In order to help people answer those questions, and many more, Children Matter, the umbrella group seeking to promote good practice in all aspects of children’s work, put together the Digital Children conference, which took place at Cliff College in June.
In a series of quick fire talks, delegates were able to investigate such issues as how technology is changing the way children communicate and how social media is changing the church. New digital projects aimed at children and those who work with children were showcased, including news of Project Cube, a collaboration between Scripture Union England and Wales and American Bible Society, and www.worshipworkshop.org.uk , a new website to help schools with their collective worship from the Church of England. ‘We realised that this was a vital area of children’s lives that was all too often being avoided or thought about negatively by the Church,’ says Alan Charter, Chair of Children Matter. ‘Gathering people around this discussion has been an important step in helping churches engage more purposefully with the technology that children use every day.’