CyberStrong – Navigating the Internet Safely and Powerfully

From the very real and documented negative impacts of social media, including cyberbullying, excessive screen time, and video game addiction, to the increase in isolation, anxiety and depression, worsened by the pandemic (including increased grief and loss), our youth are struggling in ever increasing numbers with mental health challenges. Explore our work with partners to address this issue by helping children, teens and families learn strategies be well and build resilience.

In 2012, our Community Foundation awarded a  20th Anniversary Impact Grant to CyberStrong, a pilot project developed as a collaboration between Hilltop Community Resources, Mesa County Valley School District 51, the Mesa County Public Libraries, and Western Colorado Community Foundation. .  The effort is led and facilitated by Elizabeth Clark, MA, a therapist who specializes in teens and has studied the effects of the internet on children’s development for over a decade. Through community and classroom presentations, and a series of classroom videos on building Neuro Strength (link to full videos), Elizabeth gives teens, families and communities the tools to build “brain resilience” in order to navigate the internet and other challenges safely and powerfully.

For more resources on youth resiliency and wellness, visit youthstrongwestslope.org.

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