Archive for October, 2012

Expert: Block kids’ ability to send photos, videos

Friday, October 26th, 2012

Raising a child is not an easy task, but the inundation of technology is making it even more difficult.

With the advent of text messages and photo sharing, younger and younger children can be, willingly or not, exposed to sexual content.

Sending sexually explicit images, known as sexting, is a big issue. While most underage people believe the photos will never see the light of day, a new study said 87 percent of the photos end up on the Internet, thanks to phone hacking, theft or other means. So how do you protect your kids?

“What you can do is, you can contact your wireless provider — whether it’s AT&T, Verizon or whoever — and have them remove the ability to send an MMS,” said Shawn Edgington, Founder of the Great America No Bull Challenge, an organization that urges kids to exercise digital responsibility.

According to Edgington, disabling MMS will still allow kids to take photo and video on their phone, but they will not be able to send them to other devices. The photos could still get out, but kids will have to go through a lot more effort to place the pictures in a location where they can be taken.

Edgington said, despite blocking MMS, parents should still talk to their children about how quickly one photo can spread around and that, once it’s on the Internet, it’s permanent.

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Make a difference with NO BULL!

Friday, October 26th, 2012

Did you know one out of every four teenagers experiences some form of bullying? Even more staggering: 70 percent of students are targeted and taunted on the Internet. Chances are, you may have witnessed or experienced bullying yourself. Rest assured you’re not alone; in fact, three FFA members just like yourself tackled bullying by taking up a challenge head on – the Great American ‘No Bull’ Challenge.

Tyler Gregory, Scott Hannah and Zach Veach joined more than 25 million other middle and high school students by participating in the challenge, which is centered around using digital responsibility and social media to make a positive impact on bullying.

“Bullying just stops kids from wanting to chase their dreams,” says 18-year-old Veach, a professional race car driver who dropped out of public school because of the bullying he was facing.

“We’re here to make a change because it’s getting out of hand,” continued Veach. “Because I wasn’t on the football or baseball team, I was different. And different was bad.”

Gregory and Hannah have had their own encounters with bullying too. For Hannah, the issue hit home when his friends began to harass a close acquaintance of his from another school. Their experiences led the trio to learn more about the repercussions of bullying and enabled them to make a difference.

Now, all three are national spokesmen for the No Bull campaign and travel around to leadership organizations like the National FFA Organization to speak and inspire other students to consider the challenge for themselves.

“Everyone knows what bullying is, but no one wants to do anything about it,” said Gregory. “We’re challenging each and every one of you to take on No Bull. All you need is a camera and an idea.”

No Bull Challenge participants submit a short video or public service announcement elaborating on the topic of bullying. Fifty videos are selected and then narrowed down to the top 15 finalists who are invited to attend the Teen Video Awards in San Francisco. Additionally, contestants are eligible to win other prizes including laptops, a new camera and even college scholarships.

For more on how you can make a difference and join the No Bull Challenge, visit http://www.nobullchallenge.org.

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A ”NO BULL” Challenge for schools: get, free anti-bullying lessons to students by Election Day

Monday, October 22nd, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (PRBuzz.com) October 22, 2012 — The Great American NO BULL Challenge today issued a challenge to school districts across the country– to get the NO BULL Academy’s free anti-bullying programs into all 6-12 grade classrooms by Election Day. The web-based platform teaches students digital responsibility, while fostering a positive and safe school climate. The lesson plans are designed by experienced educators for teens, and include anti-bullying videos created by the award-winning teen filmmakers of the 2012 NO BULL Teen Video Awards.

Cyber safety expert, and Founder of the NO BULL Challenge, Shawn Edgington said,
“Education reform and budget shortfalls are being debated in races for local, state and national office. We are pleased to provide some help for budget-strapped school districts, with free programs for students and educators. Lessons in digital responsibility should not be overlooked. That is why I have set November 6th, Election Day, as a goal to get the NO BULL Academy’s free programming in classrooms from coast to coast.”

The Blue Valley School District in the Kansas City metro area was the first to introduce the NO BULL Academy to its students, during Kansas Bully Awareness Week in September. School administrator, Molly McNally, said, “teachers reported the best student-engaged conversations ever.” She added, “teachers really like the format.” McNally is the mother of two and her niece was, “bullied relentlessly” during middle school. Today in her position as a school administrator, she is making sure students and teachers are educated about what bullying really looks like, and that they are provided with tools to deal with this problem.

The Kansas teachers used a lesson plan created by Austin Barker, the winner of the NO BULL Teen Video Awards. Barker, now a college freshman, is continuing his work with the NO BULL Challenge as President of the Youth Advisory Council, and encourages students to get involved in the 2013 NO BULL Teen Video Awards. Barker said, “As advocates of anti-bullying we hope to bring peace, understanding, and awareness of an evolving generation of bullying to students and educators across the United States. We have done this in a way not seen or experienced before; through the eyes of victims of bullying, and the vision of the students of America. The NO BULL Academy in coordination with the Great American NO BULL Challenge allows students across the country to unite against bullying and truly become a NO BULL NATION. We believe that even though you are in a place of darkness, you can still find light, because you’re not alone, and there is a better day coming.”

Barker joins Edgington in her challenge to schools to take advantage of what the NO BULL Academy offers for free, thanks to donations by its sponsors.

About the Great American NO BULL Challenge and NO BULL Teen Video Awards:
The NO BULL Challenge and NO BULL Teen Video Awards promote social responsibility, a positive school climate and social action using the power of music and film. The campaign’s national partners include, National Organization for Youth Safety, iSafe, FCCLA, 4-H, Bully The Movie and The Bully Project, HealthCorps, Project Change, Business Professionals of America, SADD, The California Endowment, among others.

About Shawn Edgington:
Shawn Edgington is the founder of the Great American NO BULL Challenge and the NO BULL Teen Video Awards. She is the President of the Cyber Safety Academy and the CEO of a national insurance company. A leading cyber safety expert, Shawn is the author of the best selling book, “The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media: Understanding the Benefits and Dangers of Parenting in the Digital World.”

Media Contact:
Suzanne Spurgeon, Women Media Pros
Suzanne@WomenMediaPros.com
Claudia McMahon, Women Media Pros
Claudia@WomenMediaPros.com
323-656-1536

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Annual anti-bullying ”NO BULL Challenge” set to return in 2013; free programs provided to teachers.

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (PRBuzz.com) October 1, 2012 — The Great American NO BULL Challenge today announced the second annual NO BULL Challenge and Teen Video Awards as the world turns its attention to National Bullying Prevention Month. The 2013 event is set to take place in the summer of 2013 in Los Angeles and returns teen spokespeople: author Zoe Oz, racecar driver Zach Veach and advocates Paige Logan and Nicole Edgington.

“We have found that the level of teen engagement and the promotion of a positive school climate are elevated when lessons come from other teens. Change makers affecting millions, is NO BULL’s lofty goal,” said Shawn Edgington, cyber safety expert, best selling author, and founder of the NO BULL Challenge.

The inaugural No BULL Teen Video Awards where held in July 2012 in San Francisco and included Hollywood celebrities, athletes, and musicians among them, singer/songwriter Sean Kingston and The New Boyz. The event also spawned a spoof on Comedy Central’s Emmy-award winning animated sitcom, South Park. To cap off the night, Robert Austin Barker was awarded first place for his documentary, “The Formula: A High School Thesis.”

“I filmed “The Formula” in response to my own personal battles with bullying. I think it’s important for people to consider that just because they’re in a place of darkness doesn’t mean they can’t bring light to it. The NO BULL Challenge allowed me to help deliver hope to all teens around the world with my film,” commented Austin Robert Barker, the big winner of the evening.

For the 2013 Challenge, teens and preteens are encouraged to enter the competition by creating 2-5 minute videos, or, 30-60 second PSAs, with a message of digital responsibility and/or anti-bullying. Videos may be submitted this December.

To further its anti-bullying message and teach students “digital responsibility,” the NO BULL Challenge and NO BULL Teen Video Awards will provide free educational programs to schools, nationwide. The programs are being administered through the Challenge’s NO BULL Academy.

The lesson plans were created by teens, many of who have been bullied. Among those is 18- year-old filmmaker, Barker. Barker’s winning short film, “The Formula” is being provided to schools, along with a new video message to students by Barker, and a Q & A lesson plan.

Fifteen video-rich classroom presentations have been put together for all students in order to help promote a positive school environment. Each 20-minute presentation includes one of the top 15 nominated films from the 2012 entries. The curriculum promotes digital responsibility and is available at no cost to schools, thanks to talented youth filmmakers and sponsors of the NO BULL Challenge.

About the Great American NO BULL Challenge and NO BULL Teen Video Awards:
The NO BULL Challenge and NO BULL Teen Video Awards promote social responsibility, a positive school climate and social action using the power of music and film. The campaign’s national partners include, National Organization for Youth Safety, iSafe, FCCLA, 4-H, Bully The Movie and The Bully Project, HealthCorps, Project Change, Business Professionals of America, SADD, The California Endowment, among others.

About the Teen Spokespeople:
Zoe Oz–teen blogger and co-author, along with her father, Dr. Mehmet Oz, of “YOU: The Owner’s Manual for Teens.”

Zach Veach–turned to auto racing after being bullied in school. Zach is part of the Andretti Autosport in INDYCAR’s Star Mazda Championship series.

Nicole Edgington–a cyberbullying survivor and inspiration for the NO BULL Challenge.

Paige Logan–4-H Representative at the annual National Bullying Summit in Washington, D.C. Paige talks about her own experience with being cyberbullied.

Scott Hannah and Tyler Gregory, dubbed the NO BULL Guys–they’ve been promoting their anti-bullying message at the National Anti-Bullying Summit in Washington D.C., during school assemblies, online and in media appearances throughout their home state of Ohio.

About Shawn Edgington:
Shawn Edgington is the founder of the Great American NO BULL Challenge and the NO BULL Teen Video Awards. She is the President of the Cyber Safety Academy and the CEO of a national insurance company. A leading cyber safety expert, Shawn is the author of the best selling book, “The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media: Understanding the Benefits and Dangers of Parenting in the Digital World.”

Media Contact:
Suzanne Spurgeon
Suzanne@WomenMediaPros.com
323-656-1536

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