Of all the issues facing young people today, climate change is top of mind with the only group that will need to deal with the issue long term - young people. Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein knows this, as she works with young people day in and day out, helping them address their fears and anxieties via The Selfie Project, Holstein's grassroots film making efforts that finally give young people a real voice about the challenges they face.
Recently John Kerry and Arnold Swartzenegger teamed up to form World War Zero, a project that takes a proactive approach toward climate change. Other high profile names involved in the project include Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Watson, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and John Kasich. In their words, there is a war on climate change. It is young people who must fight this war at the front lines. Their survival may depend on it.
Dr. Holstein's latest podcast hit the issue of climate change head on. She is actively recruiting young people to submit selfie films that discuss not only climate change, but issues such as school shootings, lockdowns, bullying and a host of others. The goal is to give young people an opportunity to voice their concerns with no censorship or scripting. Of all the issues that face young people, climate change is top of mind for this group.
"When I watched one of the videos that a youngster had prepared for my monthly Podcast, 'Enchanted Self Productions Presents The Selfie Project', I was moved way beyond expectations," Dr. Holstein stated. "In this slightly more than one minute video she had managed to make clear that she is afraid to die because of climate change, she feels relatively helpless to control what is happening and she had to stop the video several times to get herself under control as she was crying as she made the video.
"As a psychologist, woman, mother, grandmother, citizen of the United States, I'm thinking to myself, what have we done as a people to make a bright talented girl feel so worried and hopeless? What dreams have we taken away from the next generation that they are entitled to have? What indifference and narcissism have we allowed ourselves to play into, so that we haven't worked harder as a people to protect our environment and make sure changes are done in time to stop the rollercoaster of natural destruction?
"At the end of the show in which this young lady sat with me, a scientist, a school librarian, a school psychologist and several others, she said that she thought she would never be heard, that no one would listen to her concerns. Of course we had and we will not forget. But the struggle is far from over!
"All of my Podcast shows are designed to take children, teens and young adults seriously. They have major concerns and major anxieties and issues. It is time to give them more voice in ways that they can be heard. Selfie filmmaking is one way. Discussion with experts and other kids is another way to give voice. 'The Selfie Project' is doing both. Take a look at some of the videos, up on Selfie Filmmakers, under the Selfie Showcase tab. Also listen to the podcasts or see them on the YouTube Selfie Project channel."
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, Selfie filmmaker and Positive Psychologist, is a cutting-edge, visionary selfie filmmaker who has garnered over 80 awards and screenings. She recently created The Selfie Showcase, a new project emerging from The Selfie Project, that allows young people to voice their opinions on subjects that matter to young people. She is now accepting submissions from the public for the "Selfie Showcase" and is actively seeking change-makers and mental health professionals to appear on her monthly video podcast.
The Selfie Showcase allows kids, teens, and young adults ages 13 to 18 to candidly express their concerns, worries, observations and possible solutions by creating selfies or selfie films around important subjects, using a smart phone.
Selected participants may appear on the Selfie Project Channel, available on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3uaOTcYF70z5CpBh11VoUQ. They will also appear in the Selfie Showcase on SelfieFilmmakers.com. They will receive a certificate of merit, and may be invited to be on Holstein's monthly podcast or perhaps be a part of her next film. Full details, rules for submission and helpful hints can be accessed at the Selfie Filmmakers site at http://www.selfiefilmmakers.com/instructions.
"Selfies can be a means of private expression, but can also serve to create public discussion of important issues, Dr. Holstein stated. "Issues such as bullying, suicides, social media pressures, lockdowns, school shootings, love and much more. They allow young people the opportunity to speak out in their own way, whether that way is to rant, vent, discuss or bare their souls.
"These are real kids with real problems," Dr Holstein concluded. "My hope is to give them a real voice through various components of the Selfie Project. The Selfie Showcase can serve as window into the minds of young people and what kids think."
The podcast series is actively seeking change-makers to appear either in person or by call-in on her monthly podcast. Dr. Holstein is hopes to feature members of traditional media, mental health professionals and educators who can make a real difference in the lives of young people. Guests, if accepted, can arrange to appear by contacting Dr. Holstein directly.
Dr. Holstein also makes a number of her books and films available to be used as fundraising tools. She requests that any verified charitable organization interested in raising funds contact her via email.
She is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at barbara.holstein@gmail.com. More information about the Selfie Showcase is available at http://www.selfiefilmakers.com. Potential podcast guests can contact Dr. Holstein by email. More information is available at her primary website at http://www.enchantedself.com.
Profile:
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known Positive Psychologist is the creator of The Enchanted Self ®, a positive psychology method for happiness and a pioneer in Selfies as Film. Dr. Holstein's Enchanted Self website was included as one of the best websites in positive psychology. She is in private practice in Long Branch, New Jersey with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein.
Dr. Barbara can be found on the web, interviewed, writing articles and posting video 'TED' style talks on Happiness, Positive Psychology, Relationships and Parenting.
She has been a contributor to Your Tango, Heart and Soul, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Redbook, Real Simple, The Wall Street Journal, Time on line, the Today Show and Family Circle Magazine.
Contact:
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
170 Morris Ave.,
Long Branch, New Jersey 07740
barbara.holstein@gmail.com
732-571-1200
http://www.enchantedself.com
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