Boys & Girls Clubs of America Partners With Sprint to Tackle Internet Safety

Second year of partnership brings 4NetSafety(SM) program tips to young people and the adults in their lives

ATLANTA, Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The continually evolving nature of the Internet and constant introduction of new media devices necessitate an adaptable education plan to keep young people safer online. As evidenced by the recent devastating events that have swept across our nation, cyberbullying, the sharing of personal information, and the misuse or malicious use of media continue to be major concerns for America's youth. As the nation's leading youth development agency, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Sprint have joined forces to address these issues and help better prepare today's young people to navigate their world - both real and virtual.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050921/CLW030LOGO)

Sprint's 4NetSafety(SM) program aims to open the lines of communication about Internet safety between young people and their caregivers. The online resource, www.4NetSafety.com, offers free tools from experts that address the perils that young people commonly encounter online and encourages positive dialogue about Internet safety. BGCA is now entering its second year of partnering with Sprint to provide 4NetSafey materials to Club members. BGCA will continue to make these educational tools available to the 4 million youth served by its network of Clubs through membership and community outreach, and BGCA and Sprint will explore additional ways to make sure this important information gets to the young people who need it.

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http://www.interestalert.com/story/11230002aaa055ff.prn/pkreysa/EDUCATIO/education.html

Teenage Girls Face Greater Violence Threat From Poverty

Living in a deprived area increases the risk of violence more sharply for girls than boys, according to a Cardiff University study of former industrial areas.

The new results suggest violence prevention strategies need to focus more on local inequalities, especially to protect vulnerable adolescent girls.

The survey was conducted by the Violence and Society Research Group at Cardiff University. The team studied nearly 700 young people, aged 11 to 17, who attended casualty departments in South Wales with injuries from violence. The researchers matched the patients against the levels of deprivation in their home neighbourhoods.

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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/208689.php

A Divide And Conquer Strategy For Childhood Brain Cancer

Medulloblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumors of childhood, with 40 to 50 percent overall mortality. One of the greatest challenges in treating them is that they vary substantially from patient to patient. In the largest genomic study of human medulloblastomas to date, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston, together with collaborators, have identified six subtypes with distinct molecular "fingerprints" that will improve doctors' ability to direct and individualize treatment.

The study, reported online November 22nd in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, is expected to lead to the first use of biomarkers for medulloblastoma in the clinic. The Children's Oncology Group, an international cooperative for childhood cancer research, already plans to apply some of the new data to subtype patients in upcoming clinical trials. Recognition of tumor subtypes will allow patients who need the most aggressive interventions to get them and patients with better prognoses to avoid treatments with potential long-term neurological and cognitive side effects.

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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/208946.php

Are Child Protection Systems Around The World Getting It Wrong?

t has been reported that 28.6% of Canada's children and youths are vulnerable to physical and/or emotional injury. These statistics were stated by the information website Child Abuse Effects.

The Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal reported that in 2007 an estimated 67,000 children were in out-of-home care across Canada.

The figures shown in a briefing document Child protection statistics: A UK comparison for children referred to child protection were unbelievable in the UK in the same year, with England being as high as 545,000, Wales 49,561 and Scotland 11,960.

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http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/198970

Fighting Bullying With Babies

Lately, the issue of bullying has been in the news, sparked by the suicide of Tyler Clementi, a gay college student who was a victim of cyber-bullying, and by a widely circulated New York Times article that focused on “mean girl” bullying in kindergarten. The federal government has identified bullying as a national problem. In August, it organized the first-ever “Bullying Prevention Summit,” and it is now rolling out an anti-bullying campaign aimed at 5- to 8-year old children. This past month the Department of Education released a guidance letter to schools, colleges and universities to take bullying seriously, or face potential legal consequences.

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http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/fighting-bullying-with-babies/?ref=opinion

Report says child protective services not equipped to deal with truancy

On October 25, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) released “Getting Teenagers Back to School: Rethinking New York State’s Response to Chronic Absence,” a policy brief researched and written for the agency by the Vera Institute of Justice in partnership with Casey Family Programs.

This policy brief proposes that the state develop a new non-punitive approach to teenage absenteeism that is rooted in research on adolescent behavior and school engagement. The brief found that the child protective system—the network of state and local agencies that handle allegations of child abuse and neglect—is not well equipped to help teenagers improve their school attendance. At times, it can make matters worse.

OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrión said, “The report shows that the majority of allegations of educational neglect in NYS are made on families with teenagers who are chronically absent from school, or truant. The data also indicates that these youth present as “very low” on the scales that measure risk for child abuse or maltreatment. The Child Protective system should not be the point of entry for a family in need of assistance in reengaging their adolescent with the educational system. We seldom have the tools to offer meaningful help.”

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http://www.examiner.com/cps-and-family-court-in-albany/report-says-child-protective-services-not-equipped-to-deal-with-truancy

The Best in the Nation: A Plan for Early Care and Education

The next Governor of New York State stands at the threshold of an extraordinary opportunity: The chance to articulate a vision and to build frameworks that will make New York’s early care and
education the Best in the Nation.

To begin, in the First 100 Days,the Governor will need to:
• Establish an Early Learning Commission to develop a plan of action
to bring lasting coherence and coordination to early care and education
programs and services

READ MORE: http://www.winningbeginningny.org/WBNYMarketingKit.php