September Launches a New School Year and Time to Reinvest in Tried-and-True Values!
Where, oh where, did the summer go?! I spent my summer launching Epilectra on our website Epilectra.com and on Amazon.com. And, I checked off a biggie on my bucket list: An African Safari! I bet many of you feel like you were just planning your long-awaited vacations and figuring out how to keep the kids occupied for 14 hours every day?
But carefree the kids are now breaking out their slightly musty school wardrobes and dusting off their alarm clocks. Lunches just enjoyed at backyard picnic tables and in parks are now being neatly packed into paper bags and lunch boxes, stuffed into backpacks, and hauled off to local elementary, middle, and high schools.
For youth, heading back to school can bring with it a host of anxieties regarding social circles, grades, and perceived levels of “coolness.” I’m sure you remember what it was like to scan lunchroom tables silently praying for your gaze to be met with a welcoming gesture.
In recognition of the beginning of school and our kids’ efforts to find where they “fit in” among their peers, I’d like to make you aware of a two Nationally recognized “days” and talk briefly about how Epilectra addresses their core values:
Youth Mental Health Day, September 19
Theme: “Control Your Scroll”
The digital landscape continues to evolve rapidly; so rapidly that many parents feel ill equipped to guide their children through the online world. And while this world holds a host of benefits for its explorers, it also poses many hidden and overt harms that youth didn’t face just a decade ago. In a stem4 survey of more than 1,000 young people, 93% reported being scared by online content. Respondents worried about disinformation, misinformation, and fake news (59%), online bullying (52%), and being exposed to unwanted sexual imagery (39%).
The key here is to know what you know and who you can trust in terms of scrolling and downloading. While many adults remain clueless about how to be cautious online, many are quite educated. When in doubt, seek the guidance of someone trustworthy such as a teacher, librarian, or older friend. Remember, you can always trust Epilectra! Epilectra offers subtle lessons about living with disability and not allowing life’s difficulties stop you from reaching your dreams.
National Inclusion Week, September 23-29
Theme: “Impact Matters”
Though this week focuses on the workplace, the fostering inclusion is beneficial in virtually any group setting (Inclusive Schools Week is in December). “Impact Matters” emphasizes that everyone’s actions can have a positive and lasting impact on an organization.
In Epilectra, inclusivity is paramount on many levels. The most obvious area of inclusivity is disability since all of Epilectra’s superheroes have different disabilities they transform into superabilities. Additionally, the characters vary by age, race, employment, and gender. But their differences don’t separate them because they are unified under Team SEEZ.
DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) is such a hot topic these days, but when people think about it, too often they only consider race or religion or age. Hopefully by introducing Epilectra and her team of ultra cool superheroes with disabilities to the world, disability will begin to take its rightful spot in the DEI equation.
This week is dedicated to celebrating inclusion and taking action to create inclusive work places.
Mental Health and Inclusion have been hot topics in the workforce, and it’s about time these important concepts – mental health and inclusion – trickle down to our youth.