Home   News   Article

Inverness College UHI students helping to keep youngsters in the Highlands safe


By Gregor White

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Oskar Potocki, child protection committee chairman Detective Chief Inspector Vince McLaughlin, Rachael Allan and lecturer Ken Gowans.
Oskar Potocki, child protection committee chairman Detective Chief Inspector Vince McLaughlin, Rachael Allan and lecturer Ken Gowans.

STUDENTS are leading the battle against the sexual exploitation of children in the Highlands.

An innovative poster campaign and app designed by third year visual communication and design students at Inverness College UHI are to be rolled out to help keep young people safe.

The innovations came about after the Highland Child Protection Committee – a multi-agency partnership led by the police, Highland Council and NHS Highland – issued a challenge to the students to help them in their work.

Posters and leaflets warning of the dangers of sexting – the sending of sexually explicit images or messages – were designed by Oskar Potocki (23) after he read how one in five recipients of such messages will forward them on to someone else.

He said: “I wanted to design something which spoke the language young people use day-to-day so on one side, the key messages are conveyed using mostly emojis, then on the back there’s more information for parents.

“The statistics around sexting are really frightening so I’m delighted the Highland Child Protection Committee want to use my designs.”

Flyers will be distributed at festival events across the Highlands along with resources which can be used by schools and youth groups.

Fellow student Rachael Allan (21) also impressed the committee with an app which provides parents and carers with guidance and information on how to approach sensitive subjects at the right stage in a child’s development and in the most appropriate way.

She said: “This was a really challenging brief because the issue of child sexual exploitation is so huge, but I’m really proud to have created something with longevity that could make a real difference and help people develop more positive relationships.

“It will also hopefully give parents and carers confidence to have open conversations with their children.”

The committee will work with her in her final year at college to develop the app further, with the aim of making it publicly available.

Ken Gowans, art and design lecturer at Inverness College UHI, said: “Child sexual exploitation is a serious and challenging issue and this has been a particularly rewarding project for our students.

“The standard of Oskar and Rachael’s work was exceptionally high and I look forward to seeing how their designs progress.”


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More