Meeting in Review - June 24th 2021

Co-Presidents Lesley and Penny were welcomed to their first meeting as Presidents, by Sergeant Michelle.  A small attendance for the beginning of the new Rotary year with only 22 members and 5 guests present.  It was great to see Mark on the attendance desk - welcome back Mark!
 
Our Presidents thanked all who attended Change-over which was declared a success by those present.  We were also reminded that last week was "National Volunteer Week" and that more than 200,000 New Zealanders volunteer their time every week.  Rotary volunteers are, of course, included in this number and it was pleasing to hear that of the 47 million volunteer hours generated by Rotary members each year worldwide, last year the Rotary Club of St. Johns contributed 2,500 hours.  Congratulations and thanks to all members for their contributions.
 
Prior to our guest speakers being introduced, members were also reminded of the meetings and activities that are planned through June and July and these will continue to be promoted in the Bulletin - please read on.
 
Our guest speakers were then introduced by Miles;  Andrew Bowie, (Donald's son), Julie Cullen & Alex Muntz.  All three are involved in the organisation called "Sensible Screen Use", (SSU),  The evidence is clear that excessive screen use in young children is harmful to their development causing issues down the line like myopia, obesity, social anxiety and even resulting in regressing learning outcomes. 
 
Scarily New Zealand is leading the way with device adoption in schools which is likely only fuelling the issue.  Our three speakers, IT guru Andrew, Paediatric Physio Julie and Dry Eye Specialist Alex, (Auckland University),  have started Sensible Screen Use to get the message out there and drive a little more awareness around this alarming topic.

Digital technology has the potential to enhance learning, yet international research shows that significant use of screens at school is associated with reduced educational achievement.  High screen use is also linked with negative impacts on children's health, development and well-being.  For more information click on the link above which takes you to the SSU website which reviews the research behind device use in education. It explains why we need moderate, purposeful and evidence-based use of digital technology by schools, and what can be done to influence change.

One of the challenges that SSU have is funding, and they mentioned to us how costly it was to identify and employ affordable software writers and developers to help them grow their website to incorporate the data and research that they have.  There could well be an opportunity here for SSU to work with ONJA and we will immediately introduce the two organisations to each other to explore any opportunities that may exist for both.