Boys & Girls Clubs of America Announce Winner of National Media Safety Poster Contest

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Sep 19, 2011, 06:12 ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the online world consistently expanding, educating teens on media safety is more important than ever. Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) announced the winner of its inaugural National Media Safety Poster Contest at Kansas City's Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids event.

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The Media Safety Poster Contest was developed by Sprint (NYSE: S). Sprint has a long-standing commitment to keeping kids safer while online, and the contest provided an opportunity for teens to take action and illustrate important issues they face everyday. The contest hosted on BGCA's teen website, www.myclubmylife.com, received more than 25,000 votes nationwide and highlighted important safety topics including cyberbullying and online safety.

Alexis Cabero, 17, from the Children and Youth Programs, Camp Pendleton Boys & Girls Club received first place for her winning poster on cyberbullying. She was one of 700 youth that entered from Clubs across the country, and now her piece titled "Help Prevent Cyberbullying" will be sent to some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the world.

"Media safety is important for youth my age because most don't recognize inappropriate online behavior along with its consequences," said Cabero. "My generation spends more time online everyday than actually socializing with real people, so by making private information viewable to complete strangers without the proper knowledge of media safety is a big risk."

Cabero was announced as the national poster winner at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City's Day for Kids event. The carnival-themed celebration held in Kansas City, provided an opportunity for kids and adults to come together for a day of play and they were additionally encouraged to play safe online.

"We were pleased to see so many kids taking an active role in advancing Internet-safety education, by submitting poster ideas and voting," said Debby Ballard, director of Community Affairs for Sprint, who spoke at the event. "We all have a role to play when it comes to keeping children safer online, and having advocates like Alexis Cabero spreading the word can make a critical difference."

Sprint's 4NetSafety program opens the lines of communication about Internet and media safety between young people and the adults who care for them. Through the partnership with BGCA, Sprint is further educating young people on these important topics and creating opportunities, like the Media Safety Poster Contest, for youth to be proactive on issues surrounding online safety.

For more information on Sprint's 4NetSafety program visit www.sprint.com/4netsafety or Boys & Girls Clubs of America's www.myclubmylife.com/mediasafety.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, nearly 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve some 4 million children and teens through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native American lands throughout the country and on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

Sprint's 4NetSafety Program

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America