Miami Lakes United Methodist Church hosts Social Media forum on July 13

Miami Lakes United Methodist Church (MLUMC) located at 14800 Ludlam Road, will host “Social Media and Our Kids: Prevent, Prepare, Protect and Pursue” starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 13.
In a press release, the church said “Our kids and community now extend further than before. This allows us to connect with each other better and faster, but that also means we can hurt each other more and faster than ever before.”
Approximately 15 percent of U.S. high school students report that they’ve been bullied online in the past year, according to the CDC. A Pew Research Center survey found that the number could be even higher at 59 percent according to Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN.
MLUMC is on a mission to change lives and build community. So the church invited Armando Sotero Jr. who was born and raised in the Hialeah/Miami Lakes area and served over 26 years in law enforcement, to share with parents and teens the tools they can use to navigate online bullying, predators and comparison/depression.
Due to his extensive work in community relations, including both juvenile and family programs, he has agreed to speak on this timely topic that is of interest to the community.
Understanding the connected world of kids and teens can be challenging for parents because adults don’t communicate online in the same way and are not necessarily using the same social media. Even more challenging is the reality that there’s always something new coming around the corner.
The purpose of this workshop is to help the community better understand how the kids are using social networking and to provide attendees with tips and tools that can used to help minimize negative experiences and maximize the positive opportunities that social media has to offer.
The forum is free. Registration is required. Visit www.hopemlumc.com/social-media-our-kids/ to register. Or call 305-821-7274 for more information.