Digital data safety sessions for community groups

AS part of an ongoing community governance project, Ballarat East Neighbourhood House is holding two education sessions for organisations on keeping member and volunteer information safe.

Greg Horgan will lead the in-person and online training at Barkly Square and cover management of people’s contact details online and the dos and don’ts for group emails and lists.

He’ll also look at who should be legally responsible for stored personal information, where and how it should be kept, and seek to raise awareness of digital scams.

“Unless a person has a background in human resources, they’re not going to know the importance of how to protect data and people’s privacy, how long you’re supposed to keep it, how to store it, and who can access it,” Mr Horgan said.

“It’s important people know the software they can use, and what the pitfalls are.”

How community groups can use social media, engage with followers, and limit any damage to their reputation, is another focus for the sessions.

The in-person event is set for Wednesday 1 November, 10am to 11.30am at Barkly Square and the online workshop will be held on Wednesday 15 November, 6.30pm to 8pm via Zoom, with registrations at bit.ly/3S8B3nJ.

As part of the wider Ballarat East Neighbourhood House community governance initiative, project officer Kay Miller is surveying people to get feedback on what kind of workshops could be offered in 2024.

“By completing the five-minute survey and providing name and contact details, people will go into the draw to receive a $100 Officeworks voucher,” she said.

“We will draw the winner of the voucher on Tuesday 31 October.”

Visit bit.ly/3Flk0Y0 to respond.