BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University officials are looking at social media knowledge and safety as their top priority this summer.
The University partnered with the AT&T Foundation and received a grant to host a one-day camp spanning over eight days for middle and high school students.
The "Bridging the Digital Divide" summer camp will provide a program designed to ensure that students are aware of best practices for keeping their personal information secure.
This camp will also provide a discussion regarding social media presence, with an emphasis on safety and cyberbullying as well as the opportunities that can arise from social media usage.
Director of Community Partnership Jody Slaughter says Lamar wanted to stay one step ahead now that students are out of school and have more time to scroll on their devices.
"Members of our team got together to brainstorm ideas and we really felt like social media and digital safety is a top priority for students in the area," she said.
The camp will also provide training on software programs like Microsoft Word and Excel along with other essential computer skills.
"To learn about Microsoft Excel this program like Word and Excel and that is extremely important because you are expected to know these things younger and younger now," said Marketing and Success Coordinator Jayna Lacy.
Officials stress the idea of learning how to safely navigate the internet and avoiding giving out too much information to online predators.
Slaughter says it’s important to reach the youth as early as possible.
"What we really hope to empower students with is the understanding is that everything they do online is recorded and kept in perpetuity or forever. So, they need to be thinking how they use those platforms to interact with people," she said.
One-Day Camp Schedule:
Days: July 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19 and 20
Time: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
A t-shirt, light breakfast and box lunch will be provided for each student participating.
Registration can be completed here.