WINI to Teach Homeless Children

February 19, 2007 - This spring, the Women at INI (WINI) organization is focusing its outreach projects on an audience too often forgotten--homeless children. Transitional lives do not restrict these children from the Internet, which they can access at schools, libraries and shelters. Safety measures are as important to them as other children, but they have few role models and limited resources. WINI has the opportunity to mold their behavior, introducing them to safe and responsible computing practices, through the Homeless Children Education Fund (HCEF), who will connect WINI with parents, children, teens and staff at shelters.

As part of its planned activities, WINI will conduct cybersafety training sessions to the teaching staff at HCEF shelters. Using the computers at the shelters' learning centers, WINI will introduce Carnegie Cadets: The MySecure Cyberspace Game, an interactive digital game designed to teach school-aged children about Internet threats and safety measures. Children who play the game will become virtual cadets at the Carnegie Cyber Academy and pursue fun missions that teach Internet safety. WINI will also work with HCEF to present workshops for parents and their teenagers to promote responsible computing practices for the children now, as well as for their future.

WINI was founded in September 2006 and works to promote gender and cultural equality and diversity, both within and beyond the INI. The organization is currently actively involved in outreach projects to create public awareness of cyber threats, cyber security and safe computing practices.