Beware the Teenage Techies and Other Tales

Teenagers live in a world which has, technologically speaking, changed more in the last 30 years than it did in the previous 700 years. It's no wonder that they are confused by the modern world, but also confused by the reaction to it by people who didn't grow up with their noses glued to a screen most of the time.

     This was the theme of Jarrod Cronje's talk at the club last weekend.

     In his other life Jarrod is the manager of the restaurant Nice in  Parkhurst, where President Carol Stier came across him some weeks ago and twisted his arm to donate cupcakes for the Bridge Drive in March.

Jarrod Cronje at the meeting last week

     Jarrod teaches Life Orientation classes at schools mainly to 13 and 14-year-olds, and is sub-contracted to The Foundation Clinic, a rehab centre. He is a recovering addict, he told the club.

     Children these days are more prone to process addiction, which can also be described as addiction to screens, than to substance addiction, he said. They have the same neurological make-up as the generations before them, but are exposed to a whole new technological world.

     They should be handled with care, he seems to imply.

Frank Odenthal

     We had another visitor last week, the third visitor in as many weeks, in the form of Frank Odenthal, who expressed an interest in joining Rotary.

     Frank and his family recently relocated to Johannesburg from Germany. He said he met his wife in Namibia when he worked there a number of years go. Both of them fell in love with Southern Africa and when she got the opportunity last year to teach at the German School in Parktown, they grabbed the chance. They moved to Parktown North just after Christmas last year and  are planning to stay here as long as possible.

     Frank is a technical salesman who has worked in business development.

     Here's hoping he enjoyed his visit to New Dawn and is planning to join!

     Speaking of joining: Dr. Peta Thomas has become a member of New Dawn by transfer. Time allowing and if we get her badge and other paraphernalia in time, we'll be able to induct her this week.

     The main business of the meeting this week is of course The Link and New Dawn's efforts at raising funds for them.

Dr. Peta Thomas, our latest member

     We'll be handing over a symbolic cheque for R100000 to Tim Bashell and Megan Maynard, the amount the club has pledged to help The Link expand their efforts at reaching even more children at more schools with literacy and maths training.

     As we all should know by now, New Dawn is also working with the Rotary Club of Parkdale-Hyde Park-Humber in Toronto, Canada, at obtaining a global grant to add even more impetus to these efforts.

DG Jankees Sligcher was one of the originators of the project to help The Link. Here he's with Dave Bradshaw, our club AG

     Ian Widdop has put an enormous amount of work into the application for the global grant and reports that we should be getting good news quite soon.

     It promises to be an exciting meeting, so be there!

     Ian has also been heavily involved in arrangements for The Night of 1000 Drawings (a concept title), the proposed fundraiser at Maboneng. There was a meeting with a representative of David Krut Publishers, one of the partners in the event, after the club meeting last week. The event is beginning to take shape but because it'll be on a scale we've not tackled before, much preparation still needs to be done.

     Excuse the vagueness, but as usual there will be reports-back as soon as hard decisions have been made.
     A word of thanks: I mostly forget to thank the club photographers for their efforts in helping to make the blog more interesting. This week, as so often, the photos are by Jenine Coetzer. Carol Stier also often brings her camera to meeting and club events. Without them the blog would not be possible.

     A Thought for the Week: When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package. - John Ruskin (1819-1900)