The Teen Whisperer - Helping Adults Understand Teens & Teens Understand Themselves
This Meeting's HighlightsProgram: The Teen Whisperer - Helping Adults Understand Teens & Teens Understand Themselves
Speaker: Josh ShippMeeting for the week of December 14th to December 20th, 2015* * *
Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our meeting!Each Monday our week’s meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 45 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time.Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you; read it while on public transit, waiting in line for coffee, or even at the park! Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
Greetings
Message from the President
Good to have you join us!
You may be like many around Silicon Valley, wondering what this wet stuff is that is falling from the sky. In some lands, this is called, "rain," and if enough of it happens, it might bring our reservoirs back to a merely disastrously low level, as opposed to the "where did the reservoir go?" level many are now exhibiting.Whatever your sky looks like, we're happy you turned your attention from it long enough to spend some time with us!Rotarian guests, we ask that you consider contributing something - whatever for you is the regular cost of a Rotary meal, perhaps - to the efforts of our club. Please choose one of the options below:
Send via our secure Happy Dollars form.
Send via Google Wallet to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.com
Send via PayPal to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.com
Send a check via snail mail (see below for instructions)
To pay via Google Wallet or PayPal, you'll need to log in to your account with those companies.Those of you who prefer a more traditional approach can mail a check made out to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley to our treasurer: ℅ Allen Thompson, 13500 Cascade Ct., Bakersfield CA 93314.Non-Rotarian guests, there is no need for any donations from you. As we see it, your job is to simply enjoy what you read and watch, though we do ask that you leave a comment at the end letting us know what you think. This club is loaded with folks who love sharing ideas, and we look forward to your sharing yours!
Yours in service,
Rushton Hurley,
PresidentRotary eClub of Silicon Valley
The Power of Images
We believe that there is power in imagery, and that a great photo can inspire in its own unique way.
As a presenter, I do lots of search for images that I can legally use (that is, Creative Commons-licensed stuff which I can use for free as long as I have cited it properly), and found this one from a San Jose photographer that is a nice segue between the rainy opening, above, and the thoughtful quote, below.
Photographer's painting by Peter Thoeny from Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
May you see all sorts of cool possibilities around you all week!
The Power of Ideas
Every week we bring you a few words from thinkers past and present which we think may inspire you. This week's quote is from Henry David Thoreau.
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.- Henry David Thoreau
A Time of Goodness
While I don't spend much time watching TV, there are certain pieces of my personal history that have been highly important in how I see myself. Some of that includes watching Star Trek reruns in junior high and high school, college football games when I was growing up in Arkansas, and even Singapore's national anthem when the broadcasts started early in the day each day back in the 70s. This video, though, of Fred Rogers speaking as part of his induction in 1999 to the TV Hall of Fame, speaks of possibilities at another level completely. His especially thought-provoking question is, "How do we make goodness attractive?" All the members and guests who, like me, grew up on Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, will enjoy the message. - RH
Our Club Giving Challenge
This month we'll be getting to know other members of the club by learning about the causes they support (other than Rotary).
This is a chance to convey what we are passionate about and why, so if you haven't filled out the Giving Challenge info yet, you can do so here.
Member: Paul MossoCause: Watsonville Volunteer CenterWhy: My office donates to this organization every year around the holidays. We adopt a family, and try to make Christmas a little better for them. I really enjoy helping out with this charity since it is a high-impact organization with direct connection to my local community. Everything that gets donated from our office goes directly to that family in need; it is nice to be able to know about who is going to receive the gifts. The demographics of the families that we help our generally farm-workers/laborers and women escaping domestic violence with their children in Watsonville, California. I feel that besides helping people worldwide through Rotary, it is my responsibility to also help people here in my own community through other means as well.
Member: Nate GildartCause: Hope International Development Agency (Japan's clean water project in an Ethiopian village) and TELL (formerly 'Tokyo English Life Line')Why: I was asked to help with a music fundraiser, but the clean water element was appealing, as we tend to take clean water for granted. The scale of the project is huge, and on-going (this is not a hit and run initiative). We'll be raising more funds. I donate time and money. In the end about 10,000 USD was raised in 3 pubs across Japan in this simultaneous event. / TELL provides anonymous counseling in English, amoug other services, including a free phone lifeline (not yet 24-7). I have experienced suicide twice in my life, one a close friend, the other a close relative. Though I had already volunteered for TELL for a couple of years, at one point I was asked to help with outreach (via the indie music community), and with suicide a major problem in Japan, I wanted to help. Over 60% of lifeline callers are English-speaking Japanese nationals (a flip from when TELL began about 45 years ago, hence the NPO name). Since 2012 we've had 55 different indie bands play for TELL, with several playing multiple times. Tonight, Dec 12th, is our 14th edition. There's a lot of love in Tokyo.
Member: Yvonne KwanCause: Music for MinorsWhy: Music for Minors joins together two of my greatest passions -- music and teaching. Their mission is to keep music alive in classrooms and to nurture a lifelong love of music in children through various means including singing, theory, dance, musical games, and use of rhythm instruments. Love the idea of this challenge!
Member: Hardeep SinghCause: Andy Rose In Memoriam FundWhy: Though this isn't a nonprofit or similar organization, I donated to this cause as this was for a family I know, who is currently suffering from the loss of a father and husband. Andy Rose committed suicide after dealing with many struggles related to post-brain surgery complications. His family is having a lot of difficulty paying for outstanding medical bills, memorial services, therapy for the wife and sons, and more. This is important to me because I am very passionate about mental health and suicide prevention, and because I am friends with the family and have witnessed their struggles since his passing.
Member: Martin FoxCause: Center for Global Leadership and the Global Ripple FundWhy: Supporting and mentoring young social and environmental entrepreneurs in developing regions around the world. Helping them tackle pressing community and societal issues - making a massive difference in the world around them. Accelerating the global ripple :-)
Member: John LozanoCause: Mayan FamiliesWhy: Mayan Families is a small non-profit providing assistance in impoverished communities in rural Guatemala through various programs including: education, medical aid, shelter, community development, trade schools, and micro loans. I have enjoyed supporting this program both volunteering in Guatemala and through financial support.
Member: Deepali Mehrotracause: Second Harvest Food Bankwhy: Food is important for survival. This organization does an incredible job in feeding millions of needy people day after day, every year.So far, we've heard from Tzviatko, Gene, Shags, Keith, Catherine, Chris, Richard, Heather, Rushton, Andrew T, Paul, Nate, Yvonne, Martin, John, and Deepali. If your name isn't in that group, we want to hear from you, too! Click here to make it happen. (If you have filled out the form since this was posted, we'll get it in next week.)
Events & Projects
This section of our meeting is where you learn about both recent and upcoming events and projects our club is leading or supporting. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here.
Recent Events:
Recap of our December 13th White Elephant & Drinks Social:
Our club tries to have at least one get-together a month, adding online gatherings when we can, as well! Last Sunday, a group of us met in Oakland for some kick-back time with wine and a "white elephant" gift exchange. Here in the photos we have our members Mitty, Yvonne, Stephen, Rushton, and Andrew at Drake Brewery's new restaurant & brewery location "The Dealership" in Uptown Oakland.
Upcoming Events:
Did you miss our past events? Come join us for any of our upcoming events! Guests, you are welcome too!Hiking Adventures at Point Reyes on Sun. January 24, 2016 at 10:00 AM
Our eClub is taking a wilderness explorers' adventure into Point Reyes on Sunday, January 24, 2016 at 10 AM. Pack your own picnic lunch, and prepare for a nice 5-7 mile hike! We may also do a pit stop at the world famous Tomales Bay Oyster Company's oyster stand. Details such as the exact meeting location will be available by mid-January. Keep your calendar marked! All members and guests are welcome. Free to attend.
Sexy Salad Potluck & Wine in Livermore on Sun. February 21, 2016 at 12:00 PM
Come enjoy the local extension of Napa Valley in Livermore. We will be having a salad potluck at the awarding winning Retzlaff Vineyard Winery in Livermore on Sunday, February 21, 2016, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. There will be live music and wine. This is a sexy salad potluck! Sexy salad is a way for communities to come together and give gratitude for good food and for good company. Members and guests should bring an ingredient to contribute to the salad. For example: you could bring a bowl of cranberries, a bowl of sliced steak, a bowl of cherry tomatoes, etc. We will be providing organic assorted greens, the salad dressing, along with plates and utensils. All members and guests are welcome to attend; this event is also friendly for anyone under 21 as well! (Though those not 21 or older can't have wine, of course.)
Nightlife Exploration at the California Science Academy in San Francisco on Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 7 PM
Come with our club to explore the amazing exhibits and experiences at the planetarium during the evening for California Science Academy's Nightlife program! We will be meeting at the California Science Academy in San Francisco on Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 7 PM for an exciting night of science adventures! Open to all members and guests. Tickets will be available for purchase. More details coming in early March.
More Socials!
You can sure expect more socials to be coming up in 2016! Members, if you are interested in helping plan socials, please reach out to President-Elect Mitty or leave a comment on this meeting. We would love to get you more involved with the social planning!
The World of Rotary
We are part of the Rotary International family, with over 1.2 million members in over 180 countries around the world. Rotary’s reach is global. Here we tell our members and guests about Rotary's initiatives and events.
Last week, we learned about the Rotary World Peace Conference coming up in January. It isn't too early also to begin thinking about attending the annual Rotary International Convention coming up next summer in Seoul. Here's a message from RI President Ravi Ravindran with some encouragement along those lines.
And on the polio front:
Service Survey
One piece of being a Rotarian is finding ways – both big and small – to help others. Our members report the good deeds they do and the good efforts in which they participate, not in order to brag, but to remind us of the many possibilities there are for using what we have for those in need.
What small or large service moments have happened for you in the past week or two? Have you helped at a homeless shelter? Rang a bell for the Salvation Army? Contributed old clothes or blankets to a cause? Whatever it is, tell us about it, and inspire your Rotary colleagues near and far to find cool things they can do, as well!
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
Happy Dollars
Every week we offer the opportunity for guests and members to express their gratitude for something good that has happened to them this past week. Think of this as a digital karma jar.
Happy dollars are little gifts (even one dollar is fine) that tell about things we are celebrating that, like this week, make for news both good and sobering. Here are the happy dollars from last week:
From member Allen Thompson ($10):"A donation towards RYLA expenses and celebrating a successful minor surgery my wife, Patti, had on her arm on Friday."
From member Gene Tognetti ($15):"To celebrate the life of my dear friend and 'surrogate mom' Rosamond Wallace, who just passed away suddenly."
Member Mahmood Khan ($15):"Supporting the Interact effort."
Birthdays
We're still in that long stretch between Linda and Allen's birthdays in late November, and Lisa and Mahmood's birthdays just after Christmas. Take this time, though, to consider people you are close to whose birthdays you missed sometime during 2015. Send them a note, letting those people know that they are special, and while it may have taken a little extra time, you're happy for the gift of friendship they have brought to your life.
The Tidbit
Every week, we feature a new tech tid bit or life hack to make something easier, more convenient, or more fun!
You'll notice in the Selected Comments from Last Week section, below, that Nate Gildart responded to last week's Tidbit with a link to a very useful set of slides on search techniques. Looking over them, I remembered an image-search tool that I learned about several years ago, and decided to share it, this week.
Thanks, Nate, for the inspiration! (And make sure to check out the slides he shared.)
A Little Humor
We believe laughter is like medicine. Here’s a little humor for your week!
Over the next couple of weeks, we're tapping the collection at the website of Boys' Life Magazine.Warped Wiseman wonders: "Does Santa Claus refer to his elves as 'subordinate clauses'?"Oy.
Selected Comments from Last Week
It’s one thing to hear about the interesting work of innovative people around the world. It’s another to get to know the members of the club via their ideas about what they read and watch. Please take part in our community, and leave your thoughts before you finish today!
Last week's program about the Rotary World Peace Conference in southern California (LINK) was one that helped us all better understand the hard work that goes into making peace happen. That and other elements of the meeting generated some great comments, several of which you'll find below.
Member Yvonne Kwan (California, USA):"Rudy, thanks for stopping by and giving us information about the Rotary World Peace Conference! I've registered for the conference and am excited to see what new ideas I can bring back to my community! There are so many aspects of peace and conflict resolution that we can tackle globally and locally; I'm looking forward to being as inspired as Frank was in Hawaii! 8) Keith -- another beautiful photo! I think it's awesome that the Christmas tree is solar powered. And I wish I had that tidbit months ago. I have definitely been that person clicking and scrolling through each meeting to find a certain inspiring video..."
Member Nate Gildart (Tokyo, Japan):"Wow! This was jam packed! Rudy, thanks for helping this new Rotarian get a handle on another aspect of Rotary. Your point that Rotary connects many different sectors that are doing good things is well taken - the issues we are grappling with are indeed interconnected and overlapping, with conflict being a key cause (so we need to understand the root of conflicts). LOVE the football team story. My Grade 8s had to put youth crime into their party platform for our government unit. I'm proud to say that without my influence, most chose the reconciliation and rehabilitation approach over punishment and abandonment. I'd love to know how those boys are doing now. The tidbit is great, too. The technique uses what Google calls 'operators'. I did a full workshop at NYU's Tokyo campus a couple of months ago on Google Search. If you're interested, click this link and grab slides 7-8 for a few other popular operators." [Note from Rushton - these slides are a wonderful resource!]
Member Chris Cochrane (Ontario, Canada):"Love the Tidbit! Also congratulations to member François Tessier of Montréal, Canada. Recently he completed a PhD in Therapeutic Counselling. Now it's a long-held Canadian tradition to genuflect upon meeting a newly-minted PhD such as Dr. François Tessier or, at least, bow in an easterly direction upon mention of his name!! (If you like this custom, then please acknowledge a tradition created by another famous Canadian, Dr. Kris Kringle, a PhD in Giving, who garners much attention on Christmas Eve.) Congratulations Dr. François!" [Way to go, Dr. Tessier! And most cool to see the replies to this comment in that meeting.]
Member Shags Shagrin (California, USA):"Great Tech Tidbit! Would have saved me time looking at prior programs to find something earlier in the year. UPDATE: Just learned that the plans for this weekend changed and I'm not able to be at the holiday event in Oakland. Sorry to be missing it…" [You and Truffle were missed!]
Member Mitty Chang (California, USA): "Rudy, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us about the World Peace Conference Rotary is putting on! I have registered and will see you all there! On another note, good to see the bit about El Tour de Tucson! I'm planning on participating next year. :) Hope to see some of our club members get in on that too!"
The Program
This week's program is a slightly different format than we typically share. Instead of a presentation and a Q&A, we have an interview with Josh Shipp, a former at-risk foster kid turned teen advocate.
Josh talks directly to teens about topics that are crucial to success and often difficult to discuss, covering them in a way that’s entertaining and can grab the attention of even the most difficult teen. It’s a message from someone who’s been there, who wants teens to succeed, and who helps parents to feel empowered.Josh has worked with groups of parents, educators & mental health professionals, and over his career, he has spoken to more than two million teens live. Media outlets MTV, CNN, FOX, The New York Times, 20/20, and Good Morning America have all had Josh speak on air about teen issues. He is the author of the 2010 national bestseller "The Teen’s Guide to World Domination."Josh's success as a speaker led him to start a company called Youth Speaker University, designed to train those who wish to develop a career through giving powerful messages to young people. Josh was listed on Inc. Magazine’s 2009 30 under 30 list.Welcome, Josh!
You can learn more about Josh's work and the resources he makes available at freeteenhelp.com, and here is one of his talks focusing on some very good advice.
Upcoming Programs
Now that you have completed watching this week’s program and meeting, here are some programs that you can expect in the coming weeks.
• Week of Dec 21st: Building a Responsible Lifestyle Brand For Women On The Rise
• Week of Dec 28th: Crowdsourcing Education for One Billion People
You’re Almost Done! One last thing: The Attendance Survey..
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting. You have two last things to do before you’re done. First, we have a very short attendance survey below for you to fill out to record your attendance.
Visiting Rotarians, this is how you can get an email receipt to pass along to your club’s secretary as proof that you’ve attended our meeting if you need it for makeups.
Non-Rotarian Guests, we would love to see who is dropping by our meetings! This part is optional for you though.
More importantly, for all members and guests — we strongly recommend and ask that you leave a comment below in our comments area below. Tell us how you enjoyed the program. Ask this week’s speaker any questions you might have. Or just stop by and say hello and tell us where you’re from!
