King's Student named to the Young Women's Advisory Council

First year King’s student Hailey Clarke has been named to the Young Women’s Advisory Council (YWAC) after recommendation by the RCMP Youth Advisory Panel. Clarke graduated from Clarke Road Secondary School, London, in June 2015 and thereafter joined the online advisory board. Clarke was previously a member of the RCMP Youth Advisory Panel for people under the age of 18.

The YWAC meets through teleconferences once a month to discuss various new topics that members bring to the online discussion. During the 30-month initiative by the council, the board’s main focus is to enhance the Internet in order to make it a safer place for young women. The council, of 45 women from across Canada between the ages of 18 and 24, facilitates weekly discussions regarding topics including  increasing digital literacy, reducing harassment, and developing a plan to inform youth about the dangers of the internet. Project partners and non-government organizations are able to team up with the council, receive funding, and develop programs for changing the way the Internet and society interact.

Clarke describes harassment as being a big problem today with the Internet. “No longer do we just find examples of the common ‘chatroom lurker’ – the problems are much more widespread today,” she says. Sites and apps such as Whisper, Qoohme, and Snapchat are few of the many potentially risky areas for young men and especially women, she says

The Advisory Council will be attending a number of Knowledge-Exchange events in Toronto during the 30-month program. This gives the members a chance to network and engage through keynote talks and activities.

Clarke is enrolled in her first year at King’s in the Foundations in Humanities program. She is looking forward to seeing where her time at King’s takes her. Bringing awareness to King’s about the initiatives to make the Internet a safer place for both men and women is an important task Clarke will take on during her time at King’s. She hopes that her contribution to the committee will enable non-government organizations help educate today’s youth about appropriate behaviour online.