http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/14/tp-temecula-newtown-massacre-...
Body to address issues affecting youths, with help from law enforcement, experts
By Aaron Claverie12:01 a.m.Jan. 14, 2013Updated2:57 p.m.Jan. 13, 2013
In recent years, technology has created a wide array of new ways for children to harm themselves and others.
There are "burn pages" that allow youths to post inflammatory material about their peers and teachers online, and mobile phone apps that make it easier to send racy pictures and video games that train young players on the nuances of using assault weapons.
In addition, there are plenty of "old school" issues that still cause plenty of angst for parents and guardians: drug use, cutting, fights and suicides.
Last week, the Temecula City Council voted unanimously to form a regional task force to help the area's youths navigate this barbed new world and emerge on the other side a healthy and productive member of society.
"I think this is one of the most important things we need to accomplish," Councilman Ron Roberts said during Tuesday's meeting.
The task force, introduced by Mayor Mike Naggar, is modeled on similar regional bodies that tackled health care in Southwest County and autism awareness.
Both bodies, Naggar said, produced results. And the autism task force, formed to raise awareness of people on the autism spectrum and help their parents and guardians find resources, continues to make a difference, with elected leaders in neighboring cities using it as a model for their own outreach.
"The concept works," he said.
As detailed by Naggar, the Youth, Family and Health Task Force will include two elected leaders from each of the Southwest County cities, representatives from the area's school districts and two county supervisors.
It will discuss hot-button issues affecting the area's youths and work with law enforcement officials, doctors and other experts on solutions that can be implemented on a regional basis.
The impetus for forming this sort of body was the recent undercover operation that led to the arrest of 22 Temecula high school students on suspicion of drug sales.
Then, a couple of days later, news broke of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., raising the stakes for the local leaders.
"It's a huge need," said Mary Venittelli, a special education teacher at Chaparral High School who volunteered Tuesday to be a part of the task force.
In her day-to-day work, Venittelli said she has seen students who seem completely detached from reality and unable to interact with adults or absorb lessons.
One example she related involved a young man who said "Nazi zombie" every time the word "Nazi" was mentioned in a lesson on the Holocaust.
Venittelli said he was so fixated on the "Nazi zombie" characters in a video game that the information on the real Nazis wasn't getting through.
Andrew Doan, a local eye doctor, also spoke in favor of the task force, saying it will help tackle gaming addiction and the changes in young brains that are caused by repeated and extended exposure to video games.
Doan, a former gaming addict who played more than 50 hours a week, later talked about the Newtown massacre to underscore the importance of this particular issue, saying the shooter used a reloading technique that is used by experienced gamers to rack up high scores in first-person shooter games.
During the council's discussion of the task force, various members suggested tweaks and additions.
Roberts said it will be important to identify and seek grant funding to pay for the task force's work, and he said it would be a good idea to incorporate the city of San Jacinto, which is working with Hemet on youth-related public safety issues.
Councilman Jeff Comerchero suggested incorporating young people into the task force to gain their insights.
Councilwoman Maryann Edwards offered her support for the idea and said it's very important to make young people feel engaged and give them a voice.
"This has been a long time coming," she said.
The vote to form the task force was unanimous, and Edwards and Naggar were selected to serve on the body as Temecula's representatives.
aaron.claverie@californian.com (951) 676-4315 Twitter: Temecula_CAL
(c) Copyright 2013 The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. An MLIM LLC Company. All rights reserved.
Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD
My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan
*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.
as usual, thanks Andy
Here is a interesting post I saw
leveling in steps, serenity, sponcys, sponsors, exercise, and sleep, (sanity has been downsized) sober from all electronic games since 11/19/2010
Thank you for posting this! I've been speaking with Cris Rowan, author of "Virtual Child: The terrifying truth about what technology is doing to children". Cris has seen an increase of psychotropic medications used in children. In the 1970's, ZERO percent of kids were on meds. Today, over 15%!
She has seen very bad effects of technology, as we all know, on the child's mind and health. She proposes this model for failure in life:
Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD
My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan
*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.