Online safety focus of Project Harmony course for parents

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - This is a captive audience -- 14 different women with one thing in common.

“We all want what’s best for kids,” said Scott Butler, director of training with Project Harmony. “We want our kids to be safe, we want them to grow up and thrive. And the fact of the matter is, there’s a lot of things online, a lot of danger online that can compromise that safety.”

At this cybersecurity course for parents and caregivers, Scott Butler and Jonathan Davis don’t have all the answers -- in part because the Internet and all things tech are constantly changing.

“My first phone was a case we carried in our car when I was 21,” said mom Angela Watt. “Now my 8-year-old has a phone, and it’s very scary.”

“I want to protect my girls,” said Stephanie Payne, mother of two teenagers. “It’s important that they know what’s going on in the world so nothing happens to them.”

Sexting, predators, and cyberbullying all happen. This class helps parents learn how to talk to their kids about it.

“Children have access to the Internet through the day, schools use it,” said Davis, Project Harmony training specialist. “When they get home, they’re on it...gaming, they’re on it...so we know being exposed to it that much, we need to let parents know they need to have these conversations with their children to understand the dangers that come with it.”

“We want our kids to be able to go online,” Butler said. “There’s a lot of great things kids can experience online. We need to be aware of the threats that are out there, be calm enough in our discussions with them that we don’t scare them, and that we create adults as the go-to person when we have a problem.”

Additional opportunities are being offered, some online and some at night, so more folks can be reached. The courses at Project Harmony are free and open to the public.

Free resources are available from NetSmartz.

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