Campaign Educates Parents on How to Give Youth a Cyber Safe
Future
ATLANTA, June 5, 2012 - In many ways, today's youth are
more knowledgeable and savvy than adults when it comes to
the Internet and technology. Boys & Girls Clubs of America
(BGCA) and Sprint (NYSE:S) have launched an interactive
campaign aimed to raise cyber safety awareness among
parents and guardians. With 95 percent of all teens online
and 80 percent users of social media sites, it is more
important than ever to understand the potential risks that
come along with navigating an expansive online world.
The campaign, "Cyber Safe Futures," will span June's
Internet Safety Month and focus on key issues including
cyberbullying, social networking, online privacy and mobile
safety. Additionally, the campaign features youth educating
parents on potential cyber dangers. Teens highlight
important issues through media safety statistics, like:
five million social media users are under the age of 10; 51
percent of teens have given out personal information online
to someone they don't know; and 33 percent of teens have
been victims of cyberbullying.*
Along with providing key resources on media safety
topics, the campaign will point parents and youth to
BGCA's new website, CyberSafeFutures.org
where they can watch videos, participate in real-time
surveys and join discussions around relevant news
stories. Parents can additionally see what kids are
saying about media safety, with live poll results from myclubmylife.com,
BGCA's website for teens. BGCA is also using Facebook to
fuel the conversation during Internet Safety Month,
providing an avenue for parents to talk about important
safety topics that could potentially impact their
children's lives.
"We know that parents are concerned with online behavior;
however, they may not be fully aware of the potential risks
that their children may face or may not know how to have a
discussion with their kids on tough topics," said Dan
Rauzi, senior director of technology programs at BGCA. "Our
relationship with Sprint allows us to provide the tools and
resources needed to educate parents and kids so that the
online experience is positive, fun and allows for a cyber
safe future."
"Cyber Safe Futures" is part of BGCA's larger media safety
initiative with Sprint. Through the relationship, BGCA
provides tips and resources to Boys & Girls Club youth,
staff and parents to have an open dialogue with their kids
on these critical cyber safety topics.
"At Sprint, doing the right thing for the right reason is
at the heart of everything we do," said Debby Ballard,
director of Community Affairs. "We have worked for many
years to see that children and the adults in their lives
have easy, convenient access to the information they need
to stay safer online. We are pleased to team up with Boys &
Girls Clubs to spread these tools even further with Cyber
Safe Futures."
To join the conversation and learn more about how BGCA
and Sprint are raising awareness around media safety,
visit CyberSafeFutures.org,
and see what parents are saying by visiting BGCA on
Facebook. Additional Sprint Internet-safety resources
can be found at www.4NetSafety.com.
*All media safety statistics can be found at
CyberSafeFutures.org
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
(GreatFutures.org) has
enabled young people most in need to
achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible
citizens. Today, nearly 4,000 Boys & Girls
Clubs serve some 4 million children and teens through
Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located
in cities, towns, public housing and on Native
American lands throughout the
country, and serve military families in
BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military
installations worldwide. Clubs provide
a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and
friendship, and high-impact youth development
programs on a daily basis during critical
non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic
success, good character and citizenship, and healthy
lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said
the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are
located in Atlanta. Learn more at bgca.org/facebook bgca.org/twitter.
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 served more than 56 million
customers at the end of the first quarter of 2012 and is
widely recognized for developing, engineering and
deploying innovative technologies, including the first
wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United
States; offering industry-leading mobile data services,
leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost
Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and
international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global
Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer
Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national
carriers and most improved in customer satisfaction
across all industries during the last four years.
Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings,
listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the
highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn
more and visit Sprint at or .
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