The above words introduce the Congressional Internet Safety Resolution which designates June 2008 "National Internet Safety Month" and reinforces a national commitment to Internet safety. The NetSmartz Workshop honors that commitment while reflecting on more than 7 years of working with communities to educate them about online safety issues. Internet Safety Month offers us the opportunity to look over our timeline, celebrating our history and current progress, while simultaneously challenging us to evaluate our content in order to create richer and more innovative materials.

We would like to invite you to be a part of the evaluation process by joining us on June 18^th for the inaugural meeting of the NetSmartz Internet Safety Task Force. The task force will contribute to the assessment and development of new NetSmartz content. We are seeking input from leaders who are experienced in the fields of education, social service, and other related areas. If you are interested, contact Jaida Bender at jbender@ncmec.org or 703-837-6332 for more information.

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office has partnered with the FBI to bring NetSmartz to elementary-aged students in their community. As part of this initiative, Monterey's Salinas City Elementary School District has integrated the bilingual program into its curriculum. Using NetSmartz, educators hope to teach students how to recognize online risks and to empower them to be safer when going on the Internet.

Since the beginning of 2008, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Enforcement Unit has presented the NetSmartz Workshop program to over 2,200 students, parents, and community members within the state. Thanks to their outreach efforts, the children, tweens, and teens of South Dakota will "UYN" when going on the Internet!

Would you like to be featured in the next issue of NetSmartz News? E-mail information about your Internet safety activities, subject line "NetSmartz News/EEE," to newsletter@netsmartz.org.

June is Internet Safety Month and the NetSmartz® Workshop wants to congratulate you on your work to educate, engage, and empower kids about online safety. As you take this month to celebrate, I encourage you to make further use of our resources in order to communicate the importance of making safer online choices.

Start a dialogue with your children by co-signing the NetSmartz Safety Pledge, allowing room for them to share their thoughts on Internet safety as well. Then, get cooking with the NetSmartz Teachable Recipes, designed to help make Internet safety more "digestible." Showing interest in your children's online lives will help increase their confidence to make safer choices when faced with online risks such as predators, cyberbullies, and scammers.

Throughout the summer, NetSmartz will be conducting our Internet safety presentations for youth and adults allover the country; make summer an opportunity to spark a commitment to Internet safety for your own community. I urge you to use NetSmartz Internet safety presentations at local festivals and special community events geared toward families. Summer camps and libraries are often seeking information on safety issues, so offer them the benefit of your expertise. It is our combined efforts that will make Internet safety a year-long priority.

Join us in our recognition of Internet Safety Month!

Herbert C. Jones, Vice President

External Affairs

Take a pledge this summer with your kids!

Did you know you can use uncooked spaghetti noodles to help your child understand the importance of getting support from trusted family members? Or that salty cookies can represent the kind of unsavory Internet users your child should learn to avoid? Discover all of this and more with the new NetSmartz Teachable Recipes. By combining basic Internet safety lessons with culinary fun the Teachable Recipes make safety interactive.

Get cooking with your kids today!