WAIMEA — All parents are invited to a free talk at Hawaii Preparatory Academy Wednesday led by Justine Finn, director of Relation-Shift. The title is “Social Media, Media, and Sex: Opportunities, Solutions, and Challenges Facing Kids and Teens and What Parents Can Do.”
The interactive workshop, which runs about 90 minutes, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the school’s Gates Performing Arts Center on the Upper Campus.
“Teens in the United States spend an average of nine hours a day on a screen, not including for school or homework,” said Finn. “Socializing, exploring identity and dating often occur between texts and social media, raising new challenges and positive opportunities.”
As young people begin engaging in romantic and intimate relationships, many experience violence, abuse and harassment. How can parents guide, empower and mentor their children to engage in healthy media and relationship behaviors? Finn’s workshop will reveal what children are learning about sex, gender and relationships from social and traditional media, and will provide parents with strategies to address common problems and opportunities facing their children and communities.
Finn founded Relation-Shift at the Harvard Innovation Lab after receiving the 2016 Harvard Graduate School of Education Entrepreneurship in Education Award. Relation-Shift works with middle and high schools to address relationship and sexual violence amongst middle and high-school aged youth. For the past 10 years, she has worked to advance the equality of women and men, focusing on creating inclusive workplaces and school cultures and developing the capacity of young people to engage in healthy relationships.
Finn facilitates classes, workshops and seminars across the country on gender, media representation and the prevention of sexual and relationship violence and bullying.
Info: www.relationshiftproject.com, or call 881-4005