Gratia271 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Having spent most of my summer in and out of doctors and hospital trying to work with my oldest daughter as much as possible on a substantial research project, we thought we made some major breakthroughs on ideas for work with paralytic children. Professionals who work with my nephew have been welcoming and encouraging, and we thought we found a resource to help move her project forward. Unfortunately, among a group of her "peers", her ideas were voted down in favor of "science lite" (social media; gaming technology). It's really the nicest way I can put it. One teen (beside my daughter) out of 21 showed interest in using technology and science to try to help paralyzed children. Maybe it's too close to home for us, but we see so many ways to leverage technology and science to help children like my nephew. It saddens me that these young adults don't see any point to this. Isn't there more to technology than gaming and social media? DH and I are going to try to locate the resources to proceed with some of her ideas and hope for the best. I am just so discouraged by our experience with these other young adults (most are rising seniors). No pathos, no sense of community nor desire to help others. What is the point to a fine mind and outstanding resources if we don't use them to help others? I hope these kids are an anomaly; I really do. It's just really hard to hear kids say that projects using technology to help kids walk are "not interesting". :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Having spent most of my summer in and out of doctors and hospital trying to work with my oldest daughter as much as possible on a substantial research project, we thought we made some major breakthroughs on ideas for work with paralytic children. Professionals who work with my nephew have been welcoming and encouraging, and we thought we found a resource to help move her project forward. Unfortunately, among a group of her "peers", her ideas were voted down in favor of "science lite" (social media; gaming technology). It's really the nicest way I can put it. One teen (beside my daughter) out of 21 showed interest in using technology and science to try to help paralyzed children. Maybe it's too close to home for us, but we see so many ways to leverage technology and science to help children like my nephew. It saddens me that these young adults don't see any point to this. Isn't there more to technology than gaming and social media? DH and I are going to try to locate the resources to proceed with some of her ideas and hope for the best. I am just so discouraged by our experience with these other young adults (most are rising seniors). No pathos, no sense of community nor desire to help others. What is the point to a fine mind and outstanding resources if we don't use them to help others? I hope these kids are an anomaly; I really do. It's just really hard to hear kids say that projects using technology to help kids walk are "not interesting". :crying: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: That's just incredibly sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 It saddens me that these young adults don't see any point to this. Isn't there more to technology than gaming and social media? No pathos, no sense of community nor desire to help others. What is the point to a fine mind and outstanding resources if we don't use them to help others? I hope these kids are an anomaly; I really do. It's just really hard to hear kids say that projects using technology to help kids walk are "not interesting". :crying: :grouphug: I would chalk it up as a failure of the community(family/school etc) if young adults think that working towards a purpose... which will not result in immediate gratification..... as 'not interesting'. The implications worry me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Such a shame. Teenagers generally are only interested in themselves. Hopefully, they will mature into outstanding citizens. Plus, I guess gaming is where the money is at. Unfortunately, for some that's their goal. I hope you find what you are looking for and that one day your nephew will be able to walk with robotic limbs or something better. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I think it's also what kids are taught about science. Science projects throughout school years are all short term, positive results at the end of a class period, or at most, in a month or two for the science fair. The idea of working on something that's very -long term, that may or may not lead to a postitive result right away, and that will probably have multiple attempts before you find success at all is not what they've learned science is supposed to be. And the kind of kids who are doing major science projects are often thinking of resume building for college, not science because they love science and want to change the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 :grouphug: I would chalk it up as a failure of the community(family/school etc) if young adults think that working towards a purpose... which will not result in immediate gratification..... as 'not interesting'. The implications worry me. It has amazed my daughter how many times the professionals she has visited with her group keep telling them that nothing great is accomplished in a short span of time with a modicum of effort. Based on their talks, I think a lot of professionals are worried about the instant gratification money-focused kids and how that mentality is going to play out in their fields. Such a shame. Teenagers generally are only interested in themselves. Hopefully, they will mature into outstanding citizens. Plus, I guess gaming is where the money is at. Unfortunately, for some that's their goal. I hope you find what you are looking for and that one day your nephew will be able to walk with robotic limbs or something better. :) I think it does come down to money, at least for the young adults my daughter interacts with. They find her a little quirky, but the OT, PT, engineers and others she has talked with like her. The money for some of these things for paralyzed kids is just beyond the pale expensive; others have not been developed because the money simply is not there to be made with the pediatric population. It's definitely a philanthropic endeavor. It's just sad that money seems to be what drives the choices these kids make. I think it's also what kids are taught about science. Science projects throughout school years are all short term, positive results at the end of a class period, or at most, in a month or two for the science fair. The idea of working on something that's very -long term, that may or may not lead to a postitive result right away, and that will probably have multiple attempts before you find success at all is not what they've learned science is supposed to be. And the kind of kids who are doing major science projects are often thinking of resume building for college, not science because they love science and want to change the world. My daughter has said these very things to me last weekend, the short term focus with some data points to plot etc... The students all are well versed in how to make presentations. They simply lack significant content. Sadly, most of these kids don't reflect any passion for any field of science, not really for anything for that matter. I think their perception of my daughter is she's just intense, too serious, etc... I don't know; I have just been hoping for years now that my kids could find some similarly minded peers. I guess their stuck with us for now. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I hope your DD is able to connect with professionals who can mentor/guide her in her research. There's so much need for biomedical technology and engineering, especially for children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 My daughter has said these very things to me last weekend, the short term focus with some data points to plot etc... The students all are well versed in how to make presentations. They simply lack significant content. Sadly, most of these kids don't reflect any passion for any field of science, not really for anything for that matter. I think their perception of my daughter is she's just intense, too serious, etc... I don't know; I have just been hoping for years now that my kids could find some similarly minded peers. I guess their stuck with us for now. :) My own kids say this a lot..."Where are the kids that think like me?" I guess they are scattered few and far between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I hope your DD is able to connect with professionals who can mentor/guide her in her research. There's so much need for biomedical technology and engineering, especially for children. :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: (out of likes, darn it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :confused1: :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 Are these trust fund students, who dont have to think about money? If not, I can see why they are pursuing money first. A scientist has to eat, and a CEO needs enough to be able to have a viable startup. They would be foolish not to think about how they are going to get their true interests off the ground. Maybe that means they start with the next big app. Maybe they do something else, ala Lonnie Johnson. A significant portion of the kids are from affluent families. My guess is that at least in part explains their attitude about things. The old adage that adversity builds characters rings true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 I hope your DD is able to connect with professionals who can mentor/guide her in her research. There's so much need for biomedical technology and engineering, especially for children. She has been working on that extensively this summer as often as I can get her places. We are located close to a major university, so I am hoping something will work out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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