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The series of televised appeals and mini-documentaries will be launched at the International
School Safety Convention, April 22-23, 2010, in Denver, Colorado. Television production and
editing facilities will be provided free of charge to spokespersons and delegates from the United
States and around the world.
Also invited are persons of integrity who are widely recognized in the worlds of art,
entertainment, sports, science, and literature, and who are interested in drawing attention to
programs of their choice and connecting with new audiences.
Throughout the 30 days following the International School Safety Convention, School Safety TV
will distribute 4 hours of broadcast video packages to journalists, television news producers, and
online and mobile news video providers at more than 25,000 news organizations on all
continents.
Participating organizations may include electronic brochures, reports, presentations, and other
multi-media with the high-definition video distributions.
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To help build a world audience for each program, School Safety TV also offers online social
networking tools so that organizations can quickly invite and engage supporters, moderate
discussions in multiple languages, create action groups, schedule and promote events, register
attendees, and upload media assets throughout the year for instant web distribution.
The Advisory Board for the convention's television campaign is led by the Executive Director of
Safe Havens International, Michael Dorn, a noted school safety expert who has provided
leadership consulting to states across the country and to nations around the world.
"Our purpose is to bring together comparisons and contrasts so that administrators, leaders,
and influencers can learn from one another," Dorn said. Bullying, cyber threats, natural
disasters, gangs, major accidents, and school violence are problems found in most parts of the
world, according to Dorn. "Problems also vary from country-to-country, but the different
solutions we try are relevant to everyone," he explains.
Dorn and the convention organizers point to many examples of horrific school safety issues that
deserve international attention:
• A girl in Afghanistan has acid thrown in her face because she wants to go to school, and
her family must face a life of humiliation.
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• A boy in Nepal recruited into armed conflict as a "child soldier" is haunted by his own
atrocities when he re-enters civil society.
• An African boy from a war-torn city tries to adjust to high school life when his family
seeks refuge in America.
• A child in Indonesia who loses her family and her school in a tsunami faces the threat of
human trafficking.
• Teachers are gunned down in Iraq, and the country experiences a "brain drain" when
academic leaders flee.
• A youth gang organizer in California turns to the school playgrounds of Latin America to
recruit new members.
• A tranquil European community is hit by a school shooting rampage, and the survivors'
grief remains unresolved.
Reviewing these and many other school-related crises, Dorn said, "We need to build a large
community of problem-solvers that is very inclusive."
Other School Safety TV Advisory Board members include former U.S. "Cyber Czar" Andy Purdy,
who will review programs that address school cyber threats; John Simmons, chairman of School
Safety Partners; and Ross Ellis, founder and CEO of Love Our Children USA. The founding
sponsor for the event is SchoolSAFE Communications, and the event host is the Foundation for
the Prevention of School Violence, at Johnson & Wales University, College of Business. The
International School Safety Convention is the Foundation's 4th annual leadership event on
school safety.
Source: http://www.schoolsafetypartners.org/Funding/schoolsafety_tv.html