What

“The Internet allows for access to information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For schools (public and non-public), online capabilities not only create access to a vast amount of resources but also facilitate distance learning and collaboration between classes and students in different locations. Along with the benefits the Internet brings, however, come costs such as new threats to students. Recent news articles provide examples of these threats: One man extorted sexually explicit images from minors using social media, and instances of cyberbullying have reportedly soared in New York City schools. These incidents can lead to depression and anxiety, health complaints, and decreased academic achievement by students.”
Source: Department of Education, USA

Schools reopen in September and this SummerUp webinar is intended to provide both parents and students with preparations for the many threats that are constantly presented by Internet use. How do our students protect themselves from the ever-present perils caused by Internet usage? Students are given smartphones but are parents and students savvy to the risks these phones present? Are there threats associated with online gaming? What are the risks associated with the use of social media? Do students know how to combat cyberbullying?

The starting point for parents and students to effectively protect against the hazards of online usage is information. Know about the many threats Internet usage pose to students and about the best strategies for keeping students safe. This is what this webinar provides – information and ways for countering online threats. No doubt, this webinar will surprise parents and students who are unaware of the many insidious threats that abound with Internet use. It is a webinar that is a ‘must attend’ at a time so many students are engaged in virtual learning and when so many parents are unaware of the threats.

This webinar is open to parents and students. Make it a family event.

Why this Matters

Students are connected 24/7 to the Internet and in ways that are not readily known by parents. Students are engaged with games, academic assignments, social communications, searches for volunteer work, resume preparation, scholarship searches, tutoring, and for research of all kinds. While these are seemingly benign activities, a lot of danger lurks online and these online threats to students are both subtle and damaging.

These threats may include digital trails, inappropriate image sharing, smartphone usage, Google searches, online gaming, social media and a whole range of privacy risks. To any student, these are highly dangerous situations. To the Black student facing the overlay of anti-Black racism, the danger is magnified. Reducing these risks require awareness of their existence and the savvy to foil them.

One strategy for reducing these risks is to make students and parents more awareness of their existence, and to provide them with the knowledge and tools for preventing them. It makes sense for parents to be up-to-date on these online dangers so that they can more actively support and protect their children. This is the reasoning for presenting this informative webinar and for making it available to students, parents, educators and others interesting in protecting youth from cyber threats. We believe every student and every parent should enroll in this webinar so that they return to school in September with a fresh understanding of how best to improve cyber safety.

Everyday, students face a barrage of dangerous situations which threaten their health and safety. Invariably, they are unaware of these threats and so too are their parents. These threats may include digital trails, inappropriate image sharing, smartphone usage, Google searches, online gaming, social media and a whole range of privacy risks. Reducing these risks require awareness of their existence and the savvy to foil them. This webinar, Cyber Safety – How to Avoid Online Threats, will provide ways and means for reducing online threats to students. The time to make this issue a major agenda item for parents and students is just before the start of the coming academic year…before another round of virtual learning.

Make this a high-priority back-to-school activity for the whole family.

“Kids Help Phone hears from young people in Ontario every day that bullying, both in person and online, continues to pose a significant challenge.”
Alisa Simon, Senior Vice President, Service Innovation and Chief Youth Officer, Kids Help Phone.

This is the second time we are presenting Paul Davis. We do so because he is the best in providing guidance in this area, and in effectively communicating with students and parents. We also know how critical this information is. You think you know a lot about protecting yourself online…that is, until you participate in Paul’s webinar.

Here are the opinions of three students who participated in this webinar last August 2021:
Student #1: “Thank you Mr. Davis! You blew me away with knowledge and I’m glad I attended this.”
Student #2: “Thank you for hosting this webinar, I have gone to talks about cyber-bullying but they were nowhere near as detailed or informative.”
Student #3: “Thank you so much for today’s informative session. It reminded me a lot of the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma.”

Here is a parent’s (SH) opinion:
Parent: “These are challenging times for many parents particularly as students are spending many hours online for learn-at-home programs. I found it very helpful that Mr. Paul Davis told attendees of the many pitfalls to avoid, and he went beyond that to point out some useful, educational activities that students could benefit from. In particular, I was interested in the topic of coding, blogging and students along with parents starting their own website.”

Webinar Registration Details

Who: This webinar is wide open to all students, parents, educators and others who are keen to discover ways for protecting against cyber threats. Elementary school or secondary school student? University or college student? Parent or guardian? Employed in the social services industry? Educator? You will all benefit from this webinar. In fact, this webinar should be ‘family viewing’ with members of the family clustered around the computer – followed by intra-family reflection.

Date: This Zoom-based webinar will take place at 6.00 p.m., Tuesday, August 30, 2022. It should end by 7.20 p.m.

Register: The process for registering for this SummerUp 2022 webinar is different from other SummerUp 2022 courses. For this webinar, Cyber Safety – Avoiding Online Threats, you simply register using the following link and immediately receive a registration confirmation. Then…attend on August 30.
Here is the link for registering into this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZhIAGquIQD6ZuuEKPIlugA

Mode: Online (virtual).

Admissions Process: Unlike SummerUp 2022 courses, this webinar does not have an admissions process. See the registrations guide above. For this webinar, you simply register and attend.

Feature Speaker – Paul Davis

Paul Davis has dedicated his 29-year career to IT/Cyber safety. Since his first presentation over ten years ago, he has spoken to over 620,000 students in four provinces and five states, along with the Ontario Provincial Police, Canada Border Services and the Department of National Defence. He provides a fact-based delivery on how parents/guardians and children may use technology safely, without falling into the pitfalls that can be associated with the internet.

Special Note:

SummerUp is a program designed to serve and support the personal and professional aspirations of Ontario’s Black youth. The program is developed and presented by the Lifelong Leadership Institute (LLI), and it is primarily funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education. The quality of the SummerUp experience is assured by the contributions of a diverse group of individuals, educators, institutions and corporations. All are committed to championing the well-being, development and advancement of Black youth.

The Lifelong Leadership Institute also offers the Leadership by Design program which provides extensive leadership-development opportunities to Black youth.

The SummerUp 2022 webinar is primarily funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education.