The Kids Are All Right

Presented at Diana Initiative 2022, Aug. 11, 2022, noon (60 minutes).

The information security industry is facing a skills crisis, a cultural crisis, and a diversity crisis. Studies have found that this industry is facing one of the highest workforce shortages and facing a lack diversity within the workforce. The shortage of talented and motivated members is felt globally, with online safety something all members of our countries desire. This leaves many wondering: How can we address these crises and bridge that gap to engage, interest and empower the younger generations? This talk focuses on youth community engagement and introduces Kids Securiday. We’ll discuss our experience bringing cyber security education to youth in Papua New Guinea (PNG), an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. This country is known for its vibrant wildlife and rich diverse culture. However, women are disadvantaged in PNG socially, culturally, economically, and politically. The prevalence of violence against women and girls is one of the highest in the world. Highlighting the benefits, an overview of the education delivery model will be presented. We’ll cover how the workshops were formulated and share feedback from the participants and tutors. These insights can help those wishing to consider outreach activities to the younger generations and educators in areas where formal pathways may not be available. Kids Securiday, established in Australia in 2017, has been running events for students all around the world. The program was recognized with Australian Information Security Association's "Best STEM Program" award in 2021. These events focus on being fun and inspirational – with the intent to share knowledge with passion. We will share this inspiration with attendees, along with ideas and information on how to education the next generation.

Presenters:

  • Heidi Winter - Kids SecuriDay
    Founding Kids SecuriDay in 2017 out of an interest in sharing knowledge and her passion in STEM with the younger generations, Heidi is an enthusiastic security professional. She has worked in IT for over 20 years, where she has had the opportunity to experience both government and enterprise environments, completing her Masters in Cyber Security Operations at the University of New South Wales in 2020. Heidi spends her time giving back to the community by volunteering at conferences across the globe, organising meet ups and CTFs, and running popular community projects to educate young and old on the joys of infosec.
  • Jessie Richardson - Kids SecuriDay
    Jessie has worked in ICT for nearly 10 years - from systems administration and web development to communications and training, hardware refresh programs and various security programs - Jessie has done a bit of everything. Jessie brings a passion for IT and security education to our training programs and conferences.

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