| A brand new website called Children First was
launched in October 2003, as a partnership between children’s hospitals and
charities. 'Children First is a one-stop-shop for health and hospital,
supporting children and young adults through everything to do with health –
whether they’re worried about acne or being bullied, or facing a visit to
hospital'. The site claims to attract around 2 million hits each month and
has over 1,500 children from 30 countries contributing to the website.
The website originally started out as a project 'in early 2002, when
staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital started to look at ways of putting
children at ease with coming into hospital. GOSH Kids was launched in May
2002, and quickly became a ‘hit’ on a scale that was never anticipated. The
site grew rapidly, driven by children’s own contributions and requests,
growing from 60 initial pages to almost 1,200 in a little over a year'.
The site is keen to stress the importance of safety on the internet and
says that 'nothing is ever posted to the website without first being
reviewed by an experienced children’s editor. Children’s own postings and
messages are posted using only first names, and any personal details are
removed BEFORE they go online'.
The website itself is divided into 4 areas, Tots First, Kids First, GT
and World First which they say 'is to take account of the differing needs
and reading abilities across ages three to 18'.
Tots First is more cartoon based and could probably be
used by children as young as 3 though would need adult supervision. It
features links to the Teletubbies and Thomas the tank as well as colouring
games that can be printed out or coloured online and is designed to put the
child at ease when going to hospital.
Kids First is much more in depth and contains information on
Health such as 'How does your body work?', Your Hospital with detailed
information on what is involved with different treatments and tests and a
Life section with games and information on topics such as bullying and
interviews with pop stars.
GT
is similar to Kids first except it is aimed at teenagers and young adults.
The online games are replaced with mobile phone ring tones and the message
boards relate to children of an older age. This section is probably just as
interesting to an adult of 70 as it is to a teenager of 17 and is a must for
all parents. |
