Marje and Doug offer a variety of programs to schools, students and parents. If you are interested in one of our workshops please contact us by phone or email [See About Us page] to inquire.
- Children/Teens Online: Realities, Issues & Solutions
- This lively and informative presentation provides a unique blend of technology and counseling. We provide up-to-date information on all aspects of internet technology while exploring why children are attracted to the internet and what this means for their emotional and social well-being. Ultimately, the purpose of the program is to empower parents and educators to understand what their children/teens are doing online, why this media is so attractive to them, what are the concerns, and to empower parents and educators to help them safely negotiate this technological world. Topics include:
What are children doing online and where are they doing it?
What constitutes risky behavior?
Online harassment & bullying
Reducing a child's risk of being a target
Protecting a child's privacy
What is an appropriate age for children to have email and IM?
Anonymity of the online world and its impact on etiquette and communications
Acceleration of intimacy
Loss of self/loss of boundaries
Spyware, Scumware - How to avoid being monitored online
Music file sharing communities (e.g. Limewire, Kazaa) and pornography
Understanding the risks of online role play gaming addiction
What are the realities of sexual solicitation online?
Online diaries (web logs or "blogs") - what are the issues?
Strategies for talking with children
How to stay educated and where to find resources
- Teens and Social Networks: When and Why MySpace is not Your Space
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Social Networking Sites have become the most common form of communication for teens. Children as young as 10 and 11 are using sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, and Friendster to create communities, seek attention from others and make connections. With the recommended age set
at 14 for most of these sites, young teens are using these spaces with adults and older teens and are regularly exposed to provocative graphics and harassing language. On social networking sites privacy is public and friends are often strangers. This program explores all
facets of social networking and provides practical solutions and tools to help teens, parents and educators be safe on these sites. Included in the workshop:
Marketing Scams on Social Networking Sites
Prevalence of Pornography and fake sites set up to attract and manipulate teens
Personal information easily and readily disclosed
Implications for college admissions, employment and discipline issues in
schools
Sites set to Private are easily entered
Social Networking sites are the weapon of choice for angry or vengeful teens
Young children and teens trying to appear older on these sites which may not be developmentally healthy for them to do so
Issues with child-centered sites such as Club Penguin, Webkinz and Runescape
- Online Harassment: How to stay safe online
- Bullying online is rampant in the many virtual forms of communication. Students using Email, chat, IM, gaming communities and web logs all report being harassed or made to feel uncomfortable. Both they and their parents need to learn the skills to reduce their risks of being harassed, how to best deal with it and how to report it. This workshop empowers children and/or their teachers and parents to do just that. Topics include:
What behavior most likely puts children/teens at risk?
Online harassment & bullying - What are the realities?
Reducing a child's risk of being a target
How best to respond to a bully online; how not to respond
Strategies for talking with children
How to stay educated and where to find resources
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