Students participate in the Air Force Association's CyberCamp at the East Orange YMCA.
Dylan Brooks, 11, a sixth-grader at Rosa Parks Community School in Orange and Leah Lashley, 12, a sixth-grader at Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School in Springfield at the East Orange YMCA's CyberCamp.EAST ORANGE -- Internet security took center stage for the young campers attending the Air Force Association CyberCamp, held earlier this month at the East Orange YMCA.
CyberCamp is one of the AFA's CyberPatriot programs, a national program designed to inspire students to pursue careers in cyber security and other technical fields.
Thirteen middle school students from East Orange, Orange, South Orange, Springfield and West Orange attended the camp, where the lessons included the importance of creating passwords and changing them frequently to protect their personal devices from computer hackers. The campers also dabbled in website administration.
"I never knew I had the skills to do technical stuff on the computer,'' said Dylan Brooks, a sixth-grader at Rosa Parks Community School in Orange.
"Kids are naturally attuned to computers, and CyberCamp exposes them to mind-expanding opportunities, fostering creative, productive thinking to solve real-world challenges," said Metro YMCA chief development officer Lisa Kelly.
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