America Links Up: An Internet Teach-In is a series of educational events designed to help kids, parents, teachers and others learn how to use the Internet safely and productively. As part of the U.S. Department of Education's America Goes Back to School program, America Links Up will give adults and children across the country the opportunity to attend sessions and learn:

• Internet basics,
• Tools that promote safe, rewarding online experiences,
• Information about good quality content and how to use it, and
• Ways families can safely navigate their way around this new medium.

The week of September 14 - 20, 1998.

There will be a national kick-off event which will be followed up with events in local libraries, schools and community centers across the country.

The online world is an important new resource for all of America's children. Everyday, kids across the country use the Internet to research subjects for school and for fun, communicate with their friends, visit chat room to discuss topics of interest, and play games for entertainment. Soon, millions more will have access at home, school or in their community. America Links Up is designed to help parents, teachers and all caregivers learn the medium, understand the online issues they need to know and find out about existing tools that can help enrich their children's online experience. The campaign is a commitment made at the 1997 Internet-Online Summit: Focus on Children, to find solutions to safety and other issues for America's children online.

A coalition of non-profits, educators, public and private sector organizations. Sponsoring companies include America Online, AT&T, Fleishman-Hillard, Microsoft, The Walt Disney Company, and Time Warner. Non-profit and government agencies involved in the program include the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Justice, the American Library Association, the National Education Association, the National Parent Teacher Association, Enough is Enough, CyberSmart!, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and The Children's Partnership, among others.

This national effort can only become a reality if local organizations volunteer to play a part. We are looking for organizations and corporations that:

• Have a national reach into local communities;
• Work with parents and/or children;
• Want to ensure that all children and educators have skills required for a successful future; and
• Are willing to provide facilities, resources, and/or funding toward organizing local events.

If your organization is interested in this important national effort, please contact us via our website, www.americalinksup.org. Information will be posted on the website as it becomes available.

The 1997 Internet-Online Summit: Focus on Children was a gathering of industry, public interest advocacy organizations, non-profits, educators and government officials organized to find solutions to safety concerns created by the Internet.

School is out. Surfing is in - surfing the Web, that is. Now that summer vacation is here, kids will have more time for the activities they love. Across the country, more than 10 million kids will jump onto the coolest Websites they've heard and read about all school year.

As a parent, you may want to set "rules for the road" for your child's trip through cyberspace. So, before letting your child go online, discuss and set family and classroom rules for 1) the amount of time allowed online; 2) appropriate material and ways for kids to explore the Web; and 3) with whom they can communicate.

Here are five tips for safe summer surfing on the Internet:

ONE Go online with your kids at home or in a school, library, or community center to learn the rules of the road and to teach them to look to trusted guides (librarians, teachers, and other care-givers) for help with finding the best kids' sites.

TWO Teach kids to never give out their name, school, address, phone number, picture, or other personal information to people they meet online, unless they have a guardian's approval and know what the information will be used for.

THREE Instruct your child never to plan a face-to-face meeting alone with online acquaintances. If they are invited to a meeting, make sure they get your permission first, and that they go with you or an adult family member and always stay in a public place.

FOUR Tell your child not to respond to offensive or dangerous e-mail, and ask them to let you know if they receive such e-mail. In addition, if you encounter sexually explicit e-mail or websites, call your service provider and report it to the CyberTipline at www.missingkids.com/cybertip.

FIVE When using commercial sites, check the sites' privacy policy - which should describe how information such as name, address, and credit card information will be used -- before you or your child gives out personal or financial information.

Take the time to learn the rules of the Internet with your child. There's no better protection for kids than an involved and trusted adult. Ask your Internet service provider about parental control tools, and ask computer stores about "child safety software" to block, restrict, monitor and review kids activities online.