On August 19, 2010, we had the opportunity to present the TY101 message to a college audience for the first time.  We were able to change our message to address the needs and concerns of the average college student.  The audience was Freshmen, Athletes and members of the Greek family at Augusta State University.  It has always been our hope to expand the scope of our message to include the college-aged students because so many believe (incorrectly) that the issues addressed in TY101 are limited to high school students.  Many college students enter college still in their teenage years, at least in the eyes of the law.

I will leave it to others to determine whether the message was well received but the feedback from the students was very positive.  Thanks to WRDW for choosing to cover the event in their evening newscast.  The more we talk about the issues presented in these discussions, the better prepared we will all be for life.

     Law enforcement officers have explained that they think it may be tough to enforce (a fact that was also discussed by Governor Perdue at the time he signed the bill) but teens need to be aware of the ban.  There are numerous Web-based photos, videos, etc of tragedies which have occurred as a result of texting while driving but, as always, teens seem to think those things will never happen to them.

If you are addressing a sexting issue in your home, remind your teens of this fact: everyone has been involved in a romantic relationship that ended badly.  If the ex is in possession of a sexting message, he/she may well use that message against you in the aftermath of the breakup.  AND, once such a message is sent, you are no longer in control of where that message ends up.

I have been impressed with the program and think it fills a huge need in our community.  But like everything else, it is not the quick fix that many folks think it is.  Changing behaviors that have been in place for years is not corrected in minutes or even days.  HERE is the website for Youth Challenge at Fort Gordon.

     The other thing that always struck me is how crazy taking a nude photo of yourself is, regardless of who you think you are sharing it with.  Same with videos of private moments.  Just do not understand it.  But sexting has a cool name and has been in the news recently more than any of us wish.  HERE is a link to a recent article on the subject.  For some reason, there are people who do not see this trend as a problem (see comments to the article).  I am not one of those people.