2509: NetSmartz: An Internet Safety Resource for Your Community

Friday, June 25, 2004
9:00am – 10:30am
Presenters: Esther Cookson and Jenn Gillins

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION

The NetSmartz Workshop® is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children (ages 5-17), parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet. The NetSmartz Workshop games and activities can be accessed at www.NetSmartz.org.

PRESENTERS BIO

Esther Cookson is Program Manager for the NetSmartz Workshop, an Internet Safety Program for children of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Esther has worked for the past four years coordinating the development and maintenance of the NetSmartz Workshop. As a liaison with other organizations, including law enforcement agencies, she has assisted in the outreach of NetSmartz. She also supervises studio staff and manages studio operations, coordinating internal review of materials to ensure approval prior to publication.

Esther combines passion and experience in helping children and community groups through education and technology. Prior to joining NCMEC, she worked as an Employment Counselor for the Department of Workforce Services assisting community groups and providing education for unemployed welfare recipients. She also conducted after-school therapy for sexually abused children of the Children’s Justice Center in Utah. In 1996 as part of a work-study Urban Discovery program, Esther coordinated a Day camp for inner city youth in Chicago. She has a B.A. in Sociology and a concentration on Family Science.

Jenn Gillins is the Education Liaison for the NetSmartz Workshop Internet Safety Program, a division of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Jenn assists states in implementing the NetSmartz Workshop into their schools, which includes setting up pilot schools to initiate the roll-out and training state and district representatives. Jenn also assists with the development of new educational content and works with teacher consultants in several states and countries.

Jenn has over eight years of teaching experience at the high school and junior college level. Jenn has spoken at various conferences to large groups of both adults and teenagers. She holds a B.A. in Communications and English.

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