MEDIA CONTACT:

Tricia Mathis

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714.530.0430 x 966

INTERNET & MEDIA SAFETY EVENT A SUCCESS!

Garden Grove, CA – On March 5, 2010, eighty-five teen members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove from local intermediate schools and Santiago High School gathered at our main branch for an Internet & Media Safety Event. The purpose of this type of event is to impress upon our youth the importance of protecting themselves while using today’s technological resources including the internet, cell phones, and other devices. Workshops taught by Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove’s teen leadership club, Keystone, included prevention and intervention of cyberbullying, trusting online content, safely using social networks, and an overview of the NSteens (www.NSteens.org) website. 

The event also included a parent workshop. Over thirty parents attended a presentation lead by Sprint and Club Representatives. Topics to the parents included an overview of the NetSmartz (www.netsmartz.org) and Sprint’s 4NetSafety (www.4netsafety.com) website, shocking statistics on youth and the use of media, privacy on the internet, and safety tips.  Parents were grateful for the special presentation and appreciated the support and resources provided by the Club.  One parent commented, “Having a presentation like this gives important information for parents to know, not only for their own kids, but to share with other parents as well.”

Overall Club members had a lot of fun at the interactive Internet & Media Safety Fair, learned from their peers, and won prizes. At the end of the evening, Club members had the skills and knowledge how to make smarter choices about their online activity to have a safer online experience.  The surveyed crowd offered tips: “Block and report unwanted messages”, “Keep your personal information private”, “Don’t download illegal content”, and “Don’t always trust online sources.”

Resources Links:

www.benetsavvy.org

www.4netsafety.com

www.netsmartz.org

www.nsteens.org

Safety Pledge: http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/pledge.htm

Safety Tips: http://www.netsmartz.org/safety/safetytips.htm

ABOUT BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GARDEN GROVE
For more than 50 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove (BGCGG) has helped kids “BE GREAT” by changing and saving young lives, playing an integral role in its community. Striving to help children succeed in life, the Boys & Girls Clubs provide hope and opportunity through after-school, family support, and community outreach programs. Known as The Positive Place For Kids, our 57 program sites serve over 5,000 young people from “Diapers to Diplomas,” ages 18 months-18 years old, every day.

The Clubs are open daily with programs in character and leadership development, education and career enhancement, the arts, health and life skills, and sports, fitness and recreation. Our family outreach programs such as Family Campus Preschool, School Readiness, REACH For Literacy (Reading Education for Adults & CHildren), ARCHES (Access to Resources for Children's Health, Education and Support), FYOP (Family & Youth Outreach Program), and TRC (Truancy Reduction Center) expand our services to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met. Through our efforts we do our best to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Please visit www.begreatgardengrove.org for more information.

ABOUT SPRINT NEXTEL
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving more than 48 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2009 and the first and only 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores.  For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

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