Schools
VIDEO: SADD Chairman Gives Pre-Prom Talk at Seekonk High
The night before prom, Stephen Wallace, the author of 'Reality Gap' and national chairman of Students Against Destructive Decisions, spoke to a group at Seekonk High School as part of an ongoing series of discussions on teen behavior.
Stephen Wallace says he does not deliver speeches like the one he made at Seekonk High School on Thursday to impart some secret wisdom on parents and teenagers.
"The hope is that people will have a moment," the author said as he smacked his own forehead, imitating the television ads. "I want them to say, I get it, and I should have thought of that."
A significant crowd gathered in the high school auditorium to hear the speaker's message and were offered a chance to buy his book Reality Gap, which the author was willing to sign before or after the presentation (one third of all proceeds from book sales went back to Seekonk High School programs).
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The crowd was larger at this event than the previous public discussion, a panel of experts that spoke about risky behavior in teens back on April 31. At that discussion, only about 50 people were in attendance, and approximately half were faculty and staff at the high school.
This crowd was easily three times as large, and filled with students. Although the crowd may have been buoyed by a promise of community service hours for students who brought an adult to the discussion, there were many families who seemed genuinely interested in the discussion.
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There were families taking seats in the auditorium more than a half hour before the presentation began and by the time things kicked off there were very few seats to be had for late comers.
Some students were not as enthusiastic. Two students outside the school (who refused to give their names for fear of repercussions) said they saw no point. "I have no idea why I'm here," said one of the two.
But most sat attentively as Wallace discussed the key issue in his book, the disconnect which he calls the reality gap. He illustrated the difference between parent and child realities with the startling example of teen suicide.
Wallace said his research group asked parents and teenagers to rank the importance of various topics to teens from most important to least. While teens said that suicide was the fifth most significant issue on the lengthy list, parents ranked it 17th.
The speaker said that he sees a connection between this confusion and the massive boom of teen suicide in recent years. He tries to apply this logic to other, similar problems that parents and teens face.
Click on the video to the right to see footage from the presentation.
