Objective of the program

The #KEEPITPRIVATE program was created to inform young people and their parents about the phenomenon of sexting, and to make them aware of the legal and social consequences of their actions.

It also aims to equip high school staff to intervene in matters of child pornography.

This program has also been translated and adapted into English in order to reach the same target audiences in an English-speaking environment.

Sections of the #KEEPITPRIVATE prevention program

This program includes seven sections:

1. A bold visual identity — sexting and child pornography are delicate subjects to discuss with young people; humour is a good way of discussing them in a lighter way.
   
   A social media symbol, the #KEEPITPRIVATE keyword serves as the program's logo and as a two-way message: it encourages young people to keep their private parts private and suggests a response to receiving an intimate photo.
   
   Finally, the visual concept combines mundane images (e.g., lizard tail, pool balls, cat, etc.) with the most popular sexual terms used by today's teens to refer to their private parts. The refreshing colours help to soften these rather crude words!
2. A workshop for secondary one students — During the school year, secondary one students from participating Gatineau schools take part in a one-hour workshop divided into two 30-minute thematic sections:
   1. The Outaouais's Centre d'aide et de lutte contre les agressions sexuelles (CALAS) addresses the social reasons why young people engage in sexting and discusses different and more appropriate ways to seduce.
   2. The Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) and the SPVG explain the possible legal consequences of possessing, producing and distributing child pornography to young people, by demystifying the relevant sections of the Criminal Code.
   During the workshops, the secondary one students are separated by gender (boys and girls) in order to adapt the messages and to facilitate the exchanges (less risk of being judged).
3. An interactive PDF for parents — The document can be consulted or downloaded here. Schools can also send it to parents. Its objective is to inform parents about the sexting phenomenon and its consequences and to equip them in addressing this sensitive matter with their child.
4. A kit for school counsellors — Since school counsellors frequently work with adolescents, the kit will serve as a reference tool on several aspects of sexting.
   
   It is intended to provide a list of useful resources for teenagers and to inform them on how to handle a complaint about child pornography with the SPVG.
5. Posters — Large posters are put up on school walls. In addition to the logo and original illustrations, the posters feature a shocking quote with a legal connotation in order to capture young people's interest in the prevention program, and thereby, initiate discussions on the subject.
6. A website — This section of the SPVG website is a reliable source of information about the #KEEPITPRIVATE program, including content specifically for teenagers. It includes a bank of images using humour to refuse a sexting request.
7. A video (in French only) — A video was made public at the beginning of the 2017 school year to promote discussions on this subject with teens and remind them of the support resources available.

Acquisition of the program by another police force

The SPVG is pleased to share its #KEEPITPRIVATE prevention program with police organizations wishing to acquire it. In this case, please contact Myriam Houde at 819-243-2345, ext. 6106, or by e-mail at houde.myriam@gatineau.ca.