Purposeful Cyber

In today’s digital age, the online world offers both immense opportunities and significant risks, especially for children and young people. Recognising the importance of promoting cyber safety and fostering mental wellbeing, Deloitte has partnered with Place2Be, a leading children's mental health charity, to deliver impactful workshops that empower young individuals to navigate the digital landscape safely and confidently. This blog highlights our collaboration, our goals, and how we are leveraging our cyber expertise to support future generations to become more cyber aware.

About Place2Be
 

Place2Be has been a cornerstone in providing mental health support to children and young people in UK schools for almost three decades. The charity’s mission is to ensure that no child or young person faces mental health problems alone. With a proven model backed by research, Place2Be offers counselling, training, and mental health support, impacting thousands of pupils each year. In the last school year alone, 6,901 pupils received one-to-one counselling, while 33,327 pupils booked their own appointments to speak with mental health professionals.

Place2Be's approach centres on early intervention to prevent long-term mental health issues. Their services include one-to-one counselling, group work, advice for families, and training for school staff. The charity's efforts not only help children and young people cope with challenges but also build resilience and raise mental health awareness within the whole school community.

Initial goals and objectives

The collaboration between Deloitte and Place2Be was established with several key objectives. Firstly, we aimed to raise cyber literacy and awareness to help children become safer online by increasing their understanding of the risks associated with technology, and how these intersect with their daily lives. Secondly, we sought to empower students to become digital leaders, encouraging them to support their friends, family, and community by sharing their knowledge of cyber security and good practices. Thirdly, we wanted to inspire students to consider careers in cyber and technology, broadening their horizons beyond the traditional roles typically highlighted in schools. Additionally, a wider goal was to support Place2Be’s incredible work in children's mental health and to bring new learning opportunities to the schools they partner with. Through this collaboration, we are striving to make a meaningful impact on both the digital safety and mental wellbeing of young people.

Deloitte’s Purposeful Cyber initiative
 

Deloitte’s Purposeful Cyber initiative aims to demystify cyber security and promote online safety, especially among young people. The initiative focuses on generating an interest and passion for cyber security and information protection across schools, classes, and ages. By demonstrating the impact of cyber, de-mystifying its complexities, and offering a variety of interactive challenges, we aim to encourage more students to think critically about cyber, the opportunities it represents and to consider it as a future career.

Purposeful Cyber is all about preparing children for an increasingly digital world, giving them the awareness, skills, and excitement to take full advantage of all the opportunities available while doing so safely. It's about increasing children's confidence online by helping them balance safety with enjoyment. Additionally, we recognise that children are often relied upon to support their parents and siblings with online activities. This is a significant responsibility, so our aim is to support them in this role.

Empowering young minds
 

Purposeful Cyber and Place2Be host interactive workshops for schools where we introduce pupils to the field of cyber security, the concept of safety in a digital world as well as introducing the opportunities which exist in cybersecurity as a career. – a career path they may not have previously considered. These workshops are both educational and aspirational, making a tangible difference in the lives of young people. By interacting with our cyber experts, children can ask questions and gain insights into what a future in cyber might look like. This is particularly impactful for pupils from socio-economically deprived areas, as these workshops open doors to envisioning a brighter future beyond their immediate environment and showcase steps to pursue a career in cyber security.

Additionally, we focus on safeguarding and managing online risks. We educate children on online safety, covering topics such as recognising phishing attempts, understanding privacy settings, and the importance of strong passwords. Our cyber practitioners provide specialised knowledge that complements the support Place2Be offers, making the sharing of expertise invaluable for both children and school staff.

By fostering a comprehensive approach involving students, parents, and school staff, we aim to create a supportive network that promotes cyber safety and mental wellbeing across the entire school community.

In the past twelve months, we have covered a variety of topics and delivered sessions including:

• Digital leader training
• Tabletop exercises
• Boardgame-style cyber incident challenges
• Discussions on emerging and disruptive technology
• Panel discussions
• Employability and career opportunities

By the end of the school year in 2024 we will have engaged with over 1500 students from schools across the UK.

Peter Gooch, Deloitte partner and lead sponsor of the Cyber Academy said this about the collaboration:

“Our collaboration with Place2Be highlights our commitment to using our cyber expertise for good. By promoting cyber safety and raising awareness about cyber careers, we are not only helping children navigate the digital world safely but also opening doors to new opportunities. Together, we are hoping to make a tangible difference in the lives of young people, empowering them to thrive both online and offline.”

Amy Coppel, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Place2Be added;

“Working in partnership with the Deloitte Cyber Academy has already made an incredible impact on pupils and their families in our partner schools. Not only has it upskilled our school communities on how to stay safe online and navigating the digital world, but it has provided them with insight into new future careers in cyber. With access to the online world being inextricably linked to children’s wellbeing, the education Deloitte are providing is invaluable. We are so grateful for the collaboration and are so looking forward to expanding on its delivery this year.”

To learn more about Place2Be and their invaluable work in children’s mental health, visit Place2Be.