Meet our winning Web Rangers
Three months ago, NetSafe and Google invited Kiwi teenagers to become New Zealand’s first ever Web Rangers. Since then, we’ve held workshops in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, where teens learned about safer and smarter Internet use, and how to spread the word creatively on the Internet.
We received close to 50 campaign submissions from across the country — all of them involving lots of effort and many amazing ideas. We’re inspired by the way teens manage their lives online, and how they’re sharing these messages with their friends and communities.
We’re now pleased to announce our winners from each city, including runners-up. They’ve won some fantastic prizes, including a trip to Sydney to present their campaigns to the team at Google ANZ HQ.
Auckland: Hayley Smith’s Social Experiment - Queen St, Auckland (Anonymous Voice): Hayley came up with the idea of setting up a “social experiment” to illustrate how people might react to having hurtful comments yelled at them on a busy Auckland street. In just two weeks, the video gained over 70,000 views on YouTube. Hayley is a student of Auckland’s Te Kura.
Christchurch: Tip Varnakomala’s Compliment generator and website - Project Positive:
Tip became a Web Ranger after becoming fed up with the negative comments and behaviour on social media. He says he and his friends have experienced insults and bullying behaviour online. Tip decided to build a “compliment machine”, using the programming language javascript, to counter the lack of positive comments online. Tip a student of Burnside High School.im
Wellington: Angus Slade’s Animation and song - If Life Was Like The Web.
Reflecting on his personal experience with bullying in the classroom, Angus decided to enter the Web Rangers campaign in a bid to reach out to other victims. Not a fan of “serious” messages, Angus spent more than 100 hours drawing, learning animation and producing a humourous song. Angus is home-schooled.
We’re incredibly proud of all the campaigns everyone submitted and recognise the hard work that went into each one. Creating a safer web for teens is important and we look forward to seeing the impact of your campaigns within your communities.We’re incredibly proud of all the campaigns everyone submitted and recognise the hard work that went into each one. Creating a safer web for teens is important and we look forward to seeing the impact of your campaigns within your communities.
Runners-up
- Akanesi Wake from Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland: Bullying Free Cyberland - spoken word poetry
- Justin Myburgh from Te Kura Pounamu in Wellington: Cyberbullying rap and campaign website and posters
- Abby Withington from Christchurch’s Dunstan High School: Do the Dare - Facebook page and YouTube video
- Maggy Liu from Auckland’s Rangitoto College: Define Words Not People - SAT vocabulary with cyberbullying take
- Hayley van Waas from Wellington’s Palmerston North Girls’ High School: Making a World of a Difference - YouTube video and school presentation
- Nikki Wheeler from Christchurch’s Dunstan High School: Don’t Spread It - Stopping rumours from spreading with a Facebook page and video
To find more about Web Rangers NZ and the winning campaigns, visit netsafe.org.nz/webrangers and you can keep up to date with all the campaigns (or if you’re interested in becoming a Web Ranger yourself) over on our Google+ and Facebook pages.