Your Voice. Your Community. Your News.
Volume 5 Issue 2
April 2015
Serving the Inland Empire Communities
In My Humble Opinion: Toddlers and Technology
By Marilyn Garcia
My name is Marilyn Garcia and I am 21 years old. I have a four year old daughter. I would like to give my opinion on children using technology at the ages of one through four years of ages. I'm not saying they shouldn't have access at all, but have very limited usage if any. I believe they start to lose their focus on other activities that are healthy for them. Young children should focus on learning and getting ready to start school instead of giving their attention to all the technology devices.When young children get ready for school there will be education tools and general school supplies for them, getting them ready in life for their education. We don't want children at these ages to expect tablets, television, smart phones and computers so much in preschool. Watching too much television sometimes make them pick up bad habits. Children start copying and acting out television shows and so forth. Tablets and smart phones are so fancy to children and those games sometimes takes their attention away from what they should be focusing on. Children sometimes learn things they shouldn't know and hear and they start to use profanity, they show bad behavior and their attention span is short. Also, children are so into
the tablets, iPad and the game playing they in most cases will cry if you try to take them away from them. Their reactions is showing dependency on technology too early in life. When a child start school today they expect fancy tablets, smart phones with pictures, lights and brilliant color, but instead they will be giving crayola, number 2 pencil, paper for drawing, books and other learning materials with will help them be created. Parent should wait on the technology and concentrate on preschool 101 at home. This is teaching their child ABC's, number, shapes, colors and writing their names. Young children should start learning at home so they can be ready for preschool. They need to know how to behave themselves. The games should not become babysitter for the child. Placing them in front of a television for several hours and putting a tablet in their hands for unlimited time is shameful. Also, children are watching too many cartoons that are not appropriate for them. The cartoons that have verbal abuse and so much fighting is not teaching them anything, but bad behavior. Its OK for a child to watch wholesome television for thirty minutes up to an hours, but it must be learning channels. Outside activities, running, jumping and playing is what our children need because they will be obese if they don't get appropriate exercise. This is one mother's opinion and I see the children of today missing out on the fundamental joys of life. Technology is causing our toddlers to grow up too fast.
Girl Talk 3: Empowering 2 Excel Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation hosted their 3rd Annual Girl Talk conference at San Bernardino Valley College in March. The event, “Girl Talk 3: Empowering 2 Excel,” invited young women ages 12-21 to participate in the allday educational, fun and motivational experience. The energetic moderator for the event was Courtnie Dowdy, a recent graduate of Pepperdine University.
Presenter Joyce Payne, SBVC President Dr. Gloria Fisher, Tammy Martin- Ryles, Hardy Brown II, and YWE President/ CEO and SBCUSD Candidate Gwen Rodgers
The event was built around the idea of imagining what can happen in the life of a young woman when she is empowered to succeed. The event was kicked off by City of San Bernardino 3rd Ward Council Member John Valdivia and San Bernardino Valley College President Dr. Gloria Fisher. The attendees were also welcomed by some of their peers, recent crowned queens from the local area and schools: Miss Black San Bernardino 2015 Desiree Mckenzie, Miss Cardinal San Bernardino High School Monserrat Gutierrez, Miss Inland Empire Outstanding Teen Brielle Angelique, and Miss Black San Bernardino participants Bashirah Arogunddade and Janeice Midgett representing at Girl Talk 3 . Grand Terrace High School sophomore, Raihahan Medlock, performed a personal and touching spoken word that really resonated with the audience members. The participants viewed a video about
By Angela M. Cogg
human trafficking entitled, “Making of a Girl.” After viewing this very powerful video the participants were able to ask questions. Many of them did not realize how prevalent human trafficking is in general and in the Inland Empire. There were four workshop via a rotating system. The workshops included Healthy Queens (hygiene related), Sister to Sister (boundaries), Knowing Me Before I Know You (self-love) and STEMing Your Way to the Top (encouraging females toward science, technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Two topics of discussions were Prom Promises and Sickle Cell Trait. The topic of Sickle Cell Traits was presented during a working lunch. Farron Dozier and his daughter Deja Dozier, a junior at Bloomington High School, spoke to participants about their own experience with the disease known as the Silent Killer, which primarily affects the African American population. “What’z in your genes?” The purpose is to provide sickle cell trait awareness and to re-educate the community about the sickle cell trait and thalassemia trait. Not only was he diagnosed when he was a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army in 2006, later his daughter was also diagnosis with trait as well. Dozier was especially touched by a comment by one of the participants of Girl Talk 3 with the username of angie_90h9 commented on his picture on Intagram, “Thank you to you and your daughter for speaking to us. I was unaware that sickle cell could be passed down like that until you spoke to us about it and I’m happy you did.” Another memorable guest who spoke with the parents who attended the event was Evangelist Beverly Broadus Green, mother of rapper Snoop Dogg. She shared her life story and how she had to learn to love herself before she could love someone else. She invited the mothers to take control of their own lives and to not go looking for a man but rather him come to you. She connected with
the women in the room. She had attendees moved to tears with her story of triumph over major life struggles. Shanila Shabufta, vendor with the African American Mental Health Coalition, felt a connection with Green. “I can relate to what she said. She put herself out there. She talked about inner conflict, growing up in church and knowing what’s right and wrong but still having conflict to do the right thing. I think everyone has those moments,” she said. “I can definitely relate to her. I loved hearing her speak today.” In addition to the workshops, the young women were treated to entertainment, opportunity drawings, poems by SBCUSD Vicki Lee and former S B C U S D student Chelsea Davis, and a step show by the San Gorgonio Steppers and members of University of California, Riverside chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation’s CEO/President and San Bernardino City Unified School District Candidate was pleased with the turn out and stated “the event was a huge success.” Over a hundred girls in attendance. All pictures are posted on Young Women’s Empowerment
Foundation Facebook. YWE serves to strengthen the character of young women of high school age in the San Bernardino City region of the Inland Empire in Southern California. The mission of our program is to empower these young women to achieve at their highest potential, particularly in education, and to instill in them a commitment to return to their community as leaders and mentors.
For Advertising, Subscription, or Bulk Delivery informaiton , please call (909) 973-2927. Thank you for reading.