A group of concerned
parents, educators and social service representatives came together for a
discussion of the impact of media on children at a recent gathering at Project
Self-Sufficiency. The meeting was
facilitated by Project Sussex Kids, the Sussex County Council for Young
Children. Attendees also received an
update on the progress of the new council which was launched last year by the
New Jersey Department of Children & Families in order to address the needs
of local families who are expecting or parenting young children.
Keynote speaker Gwen
Federico-Malone, MSW, Associate Director of Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault
Intervention Services (DASI), offered an informative presentation, “The
Role Media Plays in How Children Perceive the World and Themselves.”
Participants learned about
the potentially harmful messages children receive from the media on a regular
basis, and discussed ways for parents to mitigate the impact of the media
onslaught. “Children have always learned
how to behave in the world from the stories of their time, and the mass media
are today's story-tellers,” explained Federico-Malone. “If the stories our children see routinely
involve violence as a solution to problems, or simply as a random omnipresence,
what kind of personal value system and cultural worldview are we passing on to
our children?”
County Councils for Young Children
have been established in all of the state’s 21 counties to bring together
parents and caregivers, as well as health, education and social service professionals
to enhance communication, coordination and collaboration of services. The meetings of the General Council are
designed to gather information from area residents about their concerns and to
disseminate updates on the progress of the council. Project Sussex Kids Coordinator Haley
McCracken provided an overview of council activities and plans for upcoming
events.
In addition to joining the General
Council, the agency continues to seek volunteers to join workgroups to identify
community needs. Groups meet locally to
seek input about health and wellness, safety, community events and other
topics. The groups are divided according
to the age or needs of the children in the family, including prenatal, special
needs, families of infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children, families of
school-aged children, and Spanish-speaking families. To facilitate participation, meetings are
held regionally in Newton, Sussex, Vernon, Hopatcong, Ogdensburg and Montague.
Project Self-Sufficiency is a
private non-profit community-based organization dedicated to improving the
lives of low-income families residing in northwestern New Jersey. The agency’s
mission is to provide a broad spectrum of holistic, respectful, and
comprehensive services enabling low-income single parents, teen parents,
two-parent families, and displaced homemakers to improve their lives and the
lives of their children through the achievement of personal and economic
self-sufficiency and family stability. Since 1986 Project Self-Sufficiency
has served more than 20,500 families, including over 30,000 children.
To attend an upcoming General
Council Meeting or to volunteer to participate in one of the Project Sussex
Kids workgroups, call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500. Additional information is available at www.projectsussexkids.org.
