Crumpled: Words Matter

 
The power of a word is underestimated. 

This is why we, as a society, have to take online harassment seriously.

Bullying doesn't discriminate. No one is immune to cyberbullying. From schools to workplaces to playing fields to cyberspace -- at any age, you can become a victim of vicious keystrokes and harsh words.

Crumpled is the name of a video created by a group of students that are on a mission to Delete Negativity on Social Media with the #iCANHELP Campaign. The video speaks for itself, the message is powerful and one you need to pass on to others.

These students call themselves The Positive Warriors! It started when someone created a fake Facebook page to make fun of a teacher at their school. Instead of retaliating with cruelty, they decided to come back with kindness by spreading positive messages throughout social media and their school.

This crusade has spread through 100 schools in their state of California. Their goal is to go national.

Will it start with you? Talk to your school about it today.

 Join #iCANHELP on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. The movement can start with you locally! To crumple or uncrumple, the choice is yours...

Words matter, keystrokes counts, use them with care.

Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHOA)

WHOA is a volunteer organization founded in 1997 to fight online harassment through education of the general public, education of law enforcement personnel, and empowerment of victims. The mission of WHOA is to educate the Internet community about online harassment, empower victims of harassment, and formulate voluntary policies that systems administrators can adopt in order to create harassment-free environments. We've also formulated voluntary policies which we encourage online communities to adopt in order to create safe and welcoming environments for all internet users.

Our president, Jayne Hitchcock, is a cyberbullying and cybercrime expert and regularly speaks at conferences training law enforcement personnel and other interested parties, as well as schools (elementary, middle and high), colleges/universities, libraries and more.

Our volunteers work with people currently experiencing online harassment, and help others to learn how to avoid such harassment or minimize its impact if it does occur. Our president, Jayne Hitchcock, regularly speaks at various conferences and seminars, training law enforcement personnel and other interested parties. She also lobbies for better federal and state laws to deter cyberstalkers and give victims more options to stop harassment. Jayne and some of our other volunteers are also available for press interviews.

Order today!

WHOA fully supports the right to free speech both online and off, but asserts that free speech is not protected when it involves threats to the emotional or physical safety of anyone. WHOA further asserts that online harassment is about power in a community: a power structure that has tended to accept or ignore harassment rather than actively seek to cease it.

While WHOA does not wish to single any group out as an enemy, we recognize and celebrate that the tide of the community is changing as people from all walks of life begin to become active participants online. As such, we must begin to assert our power as a group of concerned individuals (no matter what our backgrounds)  toward the protection of all people online against harassment targeted against them based on gender, sexual preference, race, ethnicity, age or privilege. WHOA welcomes anyone who demonstrates sensitivity toward the issues of harassment and a willingness to support our cause.

Now available - Download a printable, two-sided online safety brochure!

For more tips, resources and information about cyberstalking and other related situations, visit the web site of the book Net Crimes & Misdemeanors, written by our president Jayne Hitchcock.

Visit WHOA.

Sue Scheff: Teens Helping Teens

Cati Cares - Helping Teens Stay Safe Online

Please Help Me STOP CYBER BULLYING and Help Keep Teens Using the Internet SAFE! Cati Cares is dedicated to serving teens in our community by providing a valuable resource for internet safety tips and cyber bullying prevention.

My name is Cati and I am a 16 year old junior at a local high school in San Diego, CA. I want to help make our world a safer place!

I decided to start this site on my 15th birthday as a way to reach out to other teens about how important INTERNET SAFETY is and how we can join together to STOP CYBER BULLYING. TURNING TEARS INTO ACTION.......

Unfortunately, many teens have been the victims of internet crimes and cyber bullying. Take the pledge to not be a bully and to BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE! If you have a problem and don't know where to turn, please CONTACT ME and I will offer some helpful advice and a safe haven to share your story and seek help.

I continue to strive to be better everyday of my life and I live my life to the fullest. Being a teen isn't easy and each teen should be able to face middle school and high school prepared and ready for some of the tough issues they may face.

I want everyone to be able to feel safe on the internet and be confident that they WILL NOT be cyber bullied. Join ME and use my tips to stay safe and to stop the vicious trend of cyber bullying.

Visit Cati's website at https://caticares.com/Home_Page.php and help her to help others!

Follow Cati on Twitter @CatiCares

Sue Scheff: Sign The Petition - Support Nikki Catsouras

When a family loses a child, I can’t even imagine the pain they endure. How they wake up the next day, how they feel, what they feel and how they go on with life. When a family loses a child in a tragic accident it seems it could only compound all the feelings of loss.

On October 31, 2006 the Catsouras family experienced the nightmare every parent fears - losing a teen in a tragic automobile accident.

The accident was the beginning of an emotional roller coaster. If you haven’t heard about this story, it is time to take a moment and help make a difference. Nikki Catsouras, after having a horrific car accident was dead on impact, the scene was described as shocking as Nikki’s head was nearly decapitated.

Can you even imagine as a parent, learning of this? Can you imagine living through this? As a parent advocate and a parent of two young adults now, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what this family has gone through.

What follows next is nothing short of evil, in my opinion. Shortly after Nikki was buried, her parents and sisters still in mourning, the Internet creeped into their lives in the most heinous way. Photo’s of Nikki’s crime scene were posted online! Yes, their daughter’s body, or what was left of it, was going viral! Where is justice? Who in God’s name would do this?

Please take a moment to read “A Tribute to Nikki Catsouras” and sign the petition to help create reasonable protection for personal privacy on the Internet.