TAC Board: The Alaska Club Blog

Summer vacation is almost here! If you’re hitting a pool, going on a boat, fishing, or playing anywhere near the water, be sure everyone in your group knows how to swim. May is National Water Safety Month, an annual campaign coordinated by several agencies including The American Red Cross, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, and the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance. The Alaska Club is promoting the message by encouraging everyone to be water aware. Based on statistics, having confidence around water is crucial.

Just two weeks ago, I attended an education conference in New York City on learning and brain activity in youth and children. The chief concern at this conference was the preponderance of screen time, primarily cell phone usage, teachers witness among their students. While studies have not made a direct correlation to the rise of anxiety and depression seen among children and youth to electronic device habits, bullying and obesity have been positively correlated to cell phone usage by these groups. Consistent with these findings is a greater sense of social alienation found among children and teens who are now logging long hours on their electronic devices and becoming sleep-deprived in the process.