YRU@BMR Youth Ambassador Research Program

Teen Digital Wellness Survey

Introduction

The YRU@BMR Youth Ambassador Research Program is an initiative of the Youth Research Unit of the Bureau of Market Research (Pty) Ltd at the University of South Africa (Unisa).  The research program aims to bring together young people across South Africa, to inform and participate in research projects investigating topics related to the well-being of young people.  In addition, the program aims to empower young people with basic research knowledge and skills that they can make use of within an educational environment. The motto of the YRU@BMR Youth Ambassador Research Program is: “Research by young people for young people”.

The YRU@BMR wishes to gather information from school-going youth across South Africa, aged 13 to 20 years with respect to key issues impacting their psycho-social wellbeing.  One of these issues is their online digital activities and experiences.  A 15-minute online survey has been prepared for this purpose.  Participation in the survey is anonymous and confidential and will only be used for research purposes. There are no foreseeable risks for participating in this survey and schools are entitled to give consent for learners to participate in loco parentis.

To gain maximum impact from the survey and ultimately improve the situation for young people, the results will be presented at the upcoming 2022 CESE Africa Summit in September 2022.  The summit is a joint initiative between the YRU@BMR, and the International Centre on Sexual Exploitation (ICOSE) based in the US, who are both committed to the wellbeing and protection of the youth.  The summit will aim to bring together stakeholders across the world to work collaboratively and improve the situation for youth not only in South Africa but in the broader African Continent.

In addition to completing the online survey, learners will also have an opportunity to be part of this historic event, by participating in a youth panel discussion at the summit, during which they can share their online digital activities, experiences, and challenges. The panel discussion will take place on the 22nd of September at the University of South Africa in Pretoria.  It is foreseen that the event will be attended by more than 1000 delegates from Africa and the world and attract both national and international media attention.

The participation of both schools and learners will be acknowledged during a special award ceremony at the 2022 CESE Africa Summit, with certificates and tokens of appreciation to be presented in recognition of these contributions.

Why and how your school should get involved

Your school and its learners have a unique opportunity to contribute to a better local and global understanding of the real online challenges faced by the current generation of youth, when going and living online.

• Invitation to attend the award ceremony of the 2022 CESE Africa Summit on 22 September 2022.
• A certificate from the YRU@BMR acknowledging their contribution to the Youth Ambassador Research Program and participation.
• First access to the final data and identified trends based on the information gathered from the participating schools.
• The opportunity to be entered into a lucky draw and win a laptop.

Full travel costs (for applicants within the Gauteng Province) will be covered to enable the attendance of a successful youth panel applicant accompanied by a teacher, to participate in the 2022 CESE Africa Summit in Pretoria on 22 September 2022.

Learners selected to participate in the youth panel discussion at the 2022 CESE Africa Summit will have the following benefits:

• A certificate from the YRU@BMR acknowledging their contribution, to the Youth Ambassador Research Program and participation in the summit.
• A token of appreciation (in the form of mobile data) for participating in the youth panel discussion on 22 September 2022.

Full travel costs (for applicants within the Gauteng Province) will be covered to enable the attendance of a successful youth panel applicant accompanied by a teacher, to participate in the 2022 CESE Africa Summit in Pretoria on 22 September 2022.

Next steps

If your school is ready to participate in this initiative, these are the next steps to take:

1. Notify the YRU@BMR of your school’s intention via email to Dr Antoinette Basson (Head of the Youth Research Unit) at abasson@bmr.co.za
2. Set aside one lesson per grade (grade 8 to grade 12).
3. Ensure that the teacher concerned is briefed on the objective of the initiative and the background material provided to on-board the learners involved.
4. Facilitate the completion of the anonymous online survey (approximately 15 minutes) by the learners, by clicking here.
5. The final date for submission of the online survey is 29 July 2022.
6. Encourage and provide the opportunity to learners to apply to participate in the youth panel discussion at the 2022 CESE Africa Summit to be held on 22 September 2022.
7. Applications for learner participation can be accessed by clicking here and submitted online.
8. The YRU@BMR will notify the relevant school of successful learner applications to be part of the youth panel at the summit and will cover travel costs associated with attendance by the learner and one teacher to the summit.
9. Participating schools will be entered into a lucky draw to be held during the award ceremony at the summit and stand the chance to win a laptop.
10. Prizes, including mobile data, will be awarded to learners selected to participate in the youth panel discussion at the summit.

More information

For more information about the YRU@BMR Youth Ambassador Research Program please visit the YRU@BMR website or contact Dr Antoinette Basson at abasson@bmr.co.za.

For further assistance with any queries, please contact Kate Farina at kate@beintouch.org.za.

Thank you for making a difference to the online safety of our youth!