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Youth Internet Initiative Gets $38K BoostBy Tammy Daniels - December 21, 2007
PITTSFIELD - A local initiative that has teens teaching youngsters about the dangers of the Internet got a $38,000 boost on Thursday.
The office of District Attorney David E. Capeless was awarded the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant on Thursday to launch the Student Mentor Internet Safety Program, which will train high school student mentors to teach their younger peers in kindergarten through second grade the importance of online safety.
The program is the brainchild of Steven Del Negro, the statewide coordinator for the U.S. Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Del Negro, of Williamstown, said the district attorney's office did a great job in going after the "highly competitive" grant, part of $3.5 million in federal money awarded to fund grassroots, innovative anti-crime programs across the state.
According to Capeless, the new program will be offered in conjunction with the state police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and will use Netsmartz Workshop, an educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The mentor program is part of the district attorney's ongoing countywide Bullying Prevention Initiative.
"The internet is wonderful tool that offers children unlimited opportunities for learning and personal growth, but also poses many potential dangers," said Capeless in a statement.
The older students will teach the younger ones appropriate Internet use and how to stay safe online using video games and activities through Netsmartz. A digital multimedia presentation and equipment will be purchased for use by participating high schools to help them develop their own elementary school presentations.
It's unusual for initiatives to filter east, rather than west, across the state, said Del Negro. The grant is an endorsement of the program and sends a message that Western Mass. is out front in educating children about Internet dangers.
"We're getting good feedback for this program and we're getting funding," he said.
Gov. Deval Patrick announced $5.1 million in grant funding on Thursday designed to combat youth violence across the state. In addition to the Byrne grants, awarded through the state Executive Office of Public Safety, the Department of Public Health granted $1.6 million for youth anti-violence coalitions and programs.
"In many cases, a violent act takes only seconds, but the impact on individuals, families and communities can last a lifetime," said Patrick in a statement. "The violence that we are seeing on our streets must end, and we know that it will take more than law enforcement to create a lasting peace. These grants underscore our belief that violence is both a public safety problem and a public health problem."
Capeless' office was the only Berkshire agency or organization to receive a grant. Several were awarded to statewide programs, but the bulk were distributed to heavily urban areas in central and Eastern Mass. |
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