Build a bear"s Stop Cyber Bullying month

October is Stop Cyberbullying Month at Build-A-Bear Workshop. Build-A-Bear Workshop®, in partnership with WiredSafety.org, is promoting October as Stop Cyberbullying Month at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and in its online virtual world, buildabearville.com®. The interactive entertainment retailer of customized stuffed animals is focusing on online safety education and how to help prevent cyberbullying with a number of programs.

Cyberbullying is the use of digital technology as a weapon by one minor to hurt another minor and it is a growing problem. The Build-A-Bear Workshop online safety program is geared towards children and parents and has been developed in association with leading cyber safety expert Parry Aftab, executive director and founder of WiredSafety.org. The organization is the world's largest cyber safety group that aims to increase online safety awareness by providing families with resources and usage guidelines. The organization also operates StopCyberbullying.org.

“Our objective is to be part of the solution to stop cyberbullying and to help ensure that buildabearville.com is as safe as it can be,” said Maxine Clark, founder and chief executive bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. “We are a company committed to children and families and protecting kids is paramount to us. We are pleased to work in association with WiredSafety.org and other corporate leaders to address online safety for children.”

The Build-A-Bear Workshop company-wide Stop Cyberbullying program is comprised of several online and in store elements.

Online:

Citizens of buildabearville.com can take the WiredSafety Pledge to receive a virtual safety sash for their avatars.

Build-A-Bearville® will feature a meter in Town Square and as citizens click the Safety Pledge they will be counted until they fill the meter which will allow all citizens of the virtual world to receive a unique Stop, Block and Tell move for their avatar.

Build-A-Bearville is providing online Stop, Block and Tell safety tips for kids as well as resources and recommendations for parents.

In store:

A map of Build-A-Bearville and the online Safety Pledge will be available to all Guests.
ChloeRocks™, the star of The Build-A-Bearville Chloe Show, is featured in Online Safety Public Service Announcements in store.

“Build-A-Bear Workshop is helping to create awareness for this important safety messaging for kids; we are committed to the goal of making our virtual world a safe and fun extension of the Build-A-Bear Workshop in-store experience with enhanced games, imagination, education and learning,” said Dave Finnegan, chief information and logistics bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. “We are proud to be one of the first recipients of the WireSafety.org Socially Safe Seal for Build-A-Bearville and we will continue to engage in a dialogue with parents, technology experts and industry organizations to design safe online spaces for kids on the web.”