With all its opportunities to learn, shop and play games, the internet does pose some challenges. TDS associates Wendi Bulkley and Ashley Michaelson know this all too well and worked this summer with the St. George Police Department to teach students to Be Safe Online.
“At TDS, we understand the critical, lifelong lessons that internet safety will provide children and their parents,” said TDS Associate Manager of Field Marketing Wendi Bulkley. “Unfortunately, there are predators, identity thieves, and others online who try to harm young people. In order to be safe online, it’s important for you and your kids to be aware of the dangers, so they can make informed and smart decisions— even when you are not around.”
Teaching these skills is why TDS rolled out a few years ago an internet safety program called, Be Safe Online, and why TDS is now working with the St. George Police Department School Resource Officers on its newest program called the S.P.E.A.R. Academy (Students, Police, Education, Achievement, and Resiliency). For the first time ever, the academy held a three-hour, four-day camp this summer and worked with students in Grades 6, 7, and 8th in the Washington County School District. The camp not only taught internet and social media safety, but there was a show-and-tell with police vehicles and equipment, fingerprinting, physical activities, K-9 presentation, bike maintenance, and safety. Students also learned communication skills, resiliency, and proper behavior at school and around the community.
The academy was FREE and rotated each week throughout the Dixie, Pine View, Desert Hills, and Snow Canyon school boundaries. The first four weeks were incoming sixth graders and the second four weeks was a combination of incoming seventh and eighth graders following the same 3-hour format.
For questions about the program, contact at spear@sgcity.org.
For TDS, this meaningful program matches our corporate responsibility mission and correlates well with our TDS Cares campaign. Our goal is to help students think about safety first when they are online. Here are tips for students and parents on how to Be Safe Online: https://wp.me/p728pC-2Ve.
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