National Internet Safety 101^® Program Empowers Utah Parents and Caring Adults to Protect Kids from Online Dangers.

Enough Is Enough^® and the Utah Council for Crime Prevention Launch Internet Safety 101^® in Utah.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: 

Tibby Milne

CEO, UCCP

(801) 557-4445

tibbyuccp@aol.com

Mike Graul

Account Executive, Bradley PR

(801) 822-4807

mgraul@bradleypr.com

Lauren Gaulin

Communications and Development Coordinator, EIE

(703) 476-7890

lgaulin@enough.org

 

West Valley, UT--January 23, 2012-- Enough Is Enough^® (EIE) and the Utah Council for Crime Prevention (UCCP) will launch EIE's Telly award winning, multimedia Internet Safety 101^® Program in the state of Utah today, empowering parents, educators, law enforcement and other caring adults with the tools to protect their children from the dangers of the digital world. The launch will be in connection with the Annual UCCP Power of Prevention Conference held at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City, Utah on Thursday, January 26 and Friday, January 27.

The Utah Internet Safety 101^® Program launch is funded in part by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) of the U.S. Department of Justice and supported by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and former Utah Senator Bob Bennett. The launch of Internet Safety 101^® in Utah is the third statewide initiative in Enough Is Enough's Internet Safety 101^® national program. The Internet Safety 101^® Program has been rolled out statewide in Virginia and Maryland. The program will be coordinated in Utah through the Utah Council for Crime Prevention, Enough Is Enough's lead partner in the state.

Internet Safety 101^® trainings will be led by Donna Rice Hughes, President and CEO of EIE and Executive Producer and Host of the Internet Safety 101^® DVD Teaching Series as well as Robert Flores, ESQ., former OJJDP Administrator. Hughes is frequently sought out for her Internet safety expertise, and she has been a featured guest and Internet safety expert on leading national broadcasts including Dateline, The Today Show, The O'Reilly Factor, Oprah, 20/20, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC as well as national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today.

"It is essential that Parents and caring adults are educated, equipped, and empowered to be the first line of defense to protect kids from digital dangers." says Hughes, "We are so grateful to Senators Bennett and Hatch for supporting our efforts to bring Internet Safety 101^® to Utah."

Some key organizations joining Enough Is Enough^® and The Utah Council for Crime Prevention as Utah partners include Women for Decency, Citizens for Decency, Concerned Women for America, The Utah PTA, and The Salvation Army.  

"The Utah Council for Crime Prevention is excited to be the home for Internet Safety 101^® here in the state," says UCCP CEO Tibby Milne. "We have done a good job of training children about digital dangers through our school systems, but now we can make sure parents and other adults are just as savvy when it comes to protecting their children from these dangers."

Advanced Ambassador Training for the Internet Safety 101^® Program will be available Thursday, Jan. 26, basic Facilitator Training will be available Friday, Jan. 27 and a Faith-based workshop will be available on Saturday, January 28 at the Utah Council for Crime Prevention's annual Power of Prevention Conference.

Though there are other Internet safety programs, Internet Safety 101^® is the only multimedia evidence based adult program geared specifically towards training parents and caregivers on how to protect their children from dangers such as pornography, sexual predators, cyberbullies and risks related to social networking, online gaming and mobile devices. In an online world where Internet-enabled devices such as iPads, iPods and iPhones now top children's Christmas lists, parents finally have the educational resources they need to stay ahead of the digital dangers out to trap their kids.  

Further illustration of the increasing need to protect our children from these dangers can be found in alarming nationwide statistics provided by Enough Is Enough^®:

• Over one-million children were harassed, threatened or cyber bullied on Facebook during 2011.
• Seven out of ten youth have accidentally come across pornography online.
• One in seven kids has received a sexual solicitation online.
• 43 percent of teens age 13 to 17 report that they have experienced some sort of cyberbullying in the past year.

"Children are the digital natives while parents are digital immigrants. Parents, guardians and caring adults must recognize that no child is immune from digital dangers.", says Hughes, "The Internet Safety 101^® 4-part DVD teaching series appeals to your head and your heart. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and above all, become motivated and empowered to protect children from online dangers."

To educate, equip and empower parents with the information and resources they need to protect their children from these dangers, the Internet Safety 101^® program includes a four-part DVD teaching series, Workbook/Resource Guide, Rules 'N Tools^®booklet, Facilitator's Guide and web site. The program also includes documentary style interviews of kids, parents, victims and a convicted sex offender, as well as expert advice from clinicians, child safety advocates, law enforcement and technology insiders.

To register for or find more information about the conference, visitwww.internetsafety101.org or call 1-800-280-UTAH. Internet Safety 101^® training participants will receive a complementary copy of Internet Safety 101^® program resources, including the Internet Safety 101^® Workbook/Resource Guide, DVD Teaching series and Rules 'N Tools^® Booklet (a value of $54.95).   

 

 

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About Enough Is Enough (EIE)

About Enough Is Enough^® Enough Is Enough® (EIE) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to make the Internet safer for children and families. EIE was founded in 1992 and continues to pioneer efforts to confront online victimization such as pornography, predation and cyber bullying through its Internet Safety 101^® program. For more information, visit: http://www.internetsafety101.org/presskit.htm.

Enough Is Enough's national sponsors include the U.S. Department of Justice, AT&T, Google, The Salvation Army and Verizon.

                  

 

About Internet Safety 101

The Internet Safety 101 multimedia program was created in partnership with the Department of Justice to prevent Internet-initiated crimes against children through educating, equipping and empowering parents, educators and caring adults with the knowledge and resources needed to protect children from online p*rnography, sexual predators and cyberbullies , as well as cyber security risks and dangers related to social networking, online gaming and mobile devices. The proven evidence-based curriculum motivates and equips adults to implement both safety rules(non-technical measures) and software tools (technical measures) on youth's Internet enabled devices. The program includes a four-part DVD teaching series, workbook, Rules 'N Tools booklet, facilitator's guide and web site (www.internetsafety101.org). The program also includes documentary style interviews of kids, parents, victims and a convicted sex offender, as well as expert advice from clinicians, child safety advocates, law enforcement and technology insiders. The Internet safety training was shot in front of a live studio audience and was led by renowned Internet safety expert, author and EIE president, Donna Rice Hughes.

Sundance Part 1

This weekend was quite the adventure. Friday was great. Shirley, Brittany, Brittany's fiance and I all went to Salt Lake to see my first Sundance film! We saw the Shorts Program II, which was a collection of (mostly) great shorts that all had a similar theme of longing and the need to belong. Here's just a quick review of them:

The Arm - Dark comedy about the dangers of a pure texting relationship. Funny and insightful.

Henley - Clever but slightly disturbing, this film was about a young boy who tries to bring guests to his motel by luring potential roadkill to hit passersby near it.

OK Breathe Auralee - An interesting little film about a women's desire for a baby and the need to find out her own identity. Not sure a baby will fix those problems, Auralee.

The Return - A deeply touching film that tells a bigger story about the tragedy of the war in Kosovo by focusing on one family and how the war has affected them.

'92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card - So, so funny. Two brothers who haven't seen much of each other over the years fight and bond at their father's funeral. Hijinks ensue, including a liquid chugging contest and the ripping of suits.

Girl - Don't see this. Trust me. Those Swedes...

The Black Balloon - A play on the 1960's French film The Red Balloon, a wayward black balloon travels through the streets of New York trying to find companionship.

After the feature, the filmmakers from each of the shorts came up to do a Q&A session. Most of them were super chill and just really humbled to be there. They were literally one of the thousand submissions chosen, and most of them were just getting started. It was really cool to hear their inspirations for their films and their decisions behind them.

The Shorts Program II filmmakers

My film guide and credentials!

The next day Shirley and I drove up to Park City to go to some panels and see some celebrities! Only not so much. Once we got into Park City, the snow really started coming down hard. We parked at The Yard and tried to catch a shuttle to Main Street, but it was 20 minutes late and we were freezing to death, so we decided to check out the New Frontier exhibit near The Yard. It was pretty cool. There's a film depicting the history of humanity in 3D, a couple of interesting video games, and this neat exhibit where you pull an iPad up to a screen and touch the screen via the iPad, showing you live footage of wild animals.

We chilled in there for like 20 minutes or so and when we walked out the snow had gotten so much worse. Shirley's car already had like 3 inches on it. We decided not to risk staying any longer and just got in the car and drove back home. Which was a good thing, since it took us four hours on the way back even though we beat the worst part of the blizzard. We were kinda bummed out since we drove up there for pretty much no reason, although we stopped at Texas Roadhouse on the way back so we felt a little bit better. Or something :)

Shirley not so happy

I always dreamt of being a snow woman

The couple next to us literally got engaged while we were eating. I hope they had their first date at Texas Roadhouse and it holds special memories, because I would not be so accepting of that proposal...

The view from the car

So that was my weekend! I'm going up to Park City again next weekend; I'm going to pray all week that it does not snow. I need to see my celebrities and get some swag! I have credentials, dang it!

This week is also the culmination of a semester's work in Bradley, the UCCP / Enough Is Enough "Power in Prevention" Conference. I'll post more details tomorrow, but let's just say I'm throwing a big party when all this is through!!

The Art of Film

As Sundance closely approaches, I just wanted to reflect on what it is about film that I love so much. I actually think my pop culture book* puts it best:

"Reading a film is much like reading a novel. Both are texts filled with intentional and unintentional signs, metaphors, and archetypes, and both are cultural signifiers. The major difference is their medium of expression...That film is such a sensory experience often conceals its textuality. One is tempted to sit back and go with the flow, to say that it's only entertainment and doesn't have to 'mean' anything at all. But as cinematic forms of storytelling overtake written forms of expression, the study of movies as complex texts bearing cultural messages and values is becoming more and more important."

I think you can substitute "television" in that paragraph is well. And don't get me wrong, I love books. But these days, I just don't have as much time on my hands to read a 300-page novel as I do to watch a two hour movie or TV show. You can get just as complex of characters, just as much literary depth, and just as much commentary on society on the screen as you can on a page.

In my film class, we are learning to find merit in everything we watch, even if it's a movie we don't automatically "like" or resonate with. No longer are we to judge movies on a thumbs up or thumbs down scale. Each movie we see is trying to tell us something - it is up to us to interpret that and determine whether or not we want to listen.

School, Wonderful School

First week and a half of school is officially over. It feels like a month. The Enough Is Enough / UCCP "Power in Prevention" conference is only a week away, and it's been crazy trying to get ready for it. Now I really understand the stress involved in doing PR for a big event and the launch of an organization statewide. It'll be great once it's over (and successful!) but right now I sometimes forget that I'm taking 15 other credits as well. I'll post more about the event in a few days - I really want to get the word out about this wonderful program that's taking over my life.

I really like my schedule this semester though. My film class is awesome, I power-nap in flexibility, my first paper was about Harry Potter in my Pop Culture class, and I get paid to plan the big Adobe corporate event in my Event Planning class. My only challenging classes will be my PR writing class, where I still have to find a non-profit to do PR work for the semester, and my editing class, where I already have my first test this week.

Other things I've been up to:

• Getting an internship!!! I finally heard back from Edelman. I'm going to Los Angeles this summer! I can't even tell you how stoked I am. It's going to be such a great opportunity. I'm working for EDELMAN. (Which is only one of the largest and most successful PR firms in the nation. Nbd.). I feel like a legitimate public relations person now. hahaha.
• Becoming chair of the service council at church. God must have known I needed to do some more service in my life. Or something.
• Computer #2 has officially died. It was an old Mac Powerbook I rented from campus. It didn't even last a week. I really don't know what's wrong with me. I couldn't have been more gentle with that ancient thing.
• Mourning the loss of the "Daily" Universe, which is now switching to a weekly publication. More specifically, I'm mourning the loss of the 8 full-time staff members, which I think is wholly unnecessary. It was editors like Kaye and Rich that made my experience at the DU such a positive one. 
• Speaking of which, here is my final story in the Daily Universe. It's a riveting piece about LDS online dating.

I'm going to try and blog every day from now on, per my New Year's goal. Let's see how long this lasts.

Happy New Year!

I know it's January 3rd, but my computer had a little meltdown on Saturday. Actually, more of a little explosion. I think it's finally time to say goodbye to my old Toshiba Satellite. Can't say I'll miss you.

But other than that, I am back in Utah, and it's 2012! The last year on Earth...or something. Here's how I plan on spending it:

• By eating healthier and actually attempting to exercise once in a while
• Continuing to do well in school
• By not being afraid to speak my mind and be myself
• Getting a rad internship for the summer (still looking...)
• Sundance Film Festival! Intro to Film class! I'm gonna be the biggest film snob you've ever seen. Sorry about it.
• Vegas trip for BYU Basketball WCC Championship maybe?
• Blogging more consistently
• Budgeting my money better
• Mexican cruise!
• Having more fun and being more social.

Sounds like a pretty good 2012 already. We'll see what else is in store.

Classes start tomorrow. I am actually really excited for this semester. My classes are all in the afternoon, and best of all, NO SATURDAY CLASS. And check out my schedule:

Introduction to Film
Popular Culture and Media
Event Planning
Public Relations Writing and Production
Flexibility (aka Power Napping 101)
Basic Editing Skills

Yeah, I think I'll enjoy myself. I'll still be really busy, but at least this time I'll actually like the work that I'm doing.

Happy New Year!