on Wednesday July 30, 2008

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Now, as a parent it may seem difficult to know where to begin when talking to your kids about politics but this year’s election gives all parents a great place to start. The upcoming 2008 Democratic National Convention is an excellent opportunity to begin talking to your kids about politics. Here are some answers to some basic questions regarding the DNC, and how the DNC is allowing both families and young people to participate in the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

What is the Democratic National Convention?

Natalie Wyeth, a spokeswoman and press secretary for The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), said of this year’s convention, “It (the DNC) is an opportunity to celebrate the success of Barack Obama; it is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to come together and celebrate what they stand for; and it is the official place and time where delegates nominate the candidate to represent the party in this year’s election.”

How will the 2008 Convention be historic?

The nomination of Barack Obama marks the first time in U.S. history that either political party has given the presidential nomination to an African-American. The Democratic National Convention Committee wants to make this year’s convention not only historic but groundbreaking as well. In an effort to reflect the tone that surrounded the primaries the DNCC is “breaking down walls” to allow more open public access to convention meetings. “The primaries saw unprecedented voter turnout and that is something we (the Democratic Party) would like to celebrate.” Wyeth said. “Historically the convention has been a ‘credentialed’ event,” Wyeth said of this year’s convention, “this year the public can potentially gain a ‘community credential’ and have access to the fourth night of the convention at Invesco Field. This has never been done before and is an exciting development.”

How will this year’s Convention be more accessible for families?

The DNC will hold an unprecedented fourth night at Invesco Field. Invesco field has a seating capacity of seventy-five thousand and with the addition of the ‘community credential’ allowing public access for the first time in history many people will assuredly take advantage of this fact to be in attendance. Natalie said, “There will be plenty of families in attendance.”

Natalie Wyeth, spokeswoman for the DNCC, informed me that the daytime convention events will also be open to the public. The daytime events will be held at the Colorado Convention Center 10:00 am until 4:00 pm Monday thru Thursday the week of the Convention. These will be ticketed events where delegates will attend caucus meetings. “People are welcome to bring their kids down to see history being made. There will be governors, senators and while Michelle Obama has not been confirmed to attend, traditionally the cadidate's spouse attends the Women's Caucus.  It is a great opportunity for the public to see the inner workings of the government.”

This year’s convention will be made available for internet users at http://www.demconvention.com/ where they can tune in and watch a streaming hi-definition, live broadcast of the convention. This is a way for families to stay in touch with the convention moment by moment right in the comfort of their home. So, if you are looking for a way to stay in touch during the convention and go places that are traditionally for “insiders only” I would suggest checking it out.

Will there be any youth at ‘credentialed’ nightly meetings?

The Democratic National Convention Committee, Post-News Educational Services and Qwest sponsored the “Write to Lead” youth essay contest. The contest encouraged students of Colorado middle and high schools to write essays on what are important qualities for leaders to possess. Out of a pool of nearly 1,200 applicants, fifty-four middle and high school students from across Colorado were selected as finalists in the “Write to Lead” youth essay contest. These finalists will serve as ambassadors to state and territorial delegations, while the two Presidential Winners – Jared Jolton, an eighth grade student at Colorado Academy, and Mari Tanabe, an eleventh grade student at Manitou Springs High School – will attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.  So, even though the nightly meetings are exclusively for ‘credentialed’ attendees, the Democratic Party puts a value on including youth in the process as marked by this contest.

Are there any specific groups for youth at the DNC?

One of the more exciting caucus meetings for families to attend will be the ‘Youth Caucus.’ The ‘Youth Caucus’ meeting schedule is not confirmed as of yet, but will take place during a daytime session at the Colorado Convention Center. The ‘Youth Caucus’ is traditionally for delegates under the age of thirty-years-old and this year there is a large number of first time, young delegates—perhaps record breaking. There are some delegates who will be turning eighteen the week of the convention. The caucus is a forum for elected officials to speak about issues facing the youth of America today and looks to be an interesting and energetic meeting to attend.

The week prior to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the College Democrats of America will host its own convention at the University of Denver. At the College Democrats of America Convention, colleges will participate in: campaign training; collaborative efforts with state and regional delegations; and interact with leaders of the Democratic Party.

Summing it up

The 2008 Democratic National Convention will be historical in both the official business of the convention but also how open and accessible it will be for the general public. The Democratic Party is using the lesson of the presidential primaries and the ‘grassroots’ efforts in communities across the nation that ultimately helped Obama win the nomination, as a springboard for how they will operate the upcoming convention. Some focal points of the convention are: community involvement and participation, the strong youth movement in the Democratic Party, and accessibility through technology.

As the week of the convention marks the start of the school year for many children across the country it makes the 2008 Democratic National Convention a great place to start educating your children about politics and the political process. What is the right way to talk politics with your children? What is the wrong way? Next Wednesday, look for the first article in a series on, “How to talk politics with your kids” and stay tuned for coverage on the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Joeprah Says... Be first to comment this article Favorite This Post (15)

on Tuesday July 15, 2008

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Of all the industrialized countries in the world, the U.S. has, by far, the highest instance of teenage pregnancies with a rate that more than doubles the nearest competitors.  After posting on the topic earlier this week, I did some further research and came up with some common sense answers as to why this is.  One of the best sources I found was Advocates for Youth.  Each summer since in 1998, Advocates for Youth and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte sponsor annual study tours to France, Germany, and the Netherlands to explore why adolescent sexual health outcomes are so much more positive in the three European countries than in the U.S.  The following italicized bulleted points are from their most recent findings.  Here I will go point and counter point with what the Europeans do successfully and our U.S. reality—buckle up! 

• Adults in the Netherlands, France, and Germany view young people as assets, not as problems. Adults value and respect adolescents and expect teens to act responsibly. Governments strongly support education and economic self-sufficiency for youth.

In opposition to this statement, here in the U.S. there are countless reasons for young men and women to have low self-worth which contributes to their poor choices and decision making.  As a metaphor, the legal age to drink alcohol in the U.S. is 21 while the average age in European nations is 18 for general drinking and 16 for drinking wine & beer.  Some European countries have no minimum age for alcohol consumption. Plainly speaking, teenagers are treated and looked upon in U.S. culture as “kids” until they are over 21.  So it goes without saying, “teens” are viewed differently in the U.S. than Europe and this rift may have some part to play in the rebellious mindset some U.S. teens have as they disregard what is in their best interest when making some critical life choices.

• Research is the basis for public policies to reduce unintended pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Political and religious interest groups have little influence on public health policy.

In the U.S., policy can be created, formed and most certainly influenced by lobbyist groups and religious organizations.

• A national desire to reduce the number of abortions and to prevent sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, provides the major impetus in each country for unimpeded access to contraception, including condoms, consistent sexuality education, and widespread public education campaigns.

In the US there are few public education campaigns to confront the issues of teen pregnancy effectively.  Government funded programs for low cost of free contraception don’t exist, and neither do consistent sexual education programs.  Public education on the topic of sexuality is minimal to non-existent.

• Governments support massive, consistent, long-term public education campaigns utilizing the Internet, television, films, radio, billboards, discos, pharmacies, and health care providers. Media is a partner, not a problem, in these campaigns. Campaigns are far more direct and humorous than in the U.S. and focus on safety and pleasure.

Cool campaigns prove to be more effective way to communicate with teens—go figure.  Scare tactics are the typical ads that a U.S. teen sees which haven’t been proven to be effective. 

The media in the U.S. is not “on board” with any one set of criteria or mindset that the government has deemed vital to success in battling teen pregnancy or dealing with the issue of safe sex.  This can be seen in the recent “OK!” article done that glamorizes the situation of teen star Jamie Lynn Spears.  In European countries there is a unified, team like effort to promote responsible behavior—there are familiar sexual education campaigns.  Teens in the U.S. get many different messages from media sources which can only work to muddle any good information they may be receiving. 

• Sexuality education is not necessarily a separate curriculum and may be integrated across school subjects and at all grade levels. Educators provide accurate and complete information in response to students' questions.

In public schools there is no set standard formula across the nation on how and when to implement sexual education in the United States.  With various forms of sexual education that vary from teaching abstinence to teaching sexual education to teaching nothing at all, teens are often confused and or unprepared on how to approach the new topic of sex and sexual relations.  In Europe sexual education is preemptive, while in the U.S. it is often too little and too late.

• Families have open, honest, consistent discussions with teens about sexuality and support the role of educators and health care providers in making sexual health information and services available for teens.

In the U.S. there is a stigma associated with “the dreaded talk” that parents have with their kids in regards to sex.  It is seen as a comical onetime event where the parents fall flat on their faces trying to talk about something very important in nature. 

• Adults see intimate sexual relationships as normal and natural for older adolescents, a positive component of emotionally healthy maturation. At the same time, young people believe it is "stupid and irresponsible” to have sex without protection and use the maxim, "safer sex or no sex."

In the U.S. there are so many different messages being sent to young people from the music they listen to, to the movies they watch, and to what their peers are doing that there is absolutely no clear “maxim” to speak of and certainly no feeling of sex being “stupid and irresponsible.”

• The morality of sexual behavior is weighed through an individual ethic that includes the values of responsibility, respect, tolerance, and equity.

Young people in the U.S. use terms like “pimp” loosely to describe different aspects of their lifestyles so it goes without saying that their views about sexual morality tend to be less mature and even warped.  Of course, that is just a metaphor that illuminates a general attitude of males disrespecting females as acceptable and even trendy.  Prevailing cultures like hip-hop and rock strongly impact the psyche of many U.S. teens and each of these cultures have been identified by loose moral standards and the objectification of women. 

How exactly does the U.S. compare in teen pregnancy rate to its European counterparts?  Are the abortion rates higher in the European nations? Here are statistical comparisons between the U.S. and European nations in those key statistical areas.

For all the statistics check out the Advocates for Youth website.  What are your thoughts?  Are we as a country lagging way behind our European counterparts?  What lessons can be learned from them?

Joeprah Says... User Comments (9) Favorite This Post (38)

on Friday July 11, 2008

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As teen pregnancy rates run rampant ‘OK’ magazine thinks it’s ‘ok’ to put out an article that supports/glamorizes Jamie Lynn Spears as a mom and her recent delivery.  What young girls in the US need now is a teen-idol-turned-pregnant-teen-turned-new-mom that talks about her “perfect delivery.”  That last sentence was intentionally sarcastic.  Is the idolizing of Jamie Lynn Spears healthy for our country?  Why are we putting JLS on a pedestal here? 

The ‘OK’ article reads like an endorsement to teenage mothers everywhere.

"I had a perfect pregnancy and a perfect delivery. I was very blessed," Jamie Lynn said describing the delivery.   "The first time I saw her, it was surreal. You can't even imagine that moment. She just looked at me, and she really didn't cry at first. I was scared, and then she started screaming. It is the best feeling in the world."

Such a happy ending to such a happy story—congrats to all.  Jamie Lynn even had her boyfriend in the delivery room.  Thumbs up!  I had a perfect pregnancy and a perfect delivery. I was very blessed,Jamie Lynn reportedly only wanted one person in the delivery room with her, that would be her fiancé Casey Aldridge.  Casey, being a stand up guy, was reportedly holding her hand the entire time.  Jamie Lynn said of the experience, "Once I got in there, my doctor was just so calm and so good it was not bad at all…" Jamie continued to say of her experience, "I was just talking to Casey. And you know what's so weird? I was asking him if he was OK. He was like, 'Yeah.' We were both so excited."

The article goes on to talk about feedings and a supportive boyfriend.  By the end of the article you are convinced that Jamie Lynn Spears should hands down get the mother of the year award by default.   

I see the desire to carry this story as it will surely pique many people’s interests and sell many issues, but is that what media in our country has turned into?  Is this teen pregnancy the right thing for the media to be covering/endorsing?  What are your thoughts on Jamie Lynn Spears, teen pregnancy and the media? 

To continue the conversation go straight to the forum thread here:

Jamie Lynn Spears "OK?" 

Joeprah Says... User Comments (15) Favorite This Post (39)