About this Event
Phones. Group chats. Discord servers. Game lobbies. The platforms change every six months, and most adults feel a step behind. The Summit for Protecting Kids Online is here to close that gap so the educators, counselors, youth leaders, and family members in a kid's life can guide them through the digital world with confidence, not fear.
That means understanding the landscape before something goes wrong. It means having the conversations that build trust before there's a crisis. And yes — it also means knowing exactly what to do if a kid ever does come to you with a screenshot, a message, or a question you weren't expecting.
Who this is for
Educators & school staff. Teachers, counselors, coaches, and student support — build classroom culture and conversations that protect kids from the inside out.
Counselors & clinicians. Prevention-forward, trauma-informed practice — from healthy device habits to disclosure response and clinical follow-through.
Family & trusted adults. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, neighbors. The adults that kids confide in — equipped to start the conversations that keep harm at bay.
Youth & faith leaders. Youth pastors, ministry leaders, and program directors — equip your team to walk alongside kids through the digital pressures already shaping their lives.
If kids turn to you — by role or by relationship — this summit is built for you.
What you'll walk away with
A clear-eyed read on what's actually happening online right now — what to watch for, what's hype, and what's worth a real conversation.
Practical strategies for prevention: how to set up devices, shape family and classroom rhythms, and build the kind of relationship that makes a kid want to come to you first — before something goes wrong.
The conversation skills to talk about hard things: sextortion, grooming, exploitation, peer pressure, without panic, shame, or shutting kids down.
Zero cost.
The Exodus Road is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and SPKO is fully underwritten by The Exodus Road together with our sponsors, including our presenting sponsor, N2GIVES.
Agenda
🕑: 08:00 AM
Arrive & Check In
Info: Grab coffee, pick up your welcome materials, and connect with other trusted adults before the day begins.
🕑: 08:30 AM
Welcome! - Opening & The SPKO Name
Info: Set the stage for the day and take a clear-eyed look at what kids are facing online right now.
🕑: 08:40 AM
Remarks from the Office of the Mayor
Host: Thomas Thompson
🕑: 08:45 AM
The Threat Landscape: What Kids Are Navigating Right Now
Info: Explore the online risks affecting kids today, including grooming sequences, sextortion escalation, coercive control, and AI-generated CSAM, with a focus on the underlying behavioral patterns that can help trusted adults recognize what’s happening.
🕑: 09:15 AM
This Is Who It Happens To: Lived Experience Panel
Info: Hear real perspectives from parents, survivors, and advocates about online harm, what kids need from trusted adults, and what it can look like when someone responds well.
🕑: 09:55 AM
How to Respond When a Kid Tells You Something
Info: Learn practical, trauma-informed ways to respond when a child or teen shares something concerning.
🕑: 10:25 AM
Name It to Disarm It
Info: Build confidence using clear language around online risks and difficult topics. Attendees will leave with practical conversation tools they can use with kids.
🕑: 10:40 AM
Break
🕑: 10:50 AM
Workshop Block 1
Info: Choose from practical sessions designed to help trusted adults build digital safety skills and take what they learn back to their families, schools, and communities.
🕑: 11:30 AM - 01:00 PM
Lunch + Complimentary Museum Tour
Info: Enjoy lunch, explore the museum, and check out local vendors featuring permanent jewelry, custom Colorado hats, and other amazing items. Pick up something for yourself or a young person in your life—and spark a conversation about online safety.
🕑: 01:00 PM
Welcome Back!
🕑: 01:10 PM
Beyond the Blind Spots: Protecting Kids in a Digital World
Info: Explore emerging threats, troubling trends, and the gaps that can leave children vulnerable—and consider how trusted adults can stay ahead of a rapidly changing digital landscape.
🕑: 01:50 PM
Workshop Block 2
Info: Choose from additional practical sessions focused on digital safety, privacy, prevention, and the tools trusted adults can use to better protect kids.
🕑: 02:40 PM
Closing Plenary
Info: Bring the day’s conversations together and consider what it looks like to put what you’ve learned into action.
🕑: 03:10 PM
Five Seconds of Courage Is All It Takes
Info: A powerful closing moment centered on the small acts of courage that can make a difference when a child needs an adult to step forward.
🕑: 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Screenagers: Generation AI — Exclusive Preview Screening
Info: Be among the first to see Screenagers: Generation AI, exploring how rapidly changing technology is shaping the world today’s kids are growing up in. The exclusive preview is available to attendees who register in advance.
Event venue & nearby stays
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, 200 South Sierra Madre Street, Colorado Springs, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.