Posts filed under ‘Attitude’
The Bullies and the Bullied – A National Epidemic
The study of the “Ethics of American Youth” released Tuesday surveyed more than 40,000 high school students. The survey reported that half of all high school students say they have bullied someone in the past year, with nearly as many saying they have been the victims of bullying.
A study by the non-profit Josephson Institute of Ethics also found that one-third of all high school students say that violence is a big problem at their school, and nearly one in four say they do not feel very safe there.
The issue of harassment gained prominence this year after a spate of suicides by students who were being bullied. President Obama has even stepped forward, calling for greater awareness of the bullying epidemic, saying the nation must “dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up.”
This past Tuesday also featured The U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, holding a national press conference announcing guidance to schools on handling bullying and discriminatory harassment.
Earlier this month, Duncan released a statement about anti-gay bullying in response to to a trend of recent suicides — particularly Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who took his life in September:
“This is a moment where every one of us — parents, teachers, students, elected officials, and all people of conscience —needs to stand up and speak out against intolerance in all its forms. Whether it’s students harassing other students because of ethnicity, disability or religion; or an adult, public official harassing the President of the University of Michigan student body because he is gay, it is time we as a country said enough. No more. This must stop.”
Duncan’s statements and planned press conference also comes at the time that the local story of Cassandra Morris was published. Morris dropped out of Ogemaw Heights High School earlier this month because she said she couldn’t handle the bullying from students for being a lesbian. Her bullying went beyond the walls of the school.
So with all these cries for justice, cries for help, occurring this week, the question remains: will something actually be done? Bullying is a crisis that is always discussed, but never really tackled. Maybe now that the harsh spotlight of the media is highlighting every painful angle progress might actually be made? The White House has even gone as far as to say that it would host a conference next year on preventing bullying and harassment. But is this soon enough?
This “Social Nitwitting” Stuff is a Hoot!
My mom joined me on vacation last week, and her one goal from our time together was to learn how to “Facebook better.” She sent me this cartoon via snail mail today, and as she notes, it’s indicative of our attempted Facebook lessons. I’m incredibly proud of her for wanting to keep up with technology and working to utilize Facebook. Susan knows it has lots to offer her, but lots of what? The day before she left, Susan asked me, “but why would I want to look at Facebook every day?” and knew that I had failed as her personal ‘net instructor. Our contrasting perspectives on social networking’s value and relevance mirror many parent/child and teacher/student approaches to social media tools: the young folks want it and the old folks don’t quite get it. [Disclaimer: this is a sweeping generalization, but not totally off target.]
At OneSeventeen Media, we’re excited to build the bridge in homes, classrooms and youth organizations between tech savvy kids and the important adults in their lives. We know that our interactive tools can improve the lives of kids and their relationships and communications with adult role models.
(Imaged clipped from the San Antonio Express News)
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Queen Rania Embraces the Power of Social Media
There are many incredible opportunities through social media, but what excites me most is its power to break down barriers, promote understanding and generate meaningful dialogue. Queen Rania of Jordan agrees, as she shares on her her YouTube Channel’s spoof of Dave Letterman’s top ten list.
“…I wanted to kick start a conversation in the world’s largest community, because we’re stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share…”
Kudos to Queen Rania for choosing to be a leader in the fight against intolerance and engaging her subjects, and the world, through social media. I’m inspired by her message, and I look forward to hearing more from her.
She’s a great role model for PlumbBrain kids as they experience the same incredible power of conversation by engaging in PlumbBrain’s social media tools to improve their relationships and communications with parents, peers and mentors.
(Thanks to Roger Clague for sharing Queen Rania’s message with me and sending this great post!)
Idea Inspiration for Folks in the Idea Business
As social-venture entrepreneurs, OneSeventeen Media is in the idea business. Our friend Lucy Bernholz shared a “55 Ideas on Ideas” slideshow over on Philanthropy 2173, and I enjoyed getting to take a minute peruse the variety of perspectives in relevance to OneSeventeen Media’s work. Three that stand out for me:
“Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.” Albert Einstein. [What I think Einstein might have had to say to those "mediocre minds" pictured above.]
“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
“An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.” Victor Hugo
Life in the tech-start-up-fast-lane isn’t for wimps, and our team is convicted that the time has come to make relevant, social-emotional tools available to digital natives confronting the challenges of growing up.
I’m curious if any of our readers or anyone else on our team has some words of wisdom they turn to for inspiration? It’d be great if you’re willing to share them in the comments!
(Image found here)
Character Tools = Solution for Rude Kids + Parents
“Today’s tykes: Secure kids or rudest in history?” reads for me as a call to action for PlumbBrain where we can provide engaging character education tools for both kids and parents. This article makes some wide sweeping generalizations; without any comprehensive data I’m not sure how anyone accurately identifies one generation as “ruder” than another, but I appreciate the point that parents and communities need to be cultivating empathetic kids (which doesn’t mean at the expense of their self confidence). However, for every “rude” kid or parent I’ve interacted with, I can think of several delightful ones too, but I’m not sure how this ratio compares to previous generations.
Do you agree with the article’s claims of the kids are getter rudder, or are expectations and/or perceptions what are changing?
(Image found here)
The Trappings of Social Media Dogma
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs
I came across these wise words today, and I felt that they are particularly relevant to OneSeventeen Media’s approach to helping kids. When working on something truly innovative, some people a) don’t get it or b) feel threatened by the change. While we’re always soliciting feedback and constructive criticism to make sure we’re improving and refining OneSeventeen’s vision and products, our mission to get kids the tools they absolutely need won’t be deterred by the trappings of social media dogma. As a poster child of a successful entrepreneur, Steve Jobs words are an inspiring reminder about the value of staying true to our course and utilizing social media to make the online and offline world a better place for kids.
(Image found here)
I Am Part of a Lost Generation.
“And all of this will come true, unless we choose to reverse it.”
What are you doing to choose to reverse it?
(Thanks to Leslie Lewis Sigler for passing this on!)
Kids DO Care, Even If They Don’t Show It
From Radical Parenting’s interview with Michael J. Bradley, Ed.D.:
“The biggest misconception is that teenagers don’t care. Parents and teens often get in a cycle where they see the worst in each other and teens tend to put on the ‘I-don’t-care-face’ and parents begin to believe that. Kids are just putting that on, parents need to understand that teens do care.”
Dr. Bradley’s comment echoes what our youth consistently tell us: kids care about many things, and adults often don’t “get it.”
Teaching Kids Empathy, Changing Lives
“As a school, we’ve done a lot of work with human rights,” said Michael McDermott, the middle school principal. “But you can’t have kids saving Darfur and isolating a peer in the lunchroom. It all has to go together.”
Scarsdale Middle School has the right idea. They’ve launched a tremendous campaign to change their school culture by explicitly teaching students about empathy. This is a fantastic idea and central to combating the bullying epidemic. Direct, relevant information about exuding empathy towards others and examples of empathy in action are examples of the types of content PlumbBrain will provide kids everywhere. Kudos to the Scarsdale crew for starting the conversation about empathy at their school!
(Image found here)
Recession = Good News for Tweens & Teens?
At least according to this UK Telegraph story, the recession might be a great opportunity and change of pace for maturing tweens and teens everywhere.
“I think this recession is a good thing,” says Lee Ambrose-Brunskill, mother of 15-year-old Brandon. “People have had a wake-up call – children used to be given absolutely everything.”
With their disposable incomes drying up and fewer handouts from their parents, teens are turning into entrepreneurs as they generate revenue streams to find the flexible cash they crave.
OneSeventeen Media’s co-founders are all entrepreneurs themselves, and our team loves the idea of an an entrepreneurial wakening among youth. The world’s best ideas come from the type of innovative thinking required for successful entrepreneurs. I can’t think of any paradigm-shifting ideas that arose from “thinking inside the box.”
(Image by Clara Molden and found on the Telegraph website here)
