It all started a year ago with an aspiration to address Internet safety for kids. It culminated in an event on Sunday, July 23, when 10,000 children’s books were given away for free at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners.
Nearly a year ago, Comcasters in Seattle sought to partner with the Mariners and move the needle on Internet safety for kids.
We consulted with national and state experts on the topic. Among them was a director from the Committee for Children, a co-chair of President Obama’s Online Safety & Technology Working Group, and member of the Safety Advisory Boards for Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter.
The #1 Internet safety issue for kids today? Online bullying – or cyberbullying – affects 1 in 4 kids, and 1 in 6 admit having cyberbullied. Some studies report more than half of teens have experienced abuse through social media and digital media.
To address this issue earlier in kids’ lives, Comcast commissioned a children’s book to promote “upstander” versus “bystander” behavior in bullying situations. In other words, encouraging positive online behavior and standing up for others.
The heroes of the book, titled “Rise with King Felix, #MooseLove,” were none other than the Mariners’ starting pitcher Felix Hernandez and the Moose mascot.
Because of funding from Comcast, 22,000 copies of the book were published to be distributed for free at elementary schools, events, and at Safeco Field on July 23rd to all youth under 14 years old.
At the stadium event, known as “Rise with King Felix Book Day, presented by Comcast,” the Mariners Moose and book author visited the X1 Wall for an interview segment featured on the 2nd-largest big screen in the country.
Enjoy this last line from the book:
“Those that poke fun at others online,
May think they’re cool, but they’re no friends of mine!”
King Felix proclaimed, “Let it be known –
My house of Safeco is a bully-free zone!”
You can learn more about the project through this article on Geekwire and our original news release.
And you can see photos from the big day in our Flickr album.
Here’s an interview with the author on local TV which explains more about the project:
