Trevor Crows discusses the issues in Aug. 23 sidewalk chat
By Mike Lauterborn
© 2011. All Rights Reserved.
9/6/11
Fairfield, CT – There are two things that rank as favorite activities amongst local teenaged young ladies: hanging out at Pinkberry and chatting about their day-to-day issues. Through a collaboration between the very popular downtown Fairfield fro-yo destination, radio stations WSTC 1400 and WNLK 1350 and Southport-based radio talk show host Trevor Crow, that perfect combo materialized Tuesday night August 23rd.
Set up on the sidewalk in front of Pinkberry’s 1512 Post Road shop, Crow, the host of “Keeping Connected”, engaged teens both on the phone, by email, via text and live, encouraging them to talk about everything on their minds today. This included Facebook and Twitter, the do’s and don’ts of social media, how to behave toward your friends online and off, the effects of cyberbullying, sexting and any related topics.
The mother of a 14-year-old and 11-year-old, Crow hoped frank conversation would encourage a dialogue, not just between teens and their friends, but between teens and their parents. She hoped to spur some new ideas, tips and/or solutions as related to the life of today’s teenager.
Becca Glass, 14, of Fairfield, was one of the first teens Crow spoke with live. Glass and her friends Eva Mullineaux, 12, from Redding, and Olivia Crow, 14, from Southport, joined Crow together for a cross-dialogue. “Trevor asked us if it was ok for teens to break up with each other through a text message,” reported Glass, as she stepped away from the table at which Crow was seated, and past the audio tech manning controls. “We said it was a bad idea. That message is permanent and can be shared throughout the school. It’s embarrassing for both parties because it’s very personal.”
Glass said the foursome also spoke about parents monitoring kids’ Facebook pages. “In my opinion, a parent will never be able to fully prevent a kid from getting a Facebook page because they can access it through friends,” she said. “It depends on the relationship you have with your parents. For me, Facebook is kind of personal in many ways. I think my parents should trust me on Facebook.”
Mullineaux said she didn’t mind personally if her parents looked through her page. “They have my password, and I am friends with them and with their friends. I’m sure it might change when I’m older,” she remarked.
As thrilling as it was for teens to be interviewed on the air, it was equally special for Crow. “This is the first time I’ve done a panel,” she confessed. “Usually, my interviews are one-on-one and never on the street. I like the immediacy of the format as it goes off script, which can be a fun challenge. You get to see what the kids are feeling in real-time, and some of the real issues with which they are struggling. We parents can get caught up in our own stuff and sometimes it’s hard to oversee our kids and totally be aware of what’s happening in their lives.”
Crow had certainly established an exciting presence on the Post Road. Besides large banners promoting her show and the radio stations, there were free Pinkberry bracelets being offered from branded containers and postcards advertising her show, which airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m. Her show answers relationship questions predominantly, which she is more than qualified to discuss as a licensed marriage and family therapist as well as a certified emotionally focused therapist.
Another interviewee was Amanda Fitzburgh, 14, of Fairfield, participating with her pal Allie O’Connell, also 14 and from Fairfield. “Trevor asked us what we thought of teens posting and sending inappropriate photos of themselves by cell phone, Facebook, etc.,” said Fitzburgh. “I said it was a bad idea as the pictures will follow you. They may hold you back from getting into college or a good job.”
O’Connell mentioned that Crow asked them how one can tell if a photo is appropriate or not. “I said you can tell if you’re not embarrassed by it 10 years down the road or if you could show it to your parents,” she shared. “We also spoke to a girl, now in college, on the phone who was a victim of cyberbullying when she was in high school. We learned to feel comfortable talking to a parent or teacher or other adult if it’s happening to you. The girl, Nicole, spoke to her parents and ended up deleting her Facebook account. Nicole’s mom ended up writing a book about it, which is now a leading guide about cyberbullying. Strategies we learned are to talk to an adult to see if you’re handling things the right way.”
At one point during the broadcast, a fire engine -- lights going and sirens wailing – went zooming up the street. “That’s the exciting part of broadcasting live on the street,” Crow joked to listeners, while flashing a smile to Pinkberry patrons looking on, who grinned along with her.
No comments:
Post a Comment