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History: Articles & Archives |
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Speeches & WritingsThis section is still under construction, but will include speeches and writings from a variety of sources by and about Prajna Consulting and it's staff. Please check back here soon for more. An Assault on Youth: “The War on Women...” or It used to be “Our Bodies Ourselves” As a teen advocate and national health educator I have been focusing lately on two dangerous points regarding youth. (1) There is a political and media assault on young people that is affecting not only how society perceives them but also in the rights and power they are entitled to. The message we all get is that “Our teenagers have lost their way.” My opinion is that if they are indeed lost, someone is leading them their against their will. And (2) Currently, I see a dangerous trend occurring in the world of young people in that they are not aware of how close they are to inheriting a world that is closing the door on many of the aspects of freedom they are expecting as grown women. One of those is, of course, choice. ... Continue reading. Is it Real If it's Not Required? The hot debate these days seems to be whether to require service programs in schools or to encourage participation in service that occurs outside of school hours. I have worked in schools with both programs and believe it should not be a debate at all. We don’t debate whether or not to require math or to provide time in a student’s schedule to master its skills and concepts. Yet, though we espouse the benefits of service and career exploration, students struggle to fit those experiences into their already too-busy lives. Our programs need to be modified to attain specific academic and experiential goals and to be integrated into our curriculum and the academic day. ... Continue reading. Charis Denison Speaks to Parents If you've ever wanted to have that certain conversation with your student but couldn't find the right words, or worse, found yourself shutting down a conversation with the wrong words—you're not alone. You may have wondered why, when it comes to discussing issues such as drugs, alcohol and sexuality, it can be so uncomfortable. Much of the difficulty is due to the fact that, until we need to have these conversations with our children, we just haven't had much practice. ... Continue reading. What Does “Service” Really Mean? I understand you have been celebrating the opening of the Luke Center for Public Service. That’s exciting. I am sure, as a result, you have had many conversations about “service,” what it means, and why it’s important. … I am someone who spends a lot of her time talking about service for a living, but I’m not here to talk about service. I’m here to share something about one of my favorite subjects — me. Who else here is their own personal favorite subject? … Good for you. I admire that in a person. So, I’m going to add you to the mix. Okay then, I’m going to talk about just you and me. So, let me explain something very important. ... Continue reading. What You Taught Me After eleven years of teaching I have discovered two signals that indicate to educators that we have done our job right regarding high school seniors. Both express themselves around the first week of May. I bring these signals up because they are directly relevant to the words I choose to share with you today. One is that by the first week of May you (the seniors) have decided that you now know everything and so virtually anything I (or anyone) might say at this point is superfluous. The other is that your eyes are so fixed on the horizon, the immediate appears a mere formality—perhaps irrelevant. ... Continue reading. |
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