PASADENA — AGBU Hye Geen and Young Circle’s 13th Annual International Conference will cover a very timely topic for parents, educators and students alike, highlighting the rapid changes of the digital age which affect society at large. The event will take place on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Performing Arts Center, located at 2495 E. Mountain St., Pasadena, CA 91104. Registration will start at 9:00 a.m. and the duration of the program is from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The entrance fee is $30, with $10 tickets available for students. A complimentary lunch will be served at the midday break.
The carefully selected conference speakers are experienced professionals who work directly with children, teenagers and their families in educational institutions or in private practice, with one being an advisor in the law enforcement sector. They are namely, Armine Movsisyan, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Intellectual Virtues Academy, Nora Chitilian-Kalachian, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (L.M.F.T.), Edrick H. Dorian, a Clinical and Police Psychologist and Co-founder of Thriveport, LLC. The moderator is Shakeh Yegavian, a longtime Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (L.M.F.T.).
A wide range of topics will be discussed, beginning with changes in the family structure and their significant repercussions. The large-scale move of women into the labor force has resulted in the increase of public child-care facilities available through the Head Start program, day cares and preschools. Another topic will be the effect on children of screen-based devices from televisions to smart phones, “offering a feast of passive entertainment,” interactive computer games and the opportunity to connect with peers remotely. These devices have also made cyberbullying and sexting possible, causing great anxiety to parents.
Another urgent topic is the fact that children are starting to use digital devices at an even younger age, which radically changes their lives, leaving less time for other activities. Parents try to ration their children’s screen time but are often unable to counter their opposition. With changes in many aspects of their own lives, individual parents are hard-pressed to raise their children amid the easy availability of digital devices.
The Hye Geen and Young Circle’s 13th Annual International Conference will provide a forum for an exchange of ideas about parenthood in the digital age and will give a sense of shared engagement in the all-important mission of raising our children.
To purchase tickets for the conference, “Parenting in the Digital Age,” please visit www.showclix.com/events/hyegeen.
