We Are Shape the Sky
Our mission is simple: We help parents and professionals create responsible children online. We believe that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” when it comes to educating our youth around responsible technology use. If we don’t start the conversation now, our youth could make mistakes on social media in the future.
The Founder of Shape the Sky
Ryan Klingensmith, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), is the founder of Shape the Sky. Ryan started his career in 1994, where he worked at an inpatient psychiatric hospital for teens diagnosed with a mental health disorder. He also worked in residential treatment facilities, teen shelters, and group homes for children and teens. In 2010, Ryan began providing outpatient mental health therapy for youth, and he also began working in Student Assistance Programs (SAPs) in Pennsylvania to present about drug and alcohol prevention. When he was working with middle school and high school students, he noticed the mistakes and misuse of social media. Shape the Sky was born when he identified a need for comprehensive, ongoing education about social media for parents, school personnel, law-enforcement and mental health providers.
With technology and social media usage growing, the need to educate invested adults is growing too. With Ryan’s background in mental health and knowledge of social media, he developed a series of training programs to inform adults about current youth culture online, the mental health implications of social media, and general misuse of technology by kids and teens. Once they have a better awareness and understanding of what’s happening online, adults can use their wisdom to keep kids safe.
Connecting Knowledge and Wisdom
Our goal is to connect knowledge and wisdom to create safe and responsible children online and on digital devices.
We provide parents, teachers, counselors and other professionals with an insider’s view of the internet and social media, so they know how to start the conversation. Our goal is to have children and adults connect, share, and learn together to bridge youth knowledge of technology with adult wisdom of using it responsibly.
“Kids have the knowledge to use technology, but sometimes lack the wisdom to use it responsibly. Adults have the wisdom to be responsible users, but sometimes lack the knowledge to use technology. My goal is to connect knowledge with wisdom.”
Founder, Ryan Klingensmith
Our Values
Shift The Paradigm
There’s a disconnect between how adults think children use social media and how they actually use it. This is where Shape the Sky comes into play. We are a hub of information that offers an inside look at the world of social media, so you can teach children how to be responsible and stay safe online.
Invest In Our Youth
Creating responsible children on smartphones requires a community that is invested in its youth. Shape the Sky offers free online resources to provide parents, educators, counselors, law enforcement, and others with the tools to navigate the digital world in which our children are immersed.
Engage the Youth
In addition to having a community invested in creating responsible children on smartphones, it also takes children inspiring others to get involved. That’s why we share youth curated resources that align with our mission to inspire others to join the conversation.
Interested in a Shape the Sky training? If so, check out the answers to some of our frequently asked questions.
Shape the Sky offers high-quality educational training sessions related to social media use, mental health, and related trends. We design the training sessions to meet the organization/event specific needs and objectives.
Join the Conversation
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