ARTICLE

In today's digital age, ensuring our children's online safety is paramount. Recognizing this need, the Ontario Conference recently hosted a groundbreaking event, "Digital Safety Day", a collaborative effort between the Children's Ministry and the Communication Media Department. This event brought together experts and the community to address and discuss the pressing issue of internet child exploitation and provide valuable insights into safeguarding our children in the online world.

The event featured speakers from the Durham Regional Police Service ICE team (Internet Child Exploitation), including Detective Constables Jamie Pogson and John Powell, and Superintendent Glenn Courneyea.

The program was hosted by Patricia Ferreira Lopez, Director of Children's and Women's Ministries, who asked questions on various topics, ranging from awareness of online risks to practical steps parents can take to safeguard their children. One particularly eye-opening segment demonstrated how sharing a child's picture can allow a predator to identify who they are and their location.

The event also provided an interactive platform for viewers to engage with the speakers through a question-and-answer session to understand the issues and solutions better.

In his closing remarks, Superintendent Glenn Courneyea encouraged any young person caught up in an exploitative online situation to contact law enforcement or trusted community members like the church for support. He reassured viewers that they are not alone in facing these challenges. He also expressed their gratitude to the Ontario Conference for the opportunity to share vital information.

After the program, the officers were so pleased with the experience that they expressed interest in a future partnership with the church to continue raising awareness about other community safety issues.

This Digital Safety Day demonstrated how the church can become relevant in the eyes of our community by showing we care about the whole person: spiritually and physically.

Stay tuned for more media programming from the Conference.

For those who missed the event, it is available to view on the AdventistOntario YouTube channel, here: [Digital Safety].