smith, Christ the King and Golden Horn Elementary Schools, as well as École Émilie-Tremblay.