Online Safety Grants Program – Round 2 recipients

eSafety has awarded $4.5 million worth of new grants to 15 non-government organisations under Round 2 of the Online Safety Grants Program.

Find out more about the successful applicants:

angus.morgan@burnet.edu.au

0407 357 253

burnet.edu.au

 

Project name

The Gist: A digital intervention to improve sexual health and wellbeing and reduce the negative impacts of pornography.

Project description

The Gist is a digital education program designed to address the impact of pornography for young people and provide them with alternative information about sex and relationships. 

Young Australians report that sexual health education is lacking, and they rely on the internet and pornography to learn about sex, consent, and relationships.

This project will leverage a trialled prototype to develop a scalable, multi-model intervention package that includes an interactive app and workshops to facilitate reach and engagement.

Focus areas 

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities
  • Supporting innovation

Audience
The target audience will include marginalised young people experiencing fragmented schooling or family conflict, and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, in metropolitan and regional Victoria. 

Funding
$658,051
 

rosie@projectrockit.com.au

0430 387 957

projectrockit.com.au

 

Project name

In Real Life

Project description

‘In Real Life’ is digital ethics and empowerment education delivered in classrooms across the country. It is the future of online safety, reimagined by young people, for young people.

This project aims to empower children and young people through the development of online safety expertise, personal and social competencies, and strategies to support diversity, inclusion, and community-building skills. 

Workshops with the target audience will inform the development of digital ethics and participation learning modules, which will be delivered to students in years 7 to 12. 

Focus areas

  • Preparing our schools
  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Supporting innovation

Audience
The target audience will include secondary school aged students from diverse backgrounds in remote, rural and metropolitan regions nationally. 

Funding
$614,377

d.nowland@qut.edu.au

(07) 3138 1150

qut.edu.au

 

Project name

Adapting Common Sense Media’s Digital Citizenship resources for impactful eSafety education in Australian early education and primary school settings.

Project description

This project will trial USA-based Common Sense Media’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum in 15 Australian schools and create and trial world leading online safety curriculum materials for pre-school settings.  

The project will provide pre-school and primary school students with award-winning digital citizenship learning experiences and teachers will gain much needed professional development. 

This project also involves robust data collection to evaluate the effectiveness of Common Sense Media’s Digital Citizenship approach in an Australian context. 

Focus areas

  • Preparing our schools
  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Supporting innovation

Audience
The target audience will include primary aged school children and their teachers as well as early years centre staff and children aged 3–5, in remote, rural, and metropolitan regions across New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria. 

Funding
$544,400
 

deadly.choices@iuih.org.au

(07) 3828 3600

iuih.org.au

 

Project name

Deadly Choices eSafety Project

Project description

The ‘Deadly Choices eSafety Project’ will deliver structured school-based online safety programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their parents and carers in Queensland. 

This project will address the interrelated impacts of online risk factors impacting the health and wellbeing of young Indigenous Australians including how online bullying and shaming can lead to increased racism, mental health issues, and collateral violence. 

The project will be delivered through school-based learning modules and resources, social media campaign, ambassador program and co-designed collateral. 

Focus areas

  • Preparing our schools
  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities

Audience
The target audience will include Indigenous children, young people and their parents and caregivers, in remote, rural, and metropolitan Queensland. 

Funding
$536,359

bensmede@firstnationsmedia.org.au

0448 721 635

firstnationsmedia.org.au and indigimob.com.au

 

Project name

Keeping our young people safe online, our way

Project description

‘Keeping our young people safe online, our way’ will deliver tailored workshops and resources with elders, parents, carers, young people and service providers to address online safety and bullying issues that affect the health and well-being of young people in remote Aboriginal communities.  

The project will use co-design to develop community led solutions to cyber safety and cyber abuse, recognising that those most affected by these issues are best placed to design responses to address them.

This project will engage with communities to identify the nature of online safety issues impacting young people. It will then tailor workshops and resources to support the knowledge sharing and behaviour change that each community needs.

Focus areas

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities
  • Supporting innovation

Audience
The target audience will include young people over 15 years, parents and influencers of younger children under 15 years and elders in remote Aboriginal communities in remote regions of the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. 

Funding
$413,000

karen@reelise.org.au

0407 076 787

reelise.org.au

 

Project name

The REEL Change Project

Project description

‘The REEL Change Project’ creates a nationwide content creation hub and showcase of stories by young people about digital life designed to broaden awareness and influence positive behaviours online.

It will allow young people to play a key role in online safety education, using their digital tools and life experiences. The project encourages creative and purposeful use of online time and uses the power of visual storytelling to resonate with peers and the broader community to drive positive change in online behaviour.

The project will include an online education platform, state and territory video competitions and virtual film festivals, as well as a national think tank for finalists to connect and craft ideas for making the online world a better place through peer activism. 

Focus areas

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities

Audience
The target audience is young people aged 10 to 18 in remote, rural, and metropolitan regions nationally, including those who have experienced online bullying or discrimination, identify as LGBTQI+, are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, come from a culturally or linguistically diverse background, or have a disability. 

Funding
$372,480

nicola.edwards@amaze.org.au

0416 800 790

amaze.org.au

 

Project name

Co-designed education program for parents and carers of young autistic online gamers.

Project description

The purpose of the project is to prevent online harm for autistic children and young people (primary and secondary school age) and encourage positive online safety while gaming.

The project will develop a suite of written resources, videos and webinars to help parents and carers of autistic children and young people learn how to create safe and healthy gaming habits and safe online friendships while gaming. 

Focus areas

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities

Audience
The target audience will include primary and secondary school aged children living with autism and their parents and carers nationally. 

Funding
$252,234

egriffith@interactionservices.org

1300 668 123

interactionservices.org 

 

Project name

Cyber Safety Training

Project description

‘Cyber Safety Training’ will provide targeted online programs for young people with disability to support safe online behaviours and prevent online exploitation, cyber bullying, abuse and risks to vulnerable young people when accessing the internet.

The project will deliver online safety training modules and a promotional campaign for young people living with a disability and their parents and carers. 

Focus areas

  • Preparing our communities
  • Delivering safer online services

Audience
The target audience will include children with disabilities and supports for parents and carers nationally. 

Funding
$222,500

scabret@fpv.org.au

0411 541 850

shvic.org.au

 

Project name

Youth Cybersafety, Relationships and Sexuality 

Project description

‘Youth Cybersafety, Relationships and Sexuality’ will be a whole school program to increase understanding of safe online socialising and sexuality for young adolescents.

The program will increase teacher and parent confidence to address these issues, and equip young adolescents with skills, knowledge and mindset to interact online safely.

The program, designed for students, their parents and carers and school teachers, will include webinars, online safety resources, in school sessions and a podcast series.  

Focus areas

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities

Audience
The project will reach primary and secondary students, parents, and teachers in rural and metropolitan Victoria. 

Funding
$178,600

nikki@danielmorcombe.com.au

1300 326 435 

danielmorcombe.com.au

 

Project name

Drawing Attention to Online Grooming

Project description

‘Drawing Attention to Online Grooming’ aims to provide young people access to protective information about online grooming as well as assist parents and carers to be protective through the provision of meaningful online safety resources.

The project will produce short, animated 'choose-your-own-adventure' style stories to be shared with educators and other community members who engage with children and young people to educate on how to identify and report online grooming as well as provide information on how to access support services. 

Focus areas

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities
  • Delivering safer online services

Audience
The target audience is children aged 6–12 nationally. 

Funding
$149,767.13

holly.friedlander@cbaa.org.au

02 9310 2999 

cbaa.org.au 

 

Project name

Online Safety, co-designed by Youth Broadcasters 

Project description

This project provides a unique opportunity to maximise local and community-based relationships to increase the positive and safe use of digital technologies in diverse and at-risk communities.

The project aims to create a culture where safe online behaviours among children and young people become routine through engaging, impactful, and accessible educational resources and podcasts co-designed with young people from diverse backgrounds.

Focus areas

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities

Audience
The project will reach remote, rural, and metropolitan regions nationally and target audiences including diverse, at-risk children and young people, their parents, carers, and frontline professionals such as teachers and mental health workers. 

Funding
$140,000

jasmin@mcwh.com.au

0415 110 006 

mcwh.com.au

 

Project name

Leaders of the Future – Online Resilience Project 

Project description

The ‘Leaders of the Future – Online Resilience Project’ will build the resilience capacity of teenage girls from diverse cultures to flourish as leaders in online spaces.

Through co-designing strategies with multicultural young women aimed at keeping emerging leaders safe online, the project will develop video resources featuring young migrant women role models who have overcome cyberhate to live strong, vocal professional lives, and co-designed solutions to cope with and address online abuse. 

Focus areas

  • Preparing our communities
  • Supporting innovation

Audience
The target audience will be young migrant women and their communities in rural and metropolitan Victoria. 

Funding
$128,919

Justine.humphry@sydney.edu.au

0402 099 140

TBC

 

Project name

Emerging online safety issues: co-creating social media education with young people

Project description

This project will promote the positive and safe use of social media through an approach that recognises young people’s right to digital engagement and shared responsibility for online safety.

Working with metropolitan and rural young people and their parents and carers, the project will develop, disseminate and evaluate evidence-based short form videos and guides focused on key and emerging issues of online safety.

Focus areas

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities
  • Supporting innovation

Audience
The target audience will include young people, parents, carers, as well as Indigenous and CALD communities in rural and metropolitan New South Wales. 

Funding
$119,298

carollindner@catalystfoundation.com.au

0419 110 198

catalystfoundation.com

 

Project name

Enhancing eSafety and Community Connection for LGBTIQA+ Young People

Project description

This project will develop online safety resources addressing the specific risks and needs of LGBTIQA+ young people, enabling safe engagement online, access to support and vital information relating to gender or sexual identities.

Through a co-designed website and visual education package with targeted online safety resources, this project will address an identified gap in tailored information and resources to help LGBTQIA+ young people engage in safe online experiences.  

Focus areas

  • Preparing our children and young people
  • Preparing our communities
  • Supporting innovation

Audience
The target audience will include at-risk, marginalised LGBTIQA+ young people in remote, rural, and metropolitan South Australia. It will also target attitudinal change among non-LGBTIQA+ young people. 

Funding
$90,014

emma@littledreamers.org.au

(03) 7036 8148

littledreamers.org.au

 

Project name

The Dreamers Hub Digital Literacy and Online Safety Academy

Project description

The Dreamers Hub Academy aims to educate young carers about online risks and support safe online behaviour through a program that takes into account their individual circumstances.    

The project will deliver a podcast series, interactive online modules, resources and forums and a social media campaign to educate and empower young carers to identify risky behaviours while engaging in safe activities online.

Focus area

  • Delivering safer online services

Audience
The target audience will include young carers aged 13–18, from remote, rural, and metropolitan regions nationally.

Funding
$80,000