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Teens Challenged to Be Ambassadors of Cyber Citizenship and Internet Safety at Los Angeles Youth Summit

Posted on: Monday, 24 April 2006, 18:00 CDT

More than 500 students from across Los Angeles County will gather at the Los Angeles Youth Summit for Online Safety (YSOS). The YSOS will be held on April 28, 2006, at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The summit is an effort by i-SAFE, Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) and Microsoft Corp. to empower teens to be cyber safe and spread the message to their peers, families, communities, and beyond.

"We're making a strong call to action for teens to use the Internet wisely and become ambassadors of the safety message to friends and family," said Teri Schroeder, president and CEO of i-SAFE. "Our goal is to encourage teens to modify their own personal habits online and become a major force in making the Internet a safer place."

Building on a Year of Success

The YSOS is the latest in a series of collaborations between i-SAFE and Microsoft, who announced their collaboration one year ago at the California PTA convention. As part of a California-wide rollout sponsored by Microsoft, i-SAFE has partnered with LACOE to help build awareness among the 1.7 million students in Los Angeles County public schools.

In California, this year alone i-SAFE will reach 240 percent more students than ever before. More broadly i-SAFE and Microsoft collaborated on the creation of i-LEARN, an online on-demand system for Internet safety education free to any educator and student in the country. That initiative has helped educate nearly half a million students nationwide just since its launch in September.

"The Internet has changed the way we live in so many positive ways; however, just as in the physical world, the virtual world has its nuisances and risks," said Mark Thomas, program manager of Consumer Security at Microsoft. "We need to equip our children with the tools and education to navigate the online world more safely and securely, which is why Microsoft is excited to support i-SAFE in helping to educate teens on how they can better protect themselves online."

Key to Success: Education

Education makes a provable difference. 84 percent of students who have been trained on the i-SAFE curriculum are more careful about where they go and what they do online. 83 percent of students make better choices about what is legal to download from the Internet.

"Education works," Schroeder said. "Our goal is to prepare every student with the tools and knowledge to act appropriately on the Internet, and to keep them safe from the online dangers that we are faced with today."

Dr. Darline P. Robles, the Los Angeles County superintendent of schools, agreed.

"We are excited to be a part of a collaborative program that influences students to be active participants in responsible use of the Internet," she said. "Through the i-SAFE curriculum and activities, students have the opportunity to learn how good cyber citizenship can help them avoid online risks while taking maximum advantage of the Internet as a learning tool."

About LACOE

The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), the largest intermediate educational agency in the United States, provides classroom instruction for specialized student populations, and programs and services to the 80 K-through-12 school districts and 1.7 million students in Los Angeles County.

About i-SAFE

Founded in 1998 and active in all 50 states, i-SAFE Inc. is the leader in Internet safety education. i-SAFE is a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to educate and empower youth to make their Internet experiences safe and responsible. The goal is to educate students to avoid dangerous, inappropriate, or unlawful online behavior. i-SAFE accomplishes this through dynamic K through 12 curriculum and community-outreach programs to parents, law enforcement, and community leaders. It is the only Internet safety foundation to combine these elements. www.isafe.org

i-SAFE Inc. is designated a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. i-SAFE Inc. is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

 i-SAFE Media Contact: Erica Carlson Public Relations Manager Phone: (619) 446-6538 E-mail: Contact via http://www.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=9C8BB1C65BA4B4D3  LACOE Media Contact: LACOE Public Information Office Phone: 562-922-6360  

SOURCE: i-SAFE America

Source: MARKET WIRE

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