The age of face-to-face social interaction has fallen with the birth of the internet; yet people have managed to stay even more connected and involved in each other’s lives through mass forms of web-based communication including: Facebook, Twitter, instant messaging, blogs, Skype, etc… Whether it’s a quick exchange of words or simply posting photos of a previous night’s exuberant festivities-the main point that most people (especially the millennial generation) forget is: Once you post something online, it is there forever. The value of words are harsh enough as it is; the child once taunted by a bully on the playground is now slandered through the click of a button for the world to see. Recent events such as the widely publicized suicide of Rutgers student, Tyler Clementi, have fully exposed the exponential growing rate of cyber bullying.
In an effort to educate both children and families on how to use web-based media outlets in the appropriate manner and to raise awareness on the consequences of all online actions, Garnett Alcindor (CEO of Collective Concept PR), Casey Miller (owner of Casey Miller Consulting), Michael Fink (taught at NYU and worked at ABC & PBS), and Nadia Lopez (Principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy), have teamed up to create the vital program, Social Media For Kids®. Being the first program of its kind, Social Media For Kids®, educates children how to promote themselves in a positive light, enabling the “safe use of social media outlets as learning tools”, while meeting the New York State educational standards.(See Press Release). Mott Hall Bridges Academy places itself on the forefront of this social media movement in being the first NYC Board of Education school, to incorporate Social Media For Kids® into its curriculum. The program will be launched on Tuesday, October 12th, 2010.
In addition, Social Media For Kids® sponsors are currently conducting outreach in order to raise $5,000 to go towards the creation of an after-school program that will equip the children of the diverse Crown Height community with the tools needed to safely and productively use the internet.
Social Media for Kids® is available for schools, communities and parent groups throughout the United States.
Collective Concept PR is proud to work with, Social Media For Kids®. With parents working hand-in-hand with educators and social media experts, Our Children, Our Future, will be able understand and handle the responsibility that comes with the use of social media outlets, using it towards their academic advancements, and bettering their communities.