The Teens are NOT okay, but they CAN be, a conversation with Kat Zilka of Dis/Connect

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Today's guest is the founder and Executive Director of Dis/Connect, a local non-profit attempting to create screen-free spaces for teens and young adults in our community. But let this conversation inspire you, wherever you live, to look for those spaces in your neighborhood.


If you’re in the mood for a how-I-found-my-calling-and-dropped-everything-to-follow-it story, this week’s episode is for you.


And it's incredibly powerful.


Kat was a high school English teacher during the pandemic and saw first-hand the havoc that that screens and social media (and doomscrolling, comparisons, FOMO and dangerous algorithms) had on her students. She had a front row seat to the mental health crisis of this generation of teens. 


So what did she do? 


She got the teens to talk about it. She asked them questions. She listened. 


"We need help," they begged. 


She heard that call, left her job at her high school and set out to create the spaces these teens needed to have the difficult conversations and find the support and off-screen accountability with their peers. 


Whether you’re a parent or not, this is a vital conversation we all need to be having. I hope you’ll listen and join in. 


I also invited my friend (and friend-of-the-pod), psychologist and addiction-medicine specialist, Thekla Brumder Ross. Longtime listeners will remember my series with Thekla last spring all about attention, mindfulness and how we can change our relationships with our screens. If you haven't listened to that, it's worth going back to listen! Thekla really is an expert here! (start HERE (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1969604/ep...) !) 


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