NEW YORK, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- AT&T1 is launching a new education effort to
help students, parents and educators tackle the cyberbullying
crisis. The effort shares valuable tools and resources and
encourages parents to stay involved in their children's online
lives.
The initiative debuts in New York
City and will feature a groundbreaking AT&T-produced
film, "There's a Soul Behind That Screen." After the screenings, a
panel including NYC Council Speaker Melissa
Mark-Viverito, AT&T SVP for the East Region Marissa
Shorenstein, Common Sense's Senior Parenting Editor Caroline Knorr, and founder and board member of
the Tyler Clementi Foundation, Jane
Clementi, will discuss the cyberbullying crisis, digging
into social media technology, the warning signs for parents and how
to best support a child who has experienced cyberbullying. A parent
guide for understanding the film and safeguarding children against
cyberbullying, produced by Common Sense Media for this campaign,
will also be distributed at each event.
Last year, AT&T and the Tyler Clementi Foundation conducted
a first-of-its-kind poll of New York
City teens and parents on cyberbullying. Findings showed
parents are largely unaware of what's happening under their own
roof. While nearly 50% of New York City-area teens have experienced
cyberbullying, only half of those told their parents.
"The impact of cyberbullying on our youth has become pervasive
and alarming. We simply can't allow this crisis to destroy more
lives and families. AT&T is hoping to give parents, educators
and students the tools to combat this epidemic," said Marissa
Shorenstein, SVP, AT&T-East Region. "We're working first with
the New York City Department of Education, the New York City
Council, and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment to start
a dialogue that will support parents, their children and educators
to lead positive change in our communities."
The film compiles award-winning short films made by high school
students who participated in the 2016 All American High School Film
Festival Cyberbullying Invitational based on their own
cyberbullying experiences. Common Sense Media and the Tyler
Clementi Foundation worked with AT&T to provide parents and
educators with the tools necessary to address this issue.
"The Cyberbullying Invitational last year was inspiring. Through
filmmaking, students could send a powerful message on the dangers
of cyberbullying. We're bringing these poignant stories back – to
even more students across New York
State," said Jane Clementi,
founder and board member of the Tyler Clementi Foundation. "Each
unique voice and perspective in the film can inform and help stop
this epidemic."
"Every parent wants desperately to protect their child from
being bullied. Unfortunately, our 24/7 digitally connected world is
making it easier for young people to bully each other, making it
more critical than ever before that we address it,"
said Common Sense President and Chief Operating Officer
Amy Guggenheim Shenkan. "Here
at Common Sense, we are dedicated to empowering families with the
tools they need to both prevent and tackle cyberbullying. Our
childhood development expertise and groundbreaking research informs
this work and we are thrilled to partner with AT&T on such
an important initiative."
AT&T and the Tyler Clementi Foundation have aligned with the
New York City Council, the New York City Department of Education,
the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and Common Sense
Media to screen "There's a Soul Behind That Screen" for
parents in all five NYC boroughs.
"In the era of the Internet, bullies everywhere have taken their
efforts to the digital level, causing undue depression, anxiety,
and psychological stress for thousands of victims across the
country. Cyberbullying has spiraled into an epidemic – and it must
be stopped," said New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. "As I announced earlier
this year during my State of the City address, we must work to
tackle cyberbullying at its roots. The Council is proud to partner
with the Mayor's Office, The Tyler Clementi Foundation, Common
Sense Media, and AT&T to combat cyberbullying through this
joint initiative. Here in New York
City, we want to make it clear that bullying of any kind is
unacceptable."
"Thank you to Speaker Mark-Viverito and the City Council for
their continued partnership in addressing cyberbullying -- an issue
we are all working diligently to address," said NYC Schools Deputy
Chancellor Elizabeth Rose. "We
commend the work of AT&T and Common Sense Media in using
student voices to make change and empower students in creating
positive school climates."
"Cyberbullying is taking a terrible toll on our children and is
one of the most pressing issues of our time," said Media and
Entertainment Commissioner Julie
Menin. "We need to listen to our kids and learn to recognize
the warning signs. This compilation of films by high school
students is a genuine step towards understanding and stemming this
terrible epidemic."
The Siena College Research Institute
is joining the effort by launching the AT&T/Siena Upstander
Program. The program is a statewide series of events in which
Siena College students will inform high
school students, teachers and school administrators of the dangers
of cyberbullying and empower the high school students to become
Upstander ambassadors. Siena students
will facilitate workshops for students in high schools across the
state that will provide them with the tools and resources they need
to combat this issue in their communities. The program will feature
"There's a Soul Behind that Screen" and conclude with school-wide
assemblies to build awareness, share best practices and promote the
Upstander culture.
"We are thrilled to work alongside AT&T and the Tyler
Clementi Foundation to empower high school students to share their
stories, connect with Siena students on
a peer to peer level, and become leaders of the Upstander movement
in their schools and communities," said Don
Levy, Director, Siena College
Research Institute. "This program is at the heart of Siena's mission as a Franciscan college and we are
committed to assisting high school students, their parents, and
schools to move from being victims and bystanders of cyberbullying
to being Upstanders and ambassadors in combating this
pervasive issue."
We'll share more soon on upcoming fall events to be held in
Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, on Staten
Island, on Long Island and
across Upstate New York. The AT&T cyberbullying program, with
screenings of "There's a Soul Behind that Screen," will also come
to other states later this year. Until then, parents, educators,
community leaders and students can download materials – including
the film - at soulbehindthatscreen.org.
AT&T is also empowering teens to rise above online
negativity and abuse through its social-first campaign, Later
Haters. Influencers that teens love and trust will drive the
movement on their social platforms – Snapchat, Instagram and
YouTube. AT&T hopes to encourage young people to use their
mobile devices as a force for good.
1AT&T products and services are provided or
offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the
AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About The Tyler Clementi Foundation
The Tyler Clementi
Foundation, guided by the life and story of Tyler Clementi, works to end online and offline
bullying in schools, workplaces and faith communities. We promote
safe, inclusive and respectful social environments in homes,
schools, campuses, churches and the digital world for vulnerable
youth, LGBT youth and their allies.
Through educational partnerships, research, public dialogues and
awareness programs, the Tyler Clementi Foundation fosters
empathetic, constructive discussions of respect and dignity for
youth and families, at all levels of society.
*About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions
around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business,
mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation's best
data network* and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless
provider.** We're one of the world's largest providers of pay TV.
We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries.
Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around
the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart
solutions.
AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc under the AT&T
brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information about
AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com.
Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att
and on YouTube at youtube.com/att.
© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property, LLC. All rights reserved.
AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service
marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated
companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of
their respective owners.
About Common Sense
Common Sense is committed to making
kids the nation's top priority. We are a trusted guide for the
families, educators, and advocates who help kids thrive. We provide
resources to harness the power of media, technology, and public
policy to improve the well-being of every child.
**Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network
Score. Score includes data reported by wireless consumers in the
Nielsen Mobile Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen
Mobile Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q4 2016 +
Q1 2017 across 121 markets.
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