CYBERPATRIOT
CyberPatriot - The National Youth Cyber Education Program is STEM program of the Air & Space Forces Association. It was created to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future. The CyberPatriot Programs are:
The National Youth Cyber Defense Competition​
At the center of CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, which puts teams of middle and high school students in the position of newly hired IT professionals tasked with managing the network of a small company. Through a series of online competition rounds, teams are given a set of virtual operating systems and are tasked with finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities while maintaining critical services. The top teams in the nation earn all-expenses-paid trips to Maryland for the National Finals Competition where they can earn national recognition and scholarship money.
CyberPatriot Alumni Network
​The Alumni Network is a private LinkedIn Group created to engage past competitors of the CyberPatriot Competition. The Alumni Network connects CyberPatriot participants with each other and with STEM opportunities available through program s​ponsors and supporters.​
AFA CyberCamps
Held during the summer months, AFA CyberCamps emphasize fun, hands-on learning of cybersecurity principles that are relevant and applicable to everyday life. CyberPatriot sells curriculum to organizations who then host camps in their local area. Standard AFA CyberCamps teach beginner students the basics of cybersecurity, while Advanced AFA CyberCamps incorporate more complex concepts geared towards students who have previously participated in a camp or in the cyber defense competition.
Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative
The CyberPatriot Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative (ESCEI) is a set of three interactive learning modules aimed at increasing the awareness of online safety and cybersecurity principles for K-6 students. The modules, which are available for download at no cost, can be presented in a classroom setting or at home. Supplemental activities are also available.
Cyber Education Literature Series
The Cyber Education Literature series has two books, Sarah the Cyber Hero and Ben the Cyber Defender. The books are pre-K readers for younger children that pioneer the topic of cybersecurity to early elementary youth. Digital and hard-copies of the books are available for purchase on Amazon and BookBaby.com.
CyberGenerations​
CyberGenerations, the Senior Citizen's Cyber Safety Initiative, is free workshop materials that focus on keeping senior citizens safe online. The program teaches password hygiene, malware and ransomware, marketing and fraud scam, social media awareness, and ​offers resources to victims of cyber scams. The program can be done as a self-paced guide, or it can be presented as a workshop in a group setting.
Tech Caregivers
The Tech Caregiver Program is a companion to CyberGenerations. As a Tech Caregiver, student and adult volunteers can complete a training course, take an exam (with passing grade), and receive a certification to teach basic security measures to senior citizens in a way that is easy to understand. The goal is this program is to give back to the community by helping older populations recognize, understand, and safely avoid the online scams they are so often the target of.
