About Us

A cross-sector cyber security
awareness campaign
for the Charlottesville-Albemarle area

Jump to:

• What We Do
• Who We Are

What We Do

Our Goals & Mission

The goal of the “Who’s Watching Charlottesville?” campaign is to encourage Charlottesville area residents to consider the question, Who is really watching us online? because there’s a false sense of security and anonymity on the Internet.

This initiative seeks to educate people so they understand that the Web is an incredible community with much to offer, but its many benefits don’t come without risks.

Our mission is to empower our community through education to promote safe and savvy Internet use.

What We Offer

In coordination with the National Cyber Security Alliance, and occurring each October as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the “Who’s Watching?” campaign features:

• A series of cyber security awareness presentations open to the public, and
• A comprehensive website, which serves as a gateway to cybersecurity information on the Internet.

Each Charlottesville-area cybersecurity presentation features discussions on hot-button issues such as phishing scams, social networking sites, and identity theft, the nation's fastest-growing crime. A panel of police, financial service providers, and security experts share techniques people can use to protect themselves and their loved ones online.

The website provides information on these topics, as well as on avoiding viruses; spyware and adware; using firewalls; safer online shopping; ensuring kids' safety online; protecting your privacy on paper; and a daily security tip. It also features an award-winning one-minute video on the potential pitfalls of social networking websites.

The success of “Who’s Watching Charlottesville?” has been noted and 2 other areas in Virginia—Hampton Roads and Chesterfield County—have since followed our model to set up similar local cyber security awareness coalitions of their own.

View the press coverage of the “Who’s Watching?” campaign.

Who We Are

The “Who’s Watching Charlottesville?” initiative is presented by a diverse group of concerned local organizations in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area of Virginia.

This cross-sector initiative pools the resources of the following partners in a community effort to educate area residents in how to protect themselves online:

• The University of Virginia
• UVA Community Credit Union
• Charlottesville City Government
• Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Albemarle County Government
• Charlottesville City Schools
• Albemarle County Public Schools
• Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC)
  

About the Partners

Albemarle County is home to approximately 91,000 residents with a high level of technology interest and usage. Citizen surveys showed that over 80% of Albemarle citizens have regular access to the Internet, reflected in the very high usage rate of the county's Website.

The county's Website has been named among the top 10 nationwide by the Digital Government Survey for the past four years, and podcasts of the Board of Supervisors and School Board meetings have recently been added to the site.

 

Albemarle County Public Schools is a K-12 education system serving 12,500 students in 25 schools within the 740 square miles of the area. Its vision is for all learners to believe in their power to embrace learning, to excel and to own their future.

More than 2,200 employees work daily to bring this vision into reality for the County's learners. Learners enjoy state-of-the-art technology, high-speed access to the Internet and an overall students-to-computers ratio of about 3 to 1.

All Albemarle County schools are fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education.Full accreditation is the highest rating schools can earn in the Virginia Assessment Program based on overall student achievement on Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments and other tests in English, math, science and history/social science.

 

The City of Charlottesville is responsible for maintaining the high quality of living standards for over 40,000 citizens who call Charlottesville home.

With over 1000 employees, the City of Charlottesville is one of the largest employers in the area, serving residents from both the city and the surrounding counties.

A new city-wide computer system is helping to link the two dozen departments that make up the City's workforce integrating payroll, finance and other vital functions. The city recently relaunched its Website with nearly 1400 pages of useful information for citizens, businesses and visitors.

The city also recently received the prestigious Savvy award for best city or county Website in the country, beating out over 500 other applicants.

 

Charlottesville City Schools are comprised of six elementary schools (Pre-K through grade 4), one upper elementary school (grades 5 and 6), one middle school (grades 7 and 8), and one high school (grades 9 through 12).

During the 2005-2006 school year CCS served 4166 students, 166 of whom attended preschool, and had an average class size of 17 students for elementary, 19 for grades 5-6, 18 for grades 7-8, and 21 for the high school.

 

Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to representing private enterprise, promoting business and enhancing the quality of life in the greater Charlottesville communities.

Founded in 1913, today the Chamber has 1,200 member businesses and civic organizations. Chamber members employ more than 45,000 men and women in the Charlottesville region, representing an estimated total payroll of more than $1.3 billion a year.

 

Piedmont Virginia Community College promotes student success through excellent educational programs and services that are accessible and affordable.

The college is a comprehensive, public, associate degree-granting institution. As part of the Virginia Community College System, PVCC serves the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson.

College transfer and workforce development are the core of the college's mission. Challenging coursework and a full range of support services are provided for students in both college transfer and workforce development programs.

 

The University of Virginia is distinctive among institutions of higher education. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University sustains the ideal of developing, through education, leaders who are well-prepared to help shape the future of the nation.

The University is public, while nourished by the strong support of its alumni. It is also selective; the students who come here have been chosen because they show the exceptional promise Jefferson envisioned.

Full- and part-time staff number well over 9000, making the University the largest employer in the area.

 

The University of Virginia Community Credit Union is the largest member-owned financial institution in Central Virginia.

Founded in 1954, the UVA Community Credit Union now offers membership to anyone who lives or works in the City of Charlottesville as well as Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, and Orange counties.

As a local institution, the Credit Union combines member education with a full suite of financial services, giving members the tools they need to realize their financial goals and to build stronger, more vibrant communities.

Today, the UVA Community Credit Union is proud to count over 49,000 Central Virginia residents as members.