Wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 🙏🏾 ❤️ We reached our fundraising goal of $5000 because of your support, donations, and amplification.
In my freshman year, I was cyberbullied along with other kids - right before our finals. Stressed and worried, I set up meetings with the principal at my school, contacted authorities for help, and even attempted to start a club to raise awareness. Despite my efforts, progress was minimal, and every step I took was met with rejection.
Determined to continue raising awareness about online safety, I began learning about cybersecurity and started campaigns, working with other high schoolers who had similar experiences. During this time, I realized the same issues also affected my local middle school.
That's when I realized the core of the problem - kids have devices and are online when they are 2 to 3 years old and online safety and cybersecurity education needs to start in preschool and kindergarten, not middle school or high school. The issue isn't just the children; parents also struggle with knowing how to limit or monitor their child's device usage and in many cases don't have the resources to ensure their kids are safe when online.
A month ago, I started an online safety initiative for elementary schoolers called Cyber For Youth (C4Y), aimed at helping children and their parents navigate the online world safely. I also wanted teenagers - those who had faced challenges or were victims of cyberbullying - to be the ones educating others.
Here's the progress we've made with C4Y so far:
- We have built a team of over 50 dedicated high schoolers. We had over 200 interested applicants!
- Currently, we’re researching and writing workshops for parents and children, building a website, growing our social media presence, and collaborating with parents, teachers, professionals, and nonprofits who are eager to learn more and provide feedback about our cause. If you're a parent or teacher interested in updates, feel free to join us here: https://lnkd.in/ghYWnbpT
- We reached our fundraising goal of $5,000 within just 5 days! If you'd like to support our cause, you can donate here: https://lnkd.in/gBXNN_5K
I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported this initiative by sharing their stories, donating, or reaching out to me. Together, we are making a difference.
#CyberSafety #YouthEmpowerment #Cybersecurity #DigitalSafety #CyberbullyingPrevention #onlinesafety #informationsecurity #infosec
