Australia hosts some 650,000 overseas students, 10,500 of whom are likely to be in the ACT. International students have so many things to consider when they arrive in a foreign country.
Recently Mary launched the Think Before – A Student Safety Initiative in the ACT, a social media-driven campaign designed to improve situational awareness among international students in Australia.
“Students may not be accustomed to the danger signs in our urbanised society and some could place themselves in risky situations”, Mary said. “So putting this information into a package that is accessible and easy to understand is a great idea”.
The Think Before engages bloggers, website forum publishers and users, social media, public video sites, Twitter and social bookmarking sites to help spread the word. More than 50 country/language-specific popular social media platforms have been targeted.
“This is the first time that accessible social media has been used as a tool for police to communicate safety issues with the public,” Mary stated. “Those involved should be commended on their lateral thinking, and commitment in providing this valuable community service,” Mary concluded.
Further information about Think Before – A Student Safety Initiative can be found on: www.thinkbefore.com
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