LSS and Cherish All Children Online Event January 21 -- Keeping Children Safe Online

Cherish All Children, a service of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, will host a community event designed to equip community members to support youth in making safe and healthy choices in their online world.

Supporting Youth Safety & Healthy Choices in the Virtual Playground will take place from 10 a.m. to Noon on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, 2485 Como Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108 and virtually. In this sixth annual event, leaders will discuss how you can support youth in developing a healthy sense of self and stay clear of online exploitation. Event attendees are asked to register if they are planning to come. People can register for the in person or virtual event. Join us as we come together during National Human Trafficking Prevention Awareness Month.

In December, the FBI, along with the Department of Homeland Security and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, issued a national public safety alert due to the significant increase in online child sextortion cases.

“We all share a responsibility to protect children from online abuse and exploitation so young people can build positive, healthy relationships,” said Joy McElroy, director of Cherish All Children for Lutheran Social Service. “Our goal is to empower youth with the knowledge to make safe and healthy choices, both online and in person. We can equip faith leaders, families, and community members with tools to get started.”

This year’s event will feature:

• Alison Feigh, director of the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, a program of the Zero Abuse Project. Alison will lead us through “Navigating the Virtual Playground: Healthy Choices and Worrisome Pitfalls for Today’s Youth.”
• Joy McElroy, director of Cherish All Children, a service of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. Joy will lead us in activities from Cherish All Children’s Safe and Healthy Relationships Youth Guide, focusing on Session 2: Online Safety.

Cherish All Children is a service that educates, equips and engages churches and communities to prevent child sexual exploitation and trafficking. The initiative, founded in 2005, joined Lutheran Social Service in 2017. For more information, visit cherishallchildren.org.