Whizz-Kidz launches new elearning portal
Monday, September 26th, 2011Young people’s mobility charity Whizz-Kidz has launched its innovative online learning Kidz Unlimited website. Around 60 young disabled people were consulted during the development of the elearning modules, through online surveys and face to face steering group meetings. Whizz-Kidz priority throughout has been to reflect the interests and unique perspectives of disabled young people. The programme will be evaluated at three yearly steering groups.
“Our new Kidz Unlimited website complements Whizz-Kidz’s offline training, and hosts interactive elearning modules and video topics featuring young disabled people themselves. The friendly sessions support young disabled people with advice – expressed in the language and voices of their peers. Topics include dealing with your feelings, food and fitness, and relationships.
Also on the site is our ‘Ambassador Forum’ which we designed to be somewhere safe for young people to talk to one another about issues important to them, in a different medium than they might speak to their friends on Facebook or other social media.
We’ve had several hundred unique visitors in the first week or so of launching, and are on track to hit our end target registered users for 2011 (around 1,000 young people).”Ruth Giller Project Manager Kidz Unlimited
The site has been reviewed by the NSPCC and steps have been taken to ensure young people will be safe whilst chatting online, including a forum moderator at Whizz-Kidz and links to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, where young people can report inappropriate online behaviour.
Impressively the project has not cost Whizz-Kidz any of its voluntary income to produce. The website portal was funded by Accenture; three eLearning modules including Healthy Living were funded by the Department of Health’s Innovation Excellence and Strategic Development Fund; and additional video production such as the wheelchair skills guides were made in conjunction with the BBC’s training academy Connect & Create.
http://www.kidz-unlimited.org.uk/
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