Youth Advocacy
Youth Advocacy
Year 3, Week 346 (236 total reports)
18.12.2024-24.12.2024
REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Jerry Goebel, MBA, D.Min.
The puppet government E. Musk bought is revealing the chaos it plans to inflict on the US over the next four years. What is your strategy for resistance and resilience?
Song of the Week
Who makes money when the world doesn’t work? Who becomes rich off poverty, guns, and war? If we follow the money, we will begin the see the Oligarchs who are the source of most of the world’s “unsolvable” issues.
Compilation: Resistance, Resilience
Top Links of the Week
24.12,2024
American Idiots
This week’s near-collapse of the House is but a harbinger of things to come under the GOP and 45’s administration. Nearly 100 last minute posts by E. Musk (many outright lies) stirred up the GOP faithful and nearly brought the House to a standstill that would have undermined multiple government functions over the holidays. Only a last minute effort between Hakeem Jeffries and Mike Johnson temporarily averted the crisis. This article focuses on what to expect under the shadow presidency of Musk and 45.
23.12.2024
Revolutionizing Education: Exploring the Latest Trends in Learning
A revolution in learning is long past needed and rather than fear the use of technology (or only using technology for the administration of education), the people at Google Labs are looking for vibrant ways technology can complement educators and students in classrooms and at home. The suggestions in this article are a great guide to anyone who is working in the field of education or human development. These are exciting suggestions and could lead to huge leaps in student development. I hope that if you are involved in the development of children you will read and share this article. It’s well worth it. These ideas will be especially important in light of the onset of global authoritarianism where schools will be seen by oligarchs, religions, and political leaders as opportunities for indoctrination instead of instruction. Increasingly, vital aspects of education will need to be supplemented at home, or in small learning communities, these suggestions will assist in making that possible.
22.12.2024
If We Hate, Trump Wins
MLK’s sermon on hate is a primer for those who lost the presidential election (which, essentially, is all of us—unless you’re a multi-millionaire of billionaire) this year. This article examines some of King’s most well-known sermons for practical applications today. I’m also including a past by King’s daughter with suggestions for responding to those of us grieving the decline of the American democracy.
21.12.2024
Why the ERA Needs Congressional Action—And How We Can Win
Equality needs to be enshrined in our constitution and it needs to be done before the Rebumblecons have consolidated their power under 45 and his puppet-master, Elon Musk. This is not a fight for President Biden or, as the author points out, the Archivist of the US. We cannot underestimate the anti-female focus of the Republican Congress and their leadership. This article has many technical subtleties in it, but it’s worth reading and remembering what is at stake in this groundswell movement needing state ratification.
20.12.2024
Paul Krugman on the government shutdown: "The Chaos Monkeys Have Already Taken Over the Zoo"
Krugman is already calling this “The Musk Administration,” after the billionaire bought his way as close as he can possibly get (as an immigrant) to the presidency. 45 is merely a puppet that does Musk’s bidding and Vance is nowhere to be seen. Behind this week’s budget freeze crises were major changes Musk wanted to push through that Congress (not just the Democrats—Mike Johnson could not even get a majority to approve his budget shenanigans—the response was not just a “Hard No!” but a “Hell No!”). 45 and his Republican patsies are already revealing they are going to be the “Chaos Congress” once again. Krugman is not surprised the “Chaos Monkeys” have taken over the zoo, he is merely alerting us as to how quickly it has happened. This is just a start as 45 is not even president yet and Musk is already taking over the Republican Party he bought and paid for.
19.12.2024
Scientists Tracked 1,000 Kids for 40 Years. This Was the No. 1 Predictor of Financial Success
This groundbreaking study from Dunedin, New Zealand, is a treasure trove of critical information for those who work with human beings (isn’t that all of us). It tells us such things as children generally grow out of delinquency and—as in the case of this article—the importance of Emotional Intelligence in raising healthy, balanced, young people with thriving lives. There is plenty of information in this short article that highlights Emotional Intelligence, what it is, who is credited with “popularizing” it (Psychologist Daniel Goleman), and an important fact that—unlike intelligence quotient (IQ)—Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is a learned trait. We can raise our EQ at any age in a supportive environment. If we want mentally and emotionally healthy children, teach them kindness and empathy. I’m including a link to a song about teaching kindness for those of you interested in passing on this information in a musical fashion. Teach Them Anyway.
18.12.2024
150 Years Ago, Thomas Edison Discovered the Secret to Exceptional Creativity. It Still Works Today
Thomas Edison is known as one of the most prolific inventors in the history of the North America, his “Edison Labs” (in West Orange, New Jersey) were famous for sometimes producing over 1,000 patents a year. However, when we think of Edison’s “Labs,” we should not picture sterile, working environments with all the experimenters isolated at individual work sites. Instead, we are told in this article, that his labs were more like playgrounds than high school or college laboratories. This writer also tells us that the primary quality promoted at the labs was, “fun.” Edison apparently believed that fun was the root of creativity. It was not unusual for the experimenters to take breaks and go to a local stream for a group swim or use other extended breaks to play group games. In an atmosphere of fun, the brain is far more open to learning than in an environment of fear and control. Indeed, in controlling environments, the creative functions of the brain shut down. What does that mean for our classrooms and family gathering times? How can we add fun to our learning environments and increase the development of creativity over the retention (or memorization) of knowledge. Creativity is not the accumulation of existing knowledge, it is using existing knowledge to create novel connections and innovative possibilities. Is your classroom fun? Is your workplace fun? Is your home fun? If you want to increase creativity, ask how you can make time together more enjoyable.
