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Suffolk families have the opportunity to learn about timely topics to discuss together.

The Suffolk Education Foundation will hold its three-part Can We Talk? webinar series for Suffolk students and families with a Tuesday session planned each of the next three months.

Topics include “Money Smart: What Kids Need to Know” on March 29, “Now Hiring: Advice for Career Seekers” on April 26 and “Teens in a Cyber World: Keep Them Safe” on May 24.

This is the second webinar that the Suffolk Education Foundation has held to replace its annual grown-up spelling bee. Due to having to plan the event so far in advance, the foundation decided to do the webinar once again as organizers were not sure what COVID-19 restrictions would be at this time.

“We wanted to keep engaged with the school and community,” said Patrick Belcher, president of the Suffolk Education Foundation. “We decided to do the webinar again and so we engaged with the schools to get feedback about what the students want to learn.”

The webinar serves as a conversation starter for families on stressors that they face. The March webinar will help students better understand finances as many families struggle with money, whether due to short- or long-term circumstances. In April, families will learn how to put their best foot forward when job searching, whether it’s high schoolers deciding about their future or parents looking for a career change. Then in May, families will learn about how to stay safe on the internet and social media.

“These are all topics that should be happening around a kitchen table,” said Belcher. “There’s no judgment for the families that aren’t. Speaking as a parent, life gets in the way for a lot of us and this is an opportunity to start those conversations.”

The Suffolk Education Foundation thanked the Suffolk Foundation for covering the cost of the webinar platform that makes the series possible.

The webinar is free and families can register at suffolkeducationfoundation.org.