CIOGC Director of Youth Programs, Gihad Ali, visited the American Islamic Association (AIA) in Frankfort to facilitate “Plugged Into Personal Safety: Internet & Social Media Smarts,” a presentation for youth and parents that raises awareness about Internet privacy and safety issues.
On Sunday, Oct. 18th, Ms. Ali facilitated two back-to-back presentations, the first for parents and the second for students. A total of 75 people attended and the presentations were well-received by the AIA community. These youth-oriented presentations focus on the many ways youth are “plugged in” and the types of language, behaviors and online “friends” to avoid in the virtual world. Additionally, the presentations expose many ways that our online “privacy” is far from private. An emphasis is placed on the red flags to look out for and the different kinds of online predators that are specifically targeting Muslim youth.
Ms. Ali has facilitated these presentations at over a dozen locations, including schools and mosques. Thus far, over 800 youth have benefited from these workshops. The response from parents, youth and staff has been overwhelmingly positive. One parent from AIA’s Sunday School wrote, “As a doctor, I know little about it so I got a lot of knowledge. It was eye-opening.”
To schedule a presentation at your school or masjid, please contact youth@ciogc.org.