Virtualization Helping our Children

AppStream and Ripple Effects have teamed up for a good cause – to help children cope with traumatic life experiences.

To quickly reach more children with help in the aftermath of recent school violence, AppStream, Inc. and Ripple Effects announced today that they will join forces to make science-based online training easily available to children, at no cost.

AppStream, Inc., a leader in on-demand PC software deployment, is providing the software delivery mechanism through its free software-on-demand service called AppStreamLive. Ripple Effects, a leader in software tools to solve behavior problems, is providing a free software module titled “Dealing with Hard Things.” To make sure this resource gets to children when they need it most, the companies are making the program available for a short time at no cost. The training program can be used by children and their supporting adults such as counselors, teachers, parents and psychologists. The free program is available immediately at https://www.appstreamlive.com.

AppStreamLive, the delivery mode for the free tutorial, is a free website that enables PC applications to be accessed online very simply and easily since downloads and software installations are avoided. AppStreamLive removes the technological barriers that often come with installing software, so users can begin accessing software programs within minutes of streaming.

“Dealing with Hard Things” is a tutorial designed to help children ages 7-10 cope with difficult times in the wake of traumatic experiences. Children can use the software independently or together with a counselor, teacher or parent, and it is particularly useful for the indirect victims of recent violence – kids who have seen disturbing television images and heard horrifying stories. The tutorial promotes three important components of resilience: managing feelings, asking for help, and regaining some sense of personal control. The tutorial is drawn from Ripple Effects’ comprehensive training software, which helps children develop skills to reduce their chances of becoming either perpetrators or victims of violence, manage difficult issues, and connect more deeply with caring adults.

“Although professionals have to be involved with direct victims, for the thousands of indirect victims of violence and terror, massive counseling is not a practical option. Computer-mediated guidance is,” says Ripple Effects CEO Alice Ray, a national expert in social-emotional learning, Emmy-winner, and Clinton presidential appointee to a national youth violence prevention initiative.

“Ripple Effects’ software program for helping kids cope with trauma, combined with AppStream’s simple method for accessing PC software, will immediately provide children with a powerful tool for overcoming difficult life experiences,” said Brad Rowland, vice president of marketing, AppStream. “The entire team at AppStream is proud to be able to use our technology for a program such as this one.”