“All students are at-risk because of these things,” DeMoine Adams told a small group of citizens who gathered to hear the motivational speaker at Crouch Auditorium on Tuesday evening. He was holding up his cell phone when he said it.
Few would argue that social media is presenting challenges to children that previous generations weren’t forced to confront, but we appreciated Adams’ message because he didn’t simply point a finger at social media and then tell us that we are powerless against it. Nor did he brand cell phones and social media as evil, and unrealistically suggest that we should eliminate them entirely. Instead, he urged us as a community to respond to the challenges presented by modern technology by making a consistent commitment to mentoring. While those types of commitments will certainly produce positive results for our children, it struck us that Adams’ suggestions can also prove effective for dealing with the very real issues that confront adults in this community.
“Get mentored or be mentors,” Adams said, and it wasn’t hard to understand that the former Nebraska Cornhusker standout was simply encouraging community members to get in the game.
Of course, to be in the game, you’ve got to be on a team, and Adams provided some powerful tips on how to make our community a championship team. Most of those tips came down to recognizing that this is our team, and we each have a responsibility to make ourselves better and provide positive support to help our teammates become better as well.
Positivity isn’t something you find very often on social media, and Adams pointed out that our mentoring can begin by simply posting something positive there on a regular basis. It’s a simple step, but a powerful one, and it could be the first step in true community improvement. So pick up your phone and post something nice about your town or somebody in it— and start being a mentor today!