Programs

In past generations, bullying was considered a “rite of passage” into young adulthood – a harsh but accepted part of adolescence.  Today, we understand that no child should be afraid to come to school and that anxiety and fear in the classroom only prevent learning from taking place. While educators play a significant role in bullying prevention, students are also an integral part of creating a kinder, more respectful school environment. In this engaging and interactive session, students will learn how to recognize bullying and will explore strategies for becoming an “upstander” – an individual who shows courage by supporting others who are being harmed.

AUDIENCE: Students in grades K-4 (primary version for grades K-2 differs from elementary version for grades 3-4)
DURATION: 30 minutes for grades K-2 (recommended); 45 minutes for grades 3-4 (recommended)
FORMAT: Suitable for both large and small group settings

This session works best as part of a comprehensive, school wide commitment to creating a positive school climate.

In past generations, bullying was considered a “rite of passage” into young adulthood – a harsh but accepted part of adolescence.  Today, we understand that no child should be afraid to come to school and that anxiety and fear in the classroom only prevent learning from taking place. While educators play a significant role in bullying prevention, students are also an integral part of creating a safer, more respectful school environment. In this engaging and interactive session, students will explore how to recognize bullying, support their peers, and respond with courage. They’ll leave empowered with the knowledge that even a small act of bravery and kindness can make a real difference in someone else’s life.

AUDIENCE: Secondary students
DURATION: 1 hour (recommended)
FORMAT: Suitable for both large and small group settings

This session works best as part of a comprehensive, school wide commitment to creating a positive school climate.

E-cigarette use amongst youth is a serious public health crisis. Nicotine is harmful to developing brains and young users are more likely to get addicted quickly. Despite the FDA’s attempts to crack down on misleading labels and youth-focused marketing, tobacco companies continue to expand their offerings to appeal to young people and to perpetuate the belief that vaping is a safe alternative to smoking. This program is designed to raise awareness with younger teens about the dangers of vaping and nicotine addiction. Media literacy is introduced to encourage students to evaluate and understand messaging about e-cigarettes. Vaping consequences, which expand beyond just physical health, are explored and the program concludes with the message that the real cost of vaping is simply too high.

AUDIENCE: Middle school/Junior high school students
DURATION: 45 minutes (recommended)
FORMAT: Suitable for both large and small group settings

This session works best as part of a comprehensive, drug and alcohol prevention program.

This program begins by taking older youth on a journey back in time when tobacco companies had the public convinced that nicotine was not addictive. Once those early lies were exposed and teen cigarette sales plummeted, a creative concept emerged to attract a new generation of users – e-cigarettes. Today, every large tobacco company owns a vaping company. With clever marketing and youthful flavors and packaging, vaping has taken a foothold amongst teens and has created a public health crisis.  This program explores each of the major lies that tobacco companies are perpetuating today. Teens are encouraged to consider each myth with a critical eye so that they do not fall prey to the deceptive practices that have harmed the generations before us.

AUDIENCE: High school students
DURATION: 1 hour (recommended)
FORMAT: Suitable for both large and small group settings

This session works best as part of a comprehensive, drug and alcohol prevention program.

A program for students in grades 5-12 that explains what is expected of them while online and appropriate use of social media. No longer a push on the playground or a whisper in the hall, bullying has been transformed by the internet and social media. We will explore the consequences of improper use of the internet, dangers online, cyberbullying and your “digital footprint.”

A presentation for students in grades K-4 that explains how to stay safe and smart while online. We will talk about red flags to look out for so that we keep ourselves safe from others online, and also explore tips for making smart choices in what we say and do online.

Scammers and fraudsters target Pennsylvanians every day in an effort to gain access to our money or personal information. They target our emotions in hopes that we will let our guard down and believe the scams they are perpetrating. From robocalls to social media messages, texts to emails, Pennsylvanians must be on the lookout for these “too good to be true” hoaxes. This presentation will break down the top 10 scams currently being used in PA.

Despite warnings from the medical community, school policies, and state and federal laws aimed at stopping youth from vaping, the usage of e-cigarettes among middle and high school students continues to rise. This program provides eye-opening facts about e-cigarettes, and warns parents about the dangers of vaping and best practices to prevent and stop vaping use.

This program educates consumers on some “Dos & Don’ts” of ID theft. Each year, more than 10 million Americans have their personal information — including name, social security number, bank account, or credit card number — stolen. This presentation is designed to raise awareness of identity theft tactics, steps to take to protect your identity and personal information, and information on reporting identity theft.

Pennsylvania continues to fight a public health and public safety battle against the heroin and opioid epidemic. Although the recent Pandemic shifted focus away from the Opioid Crisis, we lost over 5,100 Pennsylvanians in 2020 from heroin and opioid overdoses – that’s 14 Pennsylvanians every day! This presentation will discuss what Opiates are, why citizens are at risk, proper storage and disposal of Opioids, and explaining what Narcan is. This presentation also discusses what the Commonwealth is doing regarding the Opioid crisis.

Bullying doesn’t stop at any age. As we grow older, some don’t always “grow up.” This interactive program is designed to educate individuals on senior bullying and includes: types of bullying, why people bully, and what an individual can do to help themselves or others in a bullying situation. This program will help any individual that is involved in a bullying situation to find the confidence within them to report the problem. This program will also help caregivers recognize bullying issues in the senior population.

Scammers and fraudsters target Pennsylvanians every day in an effort to gain access to our money or personal information. They target our emotions in hopes that we will let our guard down and believe the scams they are perpetrating. From robocalls to social media messages, texts to emails, Pennsylvanians must be on the lookout for these “too good to be true” hoaxes. This presentation will break down the top 10 scams currently being used in PA.

The Senior Scam Prevention educates older Pennsylvanians and their families throughout the Commonwealth on crime prevention. Our goal is to make Pennsylvania’s older population aware of the threat of fraud to the elder community, teach them how to avoid being victimized; and to make sure they know who they should call when they are concerned about their safety and well-being.

This presentation gives parents and teachers a foundational education on understanding the social media sites that children use and how to keep them safe while using them. Parents and teachers will learn how to navigate and learn how to enable the security features on the “apps,” along with recognizing the importance of knowing their child’s passwords. Monitoring children’s behavior and interactions on the internet is very critical in today’s world. Children are being targeted by online predators and cyber bullying at an alarming rate.

This program focuses on the growing problem of prescription drug abuse among teenagers. The presentation features the story of a young man whose dependence on prescription drugs led him down an unexpected path of destruction.

A drug program for middle and high school students. Shane shares his true story of hard choices and near-death experiences due to drugs and alcohol. This is a reality check for all students and will open a unique dialogue about the realities of substance abuse.

Pennsylvanians have a proud history of military service. Today, over 320,000 U.S. veterans call Pennsylvania home, and there are over 2,200 organizations that serve veterans all across our Commonwealth. Scammers and identity thieves target veterans because of the additional government benefits they receive. They often appeal to vets’ patriotism or exploit elements of a military lifestyle to steal their hard-earned benefits. This presentation identifies the top 10 scams targeting veterans and provides information on how to protect yourself and your family from being victimized by them.

As more and more Americans turn to dating websites and applications to find romance, scammers and identity thieves have increasingly turned their eyes to these platforms as a way to find new victims. The scammer creates a fake profile and works quickly to gain their target’s affection and trust. Once they do this, they use this false relationship to steal funds, information or both from their victim. This presentation explains how this scam works, identifies tactics the scammers use and provides information on how to protect yourself from being victimized by a sweetheart swindle, a/k/a romance scam.

As the elderly and disabled become more dependent on others for their care, it becomes increasingly important for individuals who accept the position of trust as their caretakers to be held accountable for neglecting and endangering those in their care. This presentation defines and identifies indicators of neglect, endangerment and abuse and provides information on how and where to report suspected caregiver neglect, endangerment and abuse.

As prescription drug prices continue to rise, many consumers are turning to online pharmacies as a way to find less expensive options. Others use online pharmacies for the convenience of home delivery or due to privacy concerns. But according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 97% of online pharmacies are fake. This presentation provides consumers with information about the risks of using fake online pharmacies, and identifies warning signs to spot the sites that may be unsafe to use.

Dealing with the death of a loved one is among the most difficult experiences we can have, but having scammers and fraudsters compound our grief adds insult to injury. This presentation identifies the most common types of funeral fraud and bereavement scams, warning signs to look out for, and tips to protect yourself from becoming a scam victim while you’re grieving.

While most retailers are reputable and deal with their customers honestly, unscrupulous retailers do exist. This presentation is designed to educate Pennsylvania consumers about common types of deceptive sales practices, including: bait and switch sales tactics, going-out-of-business sales and continuous sales. The presentation will also provide important information about contracts for goods and services, including rent-to-own transactions.

Your home is your most important financial investment. It’s not just where you live; it’s a crucial investment in your future. When it’s time to perform repairs or build that addition, you deserve to know that the people and businesses doing the work are trustworthy. This presentation provides consumers with information to keep in mind before hiring a home improvement contract, what rights consumers have, and how to report contractor fraud.