Category Archives: Other

SafeTeensOnline is proud to announce that one of our Ambassadors, Dolly Pramoda, has been selected for the prestigious Prudential Emerging Visionaries Program. Pramoda, a youth leader from Puerto Rico, was recognized for her work in bridging the gap in cybersecurity practices among young adults.

The Prudential Emerging Visionaries Program is a global initiative launched by Prudential plc, a multinational financial services company, to support and empower young people who are passionate about creating positive social impact in their communities. Prudential Emerging Visionaries recognizes young people ages 14-18 whose fresh perspectives and innovative solutions address pressing financial and societal challenges in their communities.

Through the program, participants receive access to a range of resources, including online training modules, workshops, networking events, and mentor-ship from experienced professionals. They also have the opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals from around the world and collaborate on projects aimed at creating positive change.

As an Ambassador for SafeTeensOnline, Pramoda works to promote cybersecurity awareness among young people in Puerto Rico. In addition to creating educational resources, organizing events, and advocating for safer online practices for teenagers, she has played an important role in promoting safer online practices. Her work is a testament to the impact that young people can make when they are empowered and supported.To learn more about the Prudential Emerging Visionaries Program and Dolly Pramoda’s recognition, please visit this press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/puerto-rico-youth-recognized-by-prudential-emerging-visionaries-program-301749958.html

Our Ambassadors Take the Congressional App Challenge by Storm!

We are proud to announce that our Ambassadors have come out on top in the recent Congressional App Challenge! The challenge, sponsored by the United States Congress, is a nationwide competition aimed at encouraging students to learn how to code and create their own innovative apps.

Our Ambassadors worked tirelessly to create an app that not only met the criteria of the challenge but also reflected the mission and values of our organization. Their hard work and dedication paid off, as they were named winners in their district.

This is a tremendous accomplishment, not only for our Ambassadors but also for our organization as a whole. It is a testament to the importance of promoting technology and computer science education and encourages young people to pursue careers in these fields. The Congressional App Challenge is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their skills, learn new things, and have fun while doing it.

We are extremely proud of our Ambassadors Meghna Pramoda of Baldwin School of Puerto Rico and Siona Pramoda of Baldwin School of Puerto Rico and the impact they have made on the community. Their success in the Congressional App Challenge is a shining example of the positive impact that technology and education can have on young people. We encourage all students, regardless of age or background, to explore the world of technology and coding, and to participate in initiatives like the Congressional App Challenge.

Thank you to the Congressional App Challenge for providing this opportunity for our Ambassadors, and for supporting the next generation of technology leaders.

What a way to ring in 2023—we’re Guidestar Platinum Transparent! Come celebrate the spirit of openness that runs throughout our organization. We provided detailed information on how we run our operations, programs, and finances to the public to achieve this coveted designation. It is the highest level of transparency that a nonprofit can attain on the Guidestar platform. In other words, Guidestar vouches for our transparency!

At SafeTeensOnline Inc, we are committed to transparency and accountability in all that we do. We believe that it is essential for our stakeholders – including donors, volunteers, and the communities we serve – to have access to information about our organization. By providing this information, we hope to build trust and foster relationships with those who support our mission.

Our organization is dedicated to promoting internet safety for teens and young people. Through our educational programs and resources, we aim to empower young people to make safe and responsible choices online. We believe that this work is more important now than ever, as the internet plays an increasingly central role in our daily lives.

We are honored to have received this recognition from Guidestar and are grateful for their support. We look forward to continuing to serve our communities and promote internet safety for teens. If you would like to learn more about SafeTeensOnline Inc and our work, please visit our website or follow us on social media. Thank you for your support!

Do you think the Internet is a safe place? If you do, you aren’t alone. Many people believe the Internet is safe; however, they could not be more wrong. Many people can and do deny the hard truth about the place they know and love; however, the facts and evidence speak for themselves. It is clear that the Internet is a dangerous place as the malicious sites, mischievous people, and unexpected traps contained in our “safe haven” are far from friendly.

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Malicious sites are something that roams the Internet and are the bane of websites all over the platform. Websites are sites on the web with domains (https://website-name.something) such as Google, Wikipedia, or Youtube. The sites I listed are some of the ones that we use often and are identified to be relatively safe to use. However, some sites are more hidden in the dark and have more malicious purposes. These websites can contain IP grabbers (tools that can be used to find your location), viruses/malware (tools that may infect your computer and take sensitive information), and more ill-intended software that can not only threaten your digital life but your real one as well. tathli.com, and aladel.net are a few examples of this (both have been taken down), with both of them containing malware and other sites such as Grabify publicly allowing people to create their own IP grabbers, all while taking your own at the same time.

Mischievous people are humans or robots that lurk on the Internet, waiting for a new victim to infect. These people have many purposes ranging from developing those same malicious websites that we mentioned before or displaying traits of cyberbullying/predation. Simply posting pictures or traits that you publish on social media can motivate skilled hackers to find your identity in the span of minutes. An example of this is the story of Alicia Kozakiewicz, a young girl who got kidnapped by an internet pedophile. Luckily she was saved; however, it just shows how seemingly insignificant details such as your face or your name can cause the difference between happy internet browsing and a lifetime of regret and fear.

On the other hand, many people argue that they/their children are responsible enough to flow through the Internet safely. Many would agree that you can gracefully navigate the Internet safely and avoid a good amount of things I have talked about in the essay. However, unexpected traps are placed all over the web. They can come with the face of a fake celebrity, friend, family, or on the other hand or dark emails that blackmail you into doing unspeakable things like the story of Nicole Hayden being catfished by a man on the internet.. The point is that you can always try your best to be safe on the Internet, but sometimes there are simply things out of your control.

The Internet is a great place. It holds the information we need and apps that we love but if you have picked up anything from this essay is that the Internet can be a dangerous place. With all the terrible people, sites, and traps, you might think I hate the Internet or advise you to stop using it. In truth, however, it is the opposite. I am on the Internet every day, whether doing schoolwork, gaming with friends, or coding. I have experienced these things I talk about first hand, but it does not scathe my undying love for the web. So, in conclusion, you should keep in mind that the Internet holds dangers but still use it for the wonderful tool it is.

-Vivek Vikram Chaudhuri

Our Ambassadors visited T-Mobile in Bellevue, WA this summer to celebrate with other T-Mobile Changemaker Finalists. During this trip, they heard from other Changemakers about focusing on inclusion. This emboldened them to move forward with ensuring that the SafeTeensOnline curriculum is made available to native Spanish speaking students in the US and abroad.

Under the leadership of SafeTeensOnline US & Caribbean Ambassador Siona “Dolly” Pramoda, the organization identified a Spanish language partner in Ganar Juntos. The organization is focused on providing employment opportunities in the Dominican Republic, where the unemployment rate is a whopping 75%. With the support of the Changemaker Award provided by T-Mobile, the SafeTeensOnline is proud and excited to move forward in the Spanish language curriculum initiative.

If you are in a predominantly Spanish speaker school, please contact us (admin@safeteensonline.org) to be part of our program. We are excited to welcome you!

-STO Team

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Nuestros embajadores visitaron T-Mobile en Bellevue, WA este verano para celebrar con otros finalistas de T-Mobile Changemaker. Durante este viaje, escucharon de otros Changemakers acerca de centrarse en la inclusión. Esto los animó a seguir adelante para garantizar que el plan de estudios de SafeTeensOnline esté disponible para los estudiantes de habla hispana nativa en los EE. UU. y en el extranjero.

Bajo el liderazgo de SafeTeensOnline US & Embajadora del Caribe Siona “Dolly” Pramoda, la organización identificó un socio de habla hispana en Ganar Juntos. La organización se enfoca en brindar oportunidades de empleo en la República Dominicana, donde la tasa de desempleo es del 75%. Con el apoyo del Premio Changemaker proporcionado por T-Mobile, SafeTeensOnline se enorgullece y emociona de avanzar en la iniciativa del currículo en español.

Si estás en una escuela predominantemente de habla hispana, contáctanos (admin@safeteensonline.org) para ser parte de nuestro programa. ¡Estamos emocionados de darle la bienvenida!

Equipo -STO