2019 ROADS TO RESPECT™ CONFERENCE
Our 2019 Annual Roads to Respect™ Conference focused on “The Power of Connection: Helping Youth Develop Healthy and Meaningful Relationships.” Jaana Juvonen, UCLA Professor of Developmental Psychology and author of Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School, presented her research on the dynamics of teen relationships in schools and online, diversity and inclusion, and how adults can help children navigate the challenges. In a presentation on how relationships change life trajectories, Pearl Arredondo, M.Ed., principal, San Fernando Institute for Applied Media, highlighted the critical role and life-changing impacts that positive connections with adults have in the lives of children. Yalda T. Uhls, MBA, Ph.D., founder of the UCLA Center for Scholars & Storytellers and author of Media Moms & Digital Dads: A Fact-not-Fear Approach to Parenting in the Digital Age, provided practical guidance for educators and parents. Clay Olsen, President and co-founder of Fight the New Drug offered insights about the impacts of pornography on adolescent development and relationships, as well as practical strategies schools and parents can employ to counter porn culture. Cindy Pierce, a social sexuality educator, comic storyteller, and author of Sexploitation: Helping Kids Develop Healthy Sexuality in a Porn-Driven World illuminated the ever-changing pressures and challenges teens face as they attempt to navigate the overwhelming influences of social media, porn, and the hookup culture.