Youth violence can affect teens in any community. Whether bullying, gang violence or disagreements that turn physical, too many of our kids are witnesses to violence on a daily basis. According to Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), youths under 18 account for approximately one in six violent crime arrests. And for every teen who is arrested, there are ten more engaged in physical violence that could have led to serious injury.

But what can your teens do to prevent violence in their school? The folks at SADD have a few tips that could help to maintain a safer school environment.

• Commit to nonviolence. Don’t bully, tease or spread gossip about other students.
• Get involved in your community by volunteering or joining after school programs.
• Learn how to resolve arguments without violence.
• Join groups at school or in your community that promote nonviolence.

Its important to recognize the warning signs of violence early on, in order to prevent or avoid it. If your teen is a victim of hazing or bullying of any kind, or if they witness it happening, its important to talk to a trusted adult and report it. The physical pain may heal, but emotional scars could carry on for life.

 

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, people all over the world were shocked to find out a massive earthquake had struck and devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti. According to the Red Cross, the quake and repeated aftershocks caused widespread destruction, leaving tens of thousands of casualties and possibly millions more were impacted throughout the country by injury or displacement. The full scope of devastation is still unfolding.

And as the world watches rescue workers sorting through the debris, aid groups work with what resources they have available. In the case of the Red Cross, the response has been great. In just a couple of days, nearly $1 million in donations were raised for the Red Cross and their relief effort through a text message campaign backed by the U.S. State Department.

In times like these of great tragedy, many of us are inspired to donate our time or money, in spite of tough economic times. But it’s important to remember that even during the most difficult times, there are always people out there who’s sole aim is take advantage of your good intentions in order to separate you from your money. Make sure you know you are dealing with an organization you can trust.

The FBI offers some good advice to help you make sure your donation makes to those who need it most, rather than just lining some crook’s pockets.

• Don’t respond to any unsolicited spam emails, and never click on any links in an unfamiliar message.
• Beware of any email that supposedly has images of the disaster sent as attachments, those files could contain viruses or other malicious files.
• Never give your personal or financial information to anyone soliciting contributions. This could open you up to identity theft.
• Make your donations direction to an organization you are familiar with. Don’t rely on any one else to make a contribution on your behalf.

Check out the FBI’s site for more tips on how you can avoid falling victim to scammers trying to take advantage of this great tragedy. The AMW Safety Center also has plenty of tips to help protect you from a variety of types of ID crimes.

Kids and teens spend a lot of time online establishing their internet identities. But it’s important to remember that what you post online can be viewed by anyone. Teachers, coaches, college admissions offices, or potential employers might be your scanning your profile to get a sense of who you are.

So how do you decide what information is ok to post? The folks at Net Smartz have some good advice to help.

• Don’t post any pictures, videos or information that you might regret later.
• Think before posting anything. Who might see this? What will they think?
• Use privacy settings to control access to what you post. This can help prevent cyberbullies and predators from gaining access to your personal information.
• Think about how fast information can move from one place to another when people forward via e-mail, IM, or texts. And once it gets out there, you may never have a chance to take it back.

The AMW Safety Center has a lot of information you can share with your teens, to help make sure they stay in control of their online reputations. And check out the Net Smartz Workshop for more tips.