Our online harms prevention group was honored to work together in Boston last year.
Advocate, Joann, lost her son to the blackout challenge on TikTok.
(click to listen to her story)
2022 to 2023
I’ll be honest, I love looking forward. Looking back is harder for me, but it’s been the most important guide for my growth to give an honest look at the past. I’m on a journey to learn to be present, but I cannot have true presence without my past and future. I always heard the advice: “Don’t look back, only forward” and in many cases that’s not helpful and can actually stunt our growth. Honest presence can only happen when we take in our past, soak in our present, and let it guide our future. It all belongs. Integrated. Whole. Letting go and blessing what needs to die away to make way for the new.
So here we go. I was excited and grieved to look back at 2022. I also did this practice in my personal life and family, and I encourage you to. It is humbling to think of all God has done this past year. From the necessity of having to close the kitchen doors for Talk More Meals food prep in Waco to growing our #TechResponsibly training in school and communities to getting time in the Texas Senator’s offices advocating for online safety for kids.
We opened the year with our meaningful Restorative Retreat hosted by Stillwater Refuge deep in the piney woods of East Texas. In January, and again in April, a small group of women learned to slow down, step away from screens for a weekend, soak up the quiet of nature, and open our hearts to a new way of being. We went through a digital wellness course, went on a nature walk (forest bathing), shared sacred messages that came out in our art expressions, and ate nourishing meals. We are hosting two more this year if you are interested. We would love to have you. Find more info HERE
Talk More Meals started the year off rocky, with the effects of the pandemic and inflation in the food industry. In July, I had to make the tough decision to close after six years of serving healthy food with talking points on the labels to local Wacoans. Our mission was to slow down and gather your people around healthy food and connection. Our customers were heartbroken and understanding. We saw many of our small businesses close over the past two years. Waco has always had the best people! We love our community and its support. We’re still continuing the message to #eatandconnect. Moving forward, it will just look different than physically serving food.
Meanwhile, the community and school training for healthy and safe tech use was growing. To date, I’ve had the honor of training 10,000+ community members and students. This January we will be hitting the ground running with 10 trainings. About 900 students, case workers, moms of pre-schoolers, and district parents are all learning how to choose their well-being and safety when it comes to their devices.
I have a lot of passion for this part of my work and it came out at the meeting I was able to get with our Texas Senator’s office back in October. Ten years of stories and research came flowing out as I advocated for kids, parents, and what we’re up against with persuasive addictive tech design. As I work alongside other safe tech advocates in Texas these are important and exciting steps forward.
Last and most importantly, I was able to meet in person with my Online Harms Prevention workgroup through the Screentime Action Network at Fairplay. The Summit was hosted in Boston. This group is full of parent survivors who have lost their children to online harms and advocates who are doing the work alongside one another. Being close to the heartache as we shared, learned, and moved this work forward was sobering. Even though we’ve been in this for a while, we feel like in some ways it’s just the beginning. As the tech industry grows and changes quickly, we have to be committed to the slow, steadfast, wise, and creative work that prevention, accountability, and advocacy take. Our well-being is worth it. Our kids are worth it. The next generations are worth it. I'm so proud to be a part of this amazing group and the national attention they have brought to this conversation.
Carson and Alexander lost their lives to targeted online harms.
As we move into 2023 full of vision, with perspective, I want to thank you for your support of Talk More. Tech Less. I hope you take time this year to Talk More and connect with those around you and in your lives. We can’t wait to see what the year has in store.
-Dawn