MYAC Tours Courier Facility

We had the pleasure to tour Kendallville's local Courier facility Thursday evening. We'd like to thank Tracy Tipton and Courier of Kendallville for allowing us to see what a great asset Courier is to Kendallville and Noble County!

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Special Guest: David Ober to Speak to Members at Upcoming Meeting

MYAC will have a special guest at its upcoming meeting this Thursday. David Ober, Representative of the Indiana House of Representative's 82nd district, will speak with the members about the life of an Indiana State Representative. 

Here are some interesting facts about Ober: 

1. He is one of the youngest state Representatives in the state of Indiana. 

2. He is a member of the following legislative committees: Labor, Employment and Pensions (Vice Chairman), Agriculture and Rural Development, Government and Regulatory Reform, and Ways and Means.

3. David Ober is up for re-election this Tuesday. 

We look forward to welcoming our special guest at this upcoming meeting. 

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First Meeting of the 2014-2015 Year

MYAC's first meeting will take place on September the 4th, at 6:30. The meeting will be at Kendallville City Hall, in the Police Training Room on the third floor. (Right from the Stairs) Teens grades 6 thru 12 are welcome to come by and learn about MYAC and what we do! 

ELIGIBILITY 

Persons interested in becoming a member of MYAC must be in Jr High or High School, and must reside in Noble County. 

See you there! 

-Zion Moulder 

Second Year MYAC Member

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Internet ‘awesome’ but dangers lurk

The Internet has been around for quite some time. Depending on your definition, some might say it’s been around since the 1960s.
However, the Internet we’ve come to know and love (or hate) really didn’t come together until the mid to late 1990s, and early 2000s. As technologies advanced, the Internet’s potential skyrocketed. It wasn’t long until the introduction of social media began to attract teenagers.

With social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Tumblr practically dominating teenagers’ lives these days, it probably doesn’t surprise anyone that, according to iKeepSafe.org, teenagers spend up to 44.5 hours a week in front of some sort of screen.

Whilst there is no scientific evidence backing parents’ paranoia that prolonged electronic use could lead to temporary or permanent eye damage, the prolonged inactivity, and the lack of social skills that can result from being online far too often (as opposed to going out with friends or to social activities), can have bad consequences for a person’s mental and bodily health. According to a University of Michigan study, prolonged online activity on our favorite social media websites like Facebook can cause a lower sense of well being, and feelings of depression.

Whilst the Internet is a pretty awesome place — practically a knowledge goldmine — teenagers, and pretty much any age group, need to limit their use of the Internet. Not only can being online too often cause depression and a lower sense of well being, but it can also lead to erratic sleeping cycles. The light from computer monitors, cellphones, televisions, etc. suppresses the sleep-promoting hormone, melatonin.

Electronics also induce a false sense of awareness. Whilst our bodies might be handling the effects of prolonged use of electronics today, excessive use of electronics and the Internet can lead to long-term health issues including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and insomnia.
The Internet might be fun, but it’s not worth it when you have to take five pills a day at 35 because of some bad lifestyle choices in your youth. An active lifestyle will decrease the probability of health issues as you age, and a social lifestyle will increase your probability of success in the real world where charisma and people-skills are so desperately needed.

-Zion Moulder, MYAC Historian and Secretary

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE NEWS SUN, FEBRUARY, 2014

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MYAC focuses on community improvement, increased understanding, youth involvement

When asked to compose an article by the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council about the many issues that face the teenage community today, my mind was flooded with an almost infinite amount of writing possibilities. I feel that I might come across as ignorant or “disconnected” if I forget to include one of the many issues I feel we teens face today. What can I say? There is nothing more complex in the universe than the teenager, besides maybe the universe itself. OK, maybe that’s an over exaggeration, but we’re still pretty complex.

I find there to be many issues amongst my fellow teens that aren’t always addressed, such as bullying, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, dating abuse/violence — not to mention the abhorrent language displayed by my peers on a day-to-day basis.

It’s very sad to see a generation that has so much potential, put themselves down by the means of using such illiterate and ignorant words. Not to forget the use of the words that aren’t necessarily meant to be used as an insult such as “gay” or “homo.” I find these two words to be very prominent in many teenage vocabularies today. I don’t think teenagers understand how they come across to some people when they use such words. Words can make you come across as a person of intellect and knowledge, or they can make you out to be some teenage hooligan that won’t amount to anything.

I leave you with a promised article next month by another member of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council. (kendallvillemyac.org)

-Zion Moulder, MYAC Secretary and Historian

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE NEWS SUN, NOVEMBER, 2013.

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