February 04, 2011

Relax and Just Be a Parent

If you’re a parent, you’re no doubt worried that your children are being over-affected by video games, movies, and peer pressure. But one expert will share some reassuring words. Then, we talk to a political advocate who has a surprising answer. And – is your company wasting energy and money? If you aren’t hitting the off switch, the answer is yes!

Episode Segments:

InfoTrak: The Parents We Mean to Be Richard Weissbourd, PhD, child and family psychologist at Harvard’s School of Education and author of The Parents We Mean To Be believes that parents—not peers or popular culture—are the primary shapers of a child’s emotional and moral development. He discussed the reasons that parents often feel out of control, and explained why parents’ intense focus on their children’s happiness is turning many kids into self-involved, fragile conformists.
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InfoTrak: Citizens in Action Political advocate Stephanie Vance is optimistic about America’s political culture and believes that 99% of the nation’s politicians are honest public servants. She suggested several ways that citizens can have a positive influence on the actions of their elected representatives. Ms. Vance is author of author of Citizens in Action: A Guide to Influencing Government
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InfoTrak: Power Off Computer expert Sumir Karayi discussed the results of a report by the non-profit Alliance to Save Energy and 1E that found that companies are wasting energy and losing sizable amounts of money by leaving computers on 24 hours a day. He explained why companies choose to do this, and what employees can do to convince corporate leaders to change the policy.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Stephanie Vance Stephanie D. Vance, the “Advocacy Guru” of Advocacy Associates, LLC, is the author of four books on advocacy, specifically Government by the People: How to Communicate with Congress, the fabjob.com guide Get a Job on Capitol Hill, Citizens in Action: A Guide to Influencing Government and the recently released Advocacy Manual: A Practitioner’s Guide. More information on her books is available on our books page. She has over 20 years of experience in Congressional affairs, having worked in a prominent DC law firm, lobbied for National Public Radio and worked in various Congressional offices, holding positions as Legislative Director and Staff Director. Her work on congressional communications stems from a deep and abiding belief that government is effective only when citizens are active participants. She has presented the concepts behind Citizens in Action at seminars and workshops around the country and she is a member of the National Speakers Association. Ms. Vance is also a member of the American Society of Association Executives and Women in Government Relations. Her work has been the subject of a variety of print media stories, including a column inThe Washington Post. A frequent guest on radio and television news shows around the country, Ms. Vance holds a Masters Degree in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University and a Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies at Georgetown University. She holds the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association. Advocacy Associates, LLC,

Richard Weissbourd Richard Weissbourd is the author of The Parents We Mean To Be, How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children's Moral and Emotional Development, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. He is also the author of The Vulnerable Child, What Really Hurts America's Children and What We Can Do About It, recently named by theAmerican School Board Journal as one of the top ten education books of all time. A child and family psychologist, Richard is on the faculty of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and School of Education. For several years he worked as a psychologist in community mental health centers as well as on the Annie Casey Foundation’s New Futures Project, an effort to prevent children from dropping out of school. He is a founder of several interventions for at-risk children, includingReadBoston and WriteBoston, city-wide literacy initiatives led by Mayor Menino. With Robert Selman, he founded Project ASPIRE, a social and ethical development intervention. He is a founder of The Lee Academy in Boston, offering a continuous program between preschool and elementary school that serves children ages 3-11. He has advised on the city, state and federal levels on family policy and school reform and has written for numerous scholarly and popular publications including the New York Times, The New Republic and the American Prospect. Richard approaches his subject as a psychologist and from the front lines of parenting as a father of three, and a former volunteer basketball coach. He is acutely aware of the daily challenges parents face in raising children, and his objective is to offer an encouraging road map to all that parents are doing right, and where they may consider correcting course. He writes, “What matters most as a parent is not whether my wife and I are ‘perfect’ role models or how much we talk about values, but the hundreds of ways – as living, breathing, imperfect human beings—we influence our children in the complex, messy relationships we have with them day to day.” Richard's Website

Sumir Karayi Sumir Karayi is the CEO of 1E, a company he founded in 1997. Sumir has since been at the forefront of the Green IT movement, pioneering PC power management and establishing a market-leading role.[1] Sumir's primary goal is to drive down the cost of IT for large organizations by identifying and eliminating waste. Sumir is a member of the International Board of the Alliance to Save Energy and the British Association for Adoption and Fostering 1e.com