It was my pleasure to attend the screening of Episode 2 of Fusion Teen Talk Show: No Bullying Allowed with my daughter. This was presented at Woodruff Arts Center here in Atlanta and I must say that the hosts, producers and directors did a wonderful job. My daughter and I checked out the event at the invitation of the show’s creator and producer Shakethia “Queen” Robertson. Fusion Teen Talk Show itself was created in an effort to open the lines of communication between adults and teens. The medium in which they choose to do this is what else? A talk show! There are a lot of major issues affecting teens today, abuse, suicide, bullying to name a few. Fusion Teen Talk Show serves as a way that teens can openly and honestly express themselves among their peers. The show is co-hosted by two teenagers: Jasmine Akakpo and Somalia Ra-Min. These young ladies are intelligent, energetic, beautiful & conscious and they do an awesome job of hosting this show. The topics are all related to teen issues. Episode 2 focused on bullying. During this interactive screening we got to watch clips of the show and then take part in a live discussion about the topic with a panel of teen experts. The panel: Joshua Dickerson (Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club Thomasville); Judah Swilley (Anti-Bully Activist, Youth Pastor); Jasmine Akakpo (Fusion Teen Talk Show Host); Somalia Ra-Min (Fusion Teen Talk Show Host) and teen entrepreneur AND Hip Hop artist Taj as the moderator.
They focused on bullying and how it affects the youth of today. The panel talked about their own personal experiences as they answered questions from the audience. They all agreed that Social Media makes bullying more wide spread and harder to control. Here are Three of the key tips that they gave for diffusing the affects bullying:
Know Yourself
Dont Let Others Define You
Stay True to Who You Are
photo credit: ElRock Allahborn
I asked them what their motivation was to stay on the straight and narrow and most of them said that their parents were a direct influence on them for staying motivated and not just out of trouble but working toward the greater improvement of themselves and their community. I’m proud of them and they’re not even my kids!
We were also treated to a live performance by Dem Freshman. This rap group does not use profanity or disrespect women in their lyrics so you may not have heard of them.
As the mother of teens I commend what the youth over at Fusion Teen Talk Show are doing for their community. So often we are focused on only the negative things we hear about teens…we see it on the news everyday. They are disrespectful, lazy, unmotivated, criminal minded, the list goes on. I’ve always preferred to give that same attention on this blog and Our Natural Kids to the positive endeavors of our youth and this is one of them.
See for yourself
You can do more than just watch the show, there are several ways to show your support for this not for profit organization.
Become a TEEN AMBASSADOR.
Be a voice in your online community to help spread the word about teen issues and things that affect YOU. Parents encourage your teens to check this out.
Donate Money!
Invest in our youth and you invest in our future. Show these kids that you stand behind the positive images and messages that they are sharing by donating. Remember they are volunteering their time to make this world a better place. Support the “All Things Fusion” movement.
Spread the word!
Share this post. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Encourage your teens to check them out.
To see more pics of this awesome event check out our FB Page: The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids
Who was your main motivator when you were a teen?
