NetSmartz Workshop is Launched to Safeguard Children Online

Boys & Girls Club of America
Wednesday, 21 February 2001

February 21, 2001 – Washington – With the help of Hollywood-style animation and the magic of the latest Web-based technologies, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (B&GCA) and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) announced today a $1.5 million donation from Compaq Computer Corporation to create an exciting new initiative to educate youth about the risks they may encounter online. The NetSmartz Workshop, comprised of interactive, age-appropriate lessons and games, springs to life with original 3-D animated characters that Boys & Girls Club members helped develop. With the donation from Compaq, these lessons and much more are available free of charge to children, parents and educators via the World Wide Web.

The NetSmartz Workshop was first developed to reach the more than 3.3 million youth served by B&GCA, which has entered into a new era of enhanced computer technology in the past few years with Operation Connect, a comprehensive effort to bridge the digital divide. As children and teens in Clubs prepare to go online, B&GCA sought to arm them with the latest information available to help them stay safe. For this, they turned to the NCMEC who, for almost a decade, has taught children how to be "street smart" on the Internet.

Together with animators that created the amazing 3-D special effects in popular films like Antz and Godzilla, the NetSmartz Workshop has developed safety lessons for three age groups (5-7, 8-12, 13 and up). Thanks to Compaq, the NCMEC has created the Compaq/NetSmartz Studio, staffed with 3-D animators and storywriters to bring the NetSmartz characters alive, on the Internet (www.NetSmartz.org) with audio and video streaming. Compaq's Chairman and CEO, who was on hand for this morning's launch, predicted that The NetSmartz Workshop's innovative characters and messages would soon become some of the most popular online personalities with a purpose – creating a new generation of Web-savvy kids less vulnerable to online victimization.

"The Internet is transforming the way children and teenagers communicate, socialize and learn," said Michael Capellas, Compaq Chairman and CEO. "With nearly 24 million kids using the Internet every month, it's vital that we teach them to recognize potential dangers while online. The innovative NetSmartz Workshop features interactive lessons and activities to provide children of all ages with a fun and entertaining way to learn about using the Internet responsibly and safely."

Compaq's contribution to the project provides technology to the Compaq/NetSmartz Studio for the development of innovative animation and activities used on the Internet; a staff of animators, writers and Web developers to bring the project to life; and the creation of the NetSmartz Workshop Web site, www.NetSmartz.org.

The need for this kind of program is timely, according to an NCMEC report to Congress issued last summer, Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation's Youth. The survey found that almost one out of five young people who use the Internet regularly was exposed to unwanted sexual solicitations or approaches and one out of four encountered unwanted pornography in the last year.

United States Senator Joe Biden, whose efforts on Capitol Hill secured the initial funding for the program, echoed his support today by congratulating B&GCA and NCMEC for reaching out to all children, making the Internet accessible to them while ensuring their safety there. "We know all we need to know about the adults who prey on children in Cyberspace," he said. "I'm confident that this innovative new program will teach our kids how to avoid situations that put them most at risk."

John Walsh, father of a kidnap victim and host of America's Most Wanted reminded parents that it is as essential today to keep kids safe online as offline. "When my son Adam was abducted, the Internet didn't exist. Parents today have the added concern of keeping an eye on their children on the way to school, in their neighborhoods and in Cyberspace," he said. "The NetSmartz Workshop can help them do that in ways that will be readily accepted by this tech-savvy generation of kids because the safety messages don't speak down to them," he added. Boys & Girls Clubs members were involved in the creation of the 3-D animated characters, from the way they look to the messages they communicate.

B&GCA and NCMEC are long-term partners in the national effort to reduce crimes against children.

"The Internet provides education, entertainment and the potential for increased success. Unfortunately, it also presents the potential for dangerous situations," said Arnold Burns, chairman, B&GCA. "By partnering with Compaq and NCMEC, we are able to protect our youth by teaching them how to protect themselves."

Boys & Girls Clubs of America comprises a national network of 2,700 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving more than 3.3 million young people, primarily from disadvantaged circumstances. Known as "The Positive Place for Kids," Clubs provide guidance-oriented programs on a daily basis for children 6 - 18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key programs emphasize character and leadership development, educational enhancement, career preparation, health and life skills, the arts, and sports, fitness and recreation. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

NCMEC was established in 1984 as a national resource center on child protection and a clearinghouse for information on child victimization issues. Since its inception, the Center has worked with federal and local law enforcement on over 75,000 cases of missing and exploited children, and helped them to reunite over 55,000 children with their families. Since 1998, NCMEC has operated the national CyberTipline, www.cybertipline.com, for the public to report incidents of online enticement, transmission of child pornography and other forms of child victimization online. For additional information on NCMEC, visit the Center online at www.missingkids.com.

"We see huge potential for the NetSmartz Workshop," concluded Robbie Callaway, chairman-elect of the NCMEC. "Thanks to the commitment from Compaq, we can take these amazing characters and their empowering messages to every child who ventures online without a roadmap, and speak to them in terms they can relate to and understand," he said. "The 3-D technology that brings our lessons to life will entertain them, and in doing so, teach them what they need to know to potentially transform the Web, creating an atmosphere where suspicious behavior will be easily recognizable, avoidable and eventually no longer tolerated," he said. "That is our goal."

For more information, or to contact Boys & Girls Club of America, see their website at: www.bgca.org