Six senior Sydenham High Digital Leaders had the privilege of showing the UK Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, around a major new digital online safety showcase, and then drew praise from Facebook representatives for their ideas and ingenuity.

Ester Schomberg, Sophia Michael, Jessica Verri, Deeya Patel, Emily Coulson and Zoe Kellaris were invited to attend ‘House of Us’, in London on Wednesday , which marked a new partnership between  ChildNet, the Diana Award and Facebook to widen the availability of their online-safety programmes to schools across the country.  The invitation followed on from the students becoming Qualified Digital Leaders through the ChildNet online platform, so there were excellently prepared ambassadors for the school and the programme.

The experiences during the day ranged from exploring a sensory maze, designed to show the isolation and loneliness caused by cyberbullying, to a voice-controlled room, which visually represented the impact of positive actions online.

The Digital Leaders discussed issues with students from other schools but the highlight of the day was being given the honour of showing the UK’s Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, around the House of Us expo. They also gave a very polished presentation on their idea for a new showcase experience to her and to representatives from Facebook, who gave them high praise for their insightfulness and ingenuity.