What is ChildFund Connect?
ChildFund Connect was a global education program from ChildFund Australia for students in their last years of primary school in Australia, Laos, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The program ran from 2010 to 2014 with the support of the Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program. During this time, over 5,000 students in their last years of primary school in Australia, Laos, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Vietnam learnt about each other’s lives through the exchange of multimedia stories.
What is the ChildFund Connect website?
The ChildFund Connect website is for students and teachers to discover what life is like for children living in different countries in the Asia Pacific through educational resources and multimedia content.
Who is the website for?
The website is for primary school students and teachers. However, much of the content and resources are also appropriate for early high school students and teachers.
I am a teacher. How can I use ChildFund Connect in the classroom?
Teachers and their students can view and interact with the videos and media on our site to learn more about children living in different parts of the world. Teachers can download and implement our curriculum resource, Cultural Connections, to extend a global and cultural perspective in their classroom. They can also register their students to play our online game based on child-made videos from Australia, Laos, Vietnam, Timor-leste and Sri Lanka. Users simply need to register (with an email address), create an avatar and begin the game.
How can students use the website?
Students can register and play our online game. They can also view all video and photography stories created by children and access resources on how to make their own videos.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. The ChildFund Connect website is funded by ChildFund Australia, a not-for-profit organisation.
Is it safe?
ChildFund Connect is designed to be a child safe space. We gather minimal personal information about your child (such as an email address and first name) and encourage online anonymity from our users. Users can create a cartoon avatar for their profile picture, and are not recommended to post real photographs of themselves. For more information please see our Privacy Policy.
What about advertising?
There is no advertising on ChildFund Connect.
How were students engaged to create these videos and photos?
The ChildFund Connect program employed facilitators in Australia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vietnam to run media and cultural learning activities with students and teachers. Selected schools and teachers were based in areas where ChildFund Australia was already working and implementing community development projects. For this reason, many of the stories and videos represent children’s lives in rural and farming communities.
The ChildFund Connect year was broken into two parts. In the first part of the year, students were engaged in a classroom-to-classroom connection with a school in a partner country. Students learnt about their partner country and participated in a video exchange project. In the second part of the year, students participated in an international film festival with all ChildFund Connect schools and communities in Australia, Laos, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Who is ChildFund Australia?
ChildFund Australia is a child-focused, non-for-profit and international development organization. We strive to make the world a safer, healthier and happier place for children. Click here to find out more about ChildFund Australia’s work.
Where can I get more information?
Email us at [email protected] or call us on 1800 023 600