Be Social. Be Smart. is an initiative that educates secondary students on how to use social media positively to further their education and career opportunities. It delivers 60-90 minute presentations and workshops teaching students how to build their online personal brand and network on platforms like LinkedIn. The programs aim to empower students to curate a positive digital footprint and use social media to research careers and make meaningful connections. They are designed for senior secondary students who are transitioning from protecting private social media to benefiting from public online profiles.

1. Be Social. Be Smart. is a new social media education initiative focused on empowering secondary students to harness
the power of positive posting. We believe that some of the greatest opportunities for young Australians can be tapped
into by using social media positively, purposefully and proactively. As an alternative response to the threats of
social media, our Positive Posting programs draw on extensive recruitment and marketing expertise to highlight the
opportunities instead. We encourage students to build a powerful digital footprint and make connections that will open
doors for them in the future.
What Do We Deliver?
The 60-minute flagship presentation, Making Social Media Work For Work, and 90-minute LinkedIn For Students
workshop use humour, video, interactive activities and real stories to engage and inspire students. Our programs
introduce students to using social networks to showcase their education, values, accomplishments and experience;
research further education and careers; and network safely to open doors for mentorships, partnerships and work
experience.
Students are empowered to move beyond merely protecting their digital footprint, towards proactively projecting
themselves too.
Learning outcomes include:
• Conducting a Personal Google Search to Enhance Online Presence Awareness
• Using Social Media to Research Further Education and Career Opportunities
• Using Social Media to Make Meaningful Connections through Networking
• Developing a Personal Brand to Reflect Education, Skills and Talent Online
• Building a LinkedIn Profile for Personal Branding, Research and Networking
Who Is it For?
Senior students in Years 10, 11 and 12 are moving from childhood, where it is important to keep all of their social media
private and share content only with trusted friends and family, to the adult world where it can be highly beneficial to build
and maintain a positive public profile online. Making Social Media Work for Work and LinkedIn for Students help
to make sense of this transition by informing senior secondary students as they make pertinent decisions about their
futures in terms of further education and work.
“Preparing students for the uncertain transition from high school to career is always challenging; the
Be Social. Be Smart. presentation and the succinct and pointed advice it offered spoke directly to our
students and the takeaways were invaluable: building and maintaining a personal brand and leveraging
social media as a learning and professional tool are essential life skills.”
Brisbane Grammar School’s Deputy Headmaster of Teaching and Learning, Steve Uscinski
“LinkedIn is the biggest opportunity missed by my peers… This is the way to get connections and
mentors so that when you are looking to understand your options or for an internship or partnership,
you will have a massive network to reach out to.”
Teen Entrepreneur and Founder/CEO of FiftySix, Taj Pabari
“We believe it is important to educate senior students on the positive use of social media… and arm
them with the tools they need to positively manage their careers.”
Stuartholme School’s Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing, Andrea Reddan
INTRODUCING BE SOCIAL. BE SMART.
www.besocialbesmart.com.au

2. WHAT IS OUR PAST
Be Social. Be Smart. launched in 2015 with Making Social Media Work for Work presentations at Lauriston Girls’
School to the Year 11s and Stuartholme School to the Year 12s. We have since presented at a number of schools in
both Queensland and Victoria, including Brisbane Grammar School, Loreto College, Immanuel Lutheran College and
Mordialloc College.
A high percentage of students agreed with the following statements:
I enjoyed the presentation 95%
I learnt new information about creating opportunities with social media 92%
I am more likely to set up a LinkedIn Account 97%
I have a better understanding of how employers use social media 90%
I am more likely to use social media to create opportunities for my future 93%
“This program has helped our students prepare for the future. Learning how to package up
achievement online is a great skill for young people.”
Lauriston Girl’s School’s Careers Counsellor, Sue Douglas
“Be Social. Be Smart.’s key message of why and how posting positively and controlling your social
media profiles will enhance future career prospects is increasingly important. The quality and
interactivity of the presentation material was excellent and we will definitely be booking the
Be Social. Be Smart. program again in 2017.”
Modialloc College’s Careers and Pathways Coordinator, Jane Jamieson
Students commented on the presentation and what they learned:
“Thanks so much for your presentation! We thoroughly enjoyed it and most of us have gone to make
our LinkedIn profiles today!”
“Social media can be a powerful tool to kickstart my career.”
“Not only should I focus on how posting on social media can damage my future, but also on how it
can benefit my future.”
“You can use social media positively for your future. Everyone usually only tells us that it’s bad for
future opportunities.”
“Social media isn’t all bad after all. #Iamhappynow”
www.besocialbesmart.com.au
INTRODUCING BE SOCIAL. BE SMART.