New Livewire online community connects young Australians living with a serious illness or disability
Announcement posted by Starlight 19 Feb 2009
19 Feb 2009
New Livewire Online Community Connects Young
Australians Living With A Serious Illness, Chronic Health Condition Or
Disability
The Hon. Senator Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the
Digital Economy, today launched Livewire, a new online community which is the
first of its kind in Australia, to help improve the emotional and social
wellbeing of children and young people aged over 10 and under 21, living with a
serious illness, chronic health condition or disability.
A wholly owned subsidiary of the Starlight Children’s Foundation, and
co-funded by the Australian Government’s Clever Networks program, Livewire is
designed to provide a free, safe and supportive online community for children
and young people to hang out, connect, share experiences, creatively express
themselves and know that they are not alone in their situation.
An estimated 450,000 young Australians aged between 10 and 21 are currently living with a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability. These conditions can profoundly impact their everyday lives, leading to frequent absences from school, sport and other social activities. The internet provides an innovative way to reach and connect these young people through a supportive online community.
“Connecting and supporting young people with a serious illness, chronic
health condition or disability through a safe online community has been a vision
of the Starlight team for many years,” said Jill Weekes, CEO of the Starlight
Children’s Foundation. “Livewire helps to distract that young person
from their pain, helps them better understand their illness and connects young
people facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone.”
Unlike other social networks, Livewire is a secure, moderated community
tailored to the needs of its private members.
“By combining the latest in online and mobile technologies with a safe and secure approach, we are developing a great online community for young people who are also dealing with a disability, chronic condition or serious illness,” said Omar Khalifa, Managing Director of Livewire. “With video, music and games, Livewire is a fun place to check out. However, it’s the young people who create blogs, chat and interact that will shape Livewire, keep it relevant and a make it a really great place to hang out.”
The Hon. Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications
and the Digital Economy, said “The
Livewire online community is a great example of broadband and digital
technology assisting the support and well-being of people whose lives have been
disrupted by chronic illness or disability. Livewire helps young people to stay
in touch with those they love and to connect to gain support from others who
may be sharing a similar situation.”
Livewire aims to have a significant impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of its members, to help relieve stress and anxiety, alleviate boredom and to help empower them to develop new life skills and make new friends.
Prominent child and adolescent psychologist, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg commented, “Too often, it goes unrecognised that young people with chronic illness or disability can be affected by anxiety disorders, mood disorders, self harm and even suicidal tendencies, and that these go hand in hand with their situation.
“Livewire is wonderful because you have 24 hour a day, immediate connection with a community of people feeling exactly the same way. This can instantly reduce their sense of isolation and put them in touch with someone who understands,” he concluded.
Livewire complies with strict safety measures to ensure the safety and
security of its members. Each member’s parent or guardian is contacted
personally to verify their identity before joining the community. What’s more, chat
hosts trained by the Australian Federal Police are present seven days a week to
moderate discussions.
The program is made possible by an investment of $7.2 million from the
Australian Government’s Clever Networks program, and support from its launch
partners. This funding has enabled Livewire to develop a long lasting,
sustainable program that will support, inspire and encourage its members.
Livewire
aims to connect 20,000 young people, siblings and parents by the end of 2009,
and will work with
and through other Not For Profit organisations, such as The Spastic Centre and
Diabetes
The next phase of
Livewire will be the launch of Livewire Mobile which will enable young
Australians to access the site and its community via their mobile phone.
Livewire on Wheels, a bedside access program, has already rolled out at
This will be followed by the creation of dedicated Livewire sites for
both parents and siblings of young people with a serious illness, chronic
health condition or disability, enabling them to share experiences with others
who understand what they are going through, and a research program which
examines the therapeutic benefits of Livewire services and the impacts of Internet use
on members’ social and emotional well-being.
Any young Australian
aged over 10 and under 21, who is currently living with a serious illness,
chronic health condition or disability who wishes to join Livewire or find out
more information should visit www.livewire.org.au or contact member.services@livewire.org.au.
– ENDS –
For further details, to arrange an interview
or photographs of Livewire members using the service please contact:
Vida Cheeseman, Howorth Mob: 0410 597 547 or vida@howorth.com.au
Jasmin Athwal,
Howorth Ph: 02 8281 3838 or 0421 831 160
or email: Jasmin@howorth.com.au
About Livewire.org.au
Livewire.org.au is a wholly
owned subsidiary of the Starlight Children’s Foundation and is supported by funding
from the Australian Government under the Clever Networks Program, Starlight
Children’s Foundation and in-kind support from Livewire’s launch partners. www.livewire.org.au
About the Starlight
Children’s Foundation
Since 1988 Starlight has
provided its services Australia-wide to help seriously ill children and their
families get through difficult times caused by illness or disability.
Starlight’s programs are delivered in and out of hospital providing positive
distraction to children and young people in their time of need, restoring the
fun, laughter and joy that serious illness and disability takes away. www.starlight.org.au
Livewire is supported by
funding and in-kind contributions from the following partners :
The Clever Networks Program
The
Livewire project is supported by funding from the Australian Government under
the Clever Networks program. Clever Networks is a program of the Australian
Government Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. The
Clever Networks program delivers innovative broadband services to communities
in regional, rural and remote
The Australian Federal
Police (AFP)
The AFP is working to ensure
all members remain safe while inside the Livewire community by providing
training to the chat hosts. The AFP’s primary role is to enforce Commonwealth
criminal law and protect Commonwealth national interests from crime in
TigerSpike Pty Ltd
TigerSpike is providing the
hosting platform for Livewire and building Livewire’s
LoungeTech
LoungeTech is responsible for creating Livewire’s
brand, look and feel, the site design and has built the media platform from
ground up. Established in 1999, LoungeTech has been developing and delivering
internet and mobile technology solutions for corporations, government agencies
and not for profit organisations in
HWW Pty Ltd
HWW
is providing Livewire with up to date content and information such as gigs and
movie reviews. HWW is the leading creator, aggregator and publisher of quality
content across new and old media including major online publishers, pay TV
providers, wireless and print publishers. For more information on HWW please
visit www.hww.com.au
Australian Broadcasting
Commission (ABC)
The ABC is
The Powerhouse Museum is providing Livewire with a mix of fun
content and games for its members to enjoy. The
Powerhouse is
NOTES:
1 Children’s Hospital Education Research Institute (CHERI)
Report, September 2008