Community / Press Release

English Montreal School Board to host parent webinar on online safety

Montreal - Monday, November 16, 2020

English Montreal School Board to host parent webinar on online safety

Canadian Centre for Child Protection to present recent findings and offer tips and information

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is calling on parents to attend the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s (C3P) new webinar: Online Risks and Emerging Trends  scheduled for Thursday November 26  from 7 pm to 8 pm.   

“We are excited to welcome parents to the C3P’s first online forum in Quebec,” said Daphna Leibovici, EMSB Student Services Consultant for Violence Prevention, Bullying & School Climate.  “This is an opportunity to learn about safety resources and get expert guidance on how to help kids navigate and respond to online risks – some of which are very concerning.” 

Karyn Kibsey, Manager of Training and Education at C3P, will be presenting at the webinar. She said, “Since the start of the pandemic, our national tipline, Cypertip.ca, has seen an increase of 81 percent in reports regarding online child abuse and exploitation. We are seeing children spending more time online, whether it be in their school life or personal life.  People who are looking to exploit children online are also aware of that.”

The webinar is an extension of a longstanding relationship between the EMSB and the C3P. The national charity first presented to the EMSB in January 2015 on the issue of self/peer exploitation (sexting). The EMSB has since implemented the C3P’s Kids in the Know personal safety education program. The program is designed to build skills and help students to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations, reducing the likelihood of victimization on and offline. 

“It’s a community-based approach to education,” said  Ms. Kibsey. “Teachers and clinicians are using the program with resources being sent home to families to continue the conversations happening in the classroom. This presentation is a big piece of that community-based approach to child safety.”

A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Spots are limited, with interested families invited to register online https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUlfuCsrjMuG9GzPM_mu6Kx171Mn4-q-Ccr. For inquiries or additional information, please contact Daphna Leibovici via e-mail at dleibovici@emsb.qc.ca.

 About the English Montreal School Board

With a youth and adult sector population of more than 37, 000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, our network consists of 77 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca.

About the Canadian Centre for Child Protection

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc. (C3P) is a national charity dedicated to the personal safety of all children. The organization’s goal is to reduce the sexual abuse and exploitation of children through programs, services and resources for Canadian families, educators, child-serving organizations, law enforcement and other parties. C3P also operates Cypertip.ca, Canada’s national tipline to report child sexual abuse and exploitation on the internet. For more details, visit www.protectchildren.ca.

Please see the promotional flyer