TK Family Cyber Adventure

It was like any sunny Saturday afternoon, except, it was the parents having fun – indoors. Welcome to my world, a likely theme for the TK Family Cyber Adventure held at one of the computer labs on 25th October. A programme brought to TK parents by CRuSH (Cyberspace Risks and where U Seek Help), “bridging generations through the internet” was the chief objective of the three hour session. It was an auspicious start as peer e-mentors bridged the immediate gap by providing live demonstrations and helping the parents along the way during the hands-on session.

Focussed on four key areas, chatting, gaming, Forum and blogging, the adventure started with initiating the parents into the uncharted terrain of web communication. In simple English, let’s get chat! While a hit with teenagers, the adults were unfamiliar with MSN Messenger. However, they quickly grew accustomed to virtual chat as the e-mentors showed them how they could chat simultaneously with a few people, play games, send files and pictures, as well as many other functions. Other than imparting mere technical knowledge and information on IRC (Internet Relay Chat), the facilitator, Mr Poh Yeang Chearng also impressed upon the parents the principles that could in turn be imparted to their own children.

While chat poses more dangers for girls, boys are more prone to online gaming addiction. And for various reasons as the parents discovered as they were brought through the different types of games that allowed role playing and enabled teenagers to be powerful. A gaming demo, Lineage 2 by some of the e-mentors shed greater light on the darker side of this fantasy land. How then can we urge teens to lead a more balanced life? By pursuing their dreams – offline!

Enter the CRuSH Forum which provides a safe online community, guiding teenagers on surfing habits and growing up issues. After a group of e-mentors gave a tour of the TK message boards and how the Forum operates, the parents gleefully signed up for their own accounts so they could “crap” on their own boards and post meaningful discussion at their own pace. The greatest highlight of the programme is possibly, the Planet CRuSH Parents Forum where parents could subscribe to the daily updates.

Last but not least, the parents took more than a peek at Blogs, derived from the term Web Logs. Not that mind boggling apparently, online diaries allow teenagers to express themselves relatively freely and share their personal lives. Last but not least, parents also tried their hand at blogging. All, in all, a fruitful session, we want to thank the parents and peer-mentors for availing themselves, Because of you; the cyber world is a better place!