FAQ

     

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is Livewire.org.au?

    Livewire.org.au, a program of the Starlight Children’s Foundation, is an online community to help young people aged 10 to 20 years, and their families, cope with the impact of a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability.  

    Livewire.org.au has three registration options:

    1. Members: The Member community is a safe online environment for young people, aged between 10 and 20 years, living with a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability, and their siblings. It’s a place for them to meet new friends, share experiences, creatively express themselves and know that they are not alone in their situation.
    2. Parents: Parents or carers of young people living with a chronic health condition, serious illness and disability are able to connect with other parents or carers in similar circumstances, within Livewire.org.au groups. Parents are able to establish or join a group specific to their child’s condition.
    3.  Not-For-Profits: Livewire.org.au works with not-for-profits nationally, enabling organisations to set up their own Livewire.org.au group. This provides a safe online platform for organisations to connect with young people that utilise their services, providing them with event updates, resource information and support relevant to their condition.

    What is the need for Livewire.org.au?

    • Serious illness, chronic health condition or disability can profoundly affect the everyday lives of young people by increasing their risk of social isolation, disconnection, lower peer acceptance and lower emotional well-being. These problems are compounded by long and frequent stays in hospital (Barton 2008).
    • There are an estimated 450,000 young Australians aged 10 to 20 years living with the impact of a serious illness, chronic health condition or a disability who are at risk of social isolation (Barton 2008).
    • The siblings and young carers of people living with a serious illness or disability face their own unique teenage challenges - often suffering from social and emotional isolation in addition to the constant demands of caring for a family member.
    • Many families struggle to cope with a child living with a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability.  Parents and carers often suffer a heavy emotional burden, physical stress and financial pressure.  There are approximately 500,000 parents and primary carers of someone with a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability (Cummins et al 2007).
    • A research study conducted by Murdoch University has found that Livewire.org.au's unique combination of moderated chat, safety and entertainment has created a reliable point of social connection for young people aged 10-20 years that often lack opportunities to socially interact with others their age due to a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability. Livewire.org.au allows members to find a balance in their lives, despite disruptions such as time in hospital or time away from school, by encouraging social connection, friendship and community (Third & Richardson, 2009).

    Livewire.org.au mission

    To connect, support and empower young people and their families affected by a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability.
     

    Who are Starbright World?

    In August 2011, Livewire.org.au formed an exciting new partnership with Starbright World (http://www.starbrightworld.org). 

    Starbright World (SBW) is a very similar online community to Livewire.org.au, for teens in the U.S.A. and Canada, and is provided by the Starlight Children’s Foundation in the U.S.A. It means we will still have Livewire.org.au (the Australian only section) but when kids access chat, messaging, find a friend and games, they will be able to connect with kids from the U.S.A. and Canada.

    The partnership with SBW gives us the advantage of connecting to American and Canadian members in a chat room that is open and moderated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The greatest advantage is that it gives our members the unique opportunity to meet a broader network of young people from the U.S.A. or Canada, who might be going through the same thing. This will be especially beneficial for young people who have a rare condition, as they have a greater chance of connecting with someone who shares the same diagnosis.
     

    What are the product features of Livewire.org.au?

    Livewire.org.au is a tailored and moderated community combining a range of unique features:

    The joint features with SBW (available to 13-20 year olds only) include:

    • A combined chat room that connects with SBW - providing our members with the opportunity to stay connected to other Australian members as well as with young people from Starbright World in the U.S.A. and Canada who share similar experiences.
    • Games, including two player games.
    • Messaging.
    • Find a Friend.

    Livewire.org.au members will continue to be able to:

    • Create blogs and share their thoughts.
    • Listen to the latest music and watch video clips.
    • Read articles created just for them.
    • Create a group or join a group tailored to their interests or needs.
       

    How is Livewire.org.au kept safe and secure?

    Ensuring that livewire.org.au remains safe and secure is a top priority and is livewire.org.au's key point of difference:

    • Livewire.org.au chat hosts are trained moderators and constitute a unique feature of the livewire.org.au 'chat' facility. Chat hosts are active participants, directly engaging in conversations and facilitating activities with the members. Their presence provides a more integrated and fun community, while ensuring livewire.org.au members are having a, positive, enjoyable and safe experience (Third & Richardson, 2009).
    • Livewire.org.au has a comprehensive registration process and every livewire.org.au member is validated by our membership services team before gaining access to the chat room. Young people under 18 require parent consent, proof of identification and a third party reference in order to gain unrestricted and ongoing access to the community.
    • Starbright World also maintains the highest level of security. They have similar membership requirements to ours, including parental consent, proof of identification and a third party reference. 

    If you have more questions about how security is maintained in livewire.org.au, don’t hesitate to contact our membership services team on 02 8425 5971 or email member.services@livewire.org.au.
     

    How do you join Livewire.org.au?

    It's easy! Just visit www.livewire.org.au and register online.

     

    References:

    Cummins, R., Hughes, J., Tomyn, A., Gibson, A., Woerner, J., Lai, L., & Collard, J. (2007). Wellbeing of Australians: changing conditions to make life better, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic.

    Third, A., & Richardson, I. (2009). Analysing the impacts of social networking for young people living with chronic Illness, a serious condition or a disability: An evaluation of the Livewire Online Community. Murdoch University, Centre for Everyday Life, Perth WA.

    Barton, B. (2008). Starlight Children’s Foundation – Livewire research project. Children’s Hospital Education Research Institute, Children’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW.