Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster paid a special visit to a Bolsover primary school to meet the young safety heroes helping to protect their friends and peers online.
Commissioner Angelique Foster visited a school in North Derbyshire where she met serving I-vengers Jasmine and Morgan and Harry and Spencer from last year's scheme.
The I-Venger Digital Leaders Online Safer Programme, developed and run by E-Safety Training, is jointly-funded by Commissioner Angelique Foster and Derbyshire County Council as part of their work to protect children from exploitation.
The initiative, which is targeted towards children in Key Stage 2 (Y5 and Y6) and led by ESafety Training Director Traci Good, recruits pupils to become I-Vengers leaders who deliver key online safety messages to their peer group as well as teachers and parents.
The scheme, which is costing £100k over two years, is being offered to all primary and junior schools in North East Derbyshire and Bolsover, Erewash, Derby City, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak, Amber Valley and South Derbyshire.
Commissioner Angelique Foster said: "Children listen and learn from their peers. Through this scheme, young people are given the chance to take the reins and actively contribute to the safety of their classmates.
"I was impressed with the work our I-vengers are undertaking and their enthusiasm and commitment. These children have been given an opportunity to become leaders and they have taken their roles very seriously.
"Online exploitation is one of the growing risks facing young people today and the more we can do to make young people's voices stronger and listen to their solutions, the more we can make a difference to young people's lives."
ESafety Training now offers a bespoke online digital portal based on the theme of heroes after consultation with children who took part in the pilot phase of the project.
The portal enables ESafety Training Director Traci Good and her team to assist schools with their individual training needs in between school visits.
The project will run for 24 months and will be jointly funded, with the Commissioner investing £70k into the scheme across the two years and Derbyshire County Council providing £30,000. Both special and private schools have been included in the programme.