Hope for the next generation...

[DoryBreaux]

Today I was given a glimpse of hope for a future generation.
To put this in context, I am a ski coach and instructor in Lake Tahoe, CA, and during the holidays I frequently teach kids from 3-15 years of age.
Today, I was working with a (very mature) 7 year old whom I have for 5 days this week. While riding up the chairlift, she asks me what other things I do when the snow goes away. I mention photography and that I used to help run the photo department at the resort, and on hearing this she gets very animated and nearly shouts "You're a photographer??? I just got a Polaroid camera I love photography!" At first I thought 'okay great, another kid whose parents bought them a gimmicky toy from their past.' But then she proceeds to tell me all about how she likes to experiment with different kinds of instant film, why she likes using an "instant" camera instead of a phone camera (yeah, apparently 7 year olds are allowed to have phones these days ), and mostly that it was more fun. She genuinely seemed to understand what she was saying, and her excitement whilst talking about it was real.
Aside from this kid being really fun to ski with, she's given me hope that even a generation or two down the road, there will still be some interest in analog imaging. I think someone is getting a Rangefinder for her birthday !
Just thought this was worth sharing with the group! Happy holidays.

 

[Pentode]

That’s great news! One seven-year-old at a time we can save the world!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

7 year olds should NOT have phones. An Instax, on the other hand...

 

[MattKing]

7 year olds should NOT have phones.

True - because they are probably better using them than I am.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I'm thinking about how anxiety amongst youths is on the rise due to social media...

 

[MattKing]

I'm thinking about how anxiety amongst youths is on the rise due to social media...

Actually I don't disagree.
But I do marvel at how proficient some of the really young users are - whether with smartphones or tablet, laptop or desktop.

 

[Europan]

There’s always hope with younger generations. We’ve been let to do things, why should others not have the same liberty? I actually wait for a generation to rebel against the computer, that they claim to do things themselves, with their hands. Wipe streets with brooms, write receipts on blocks, edit a film with scissors and Rivas at a bench. Here’s a Rivas:

 

[DoryBreaux]

I'm thinking about how anxiety amongst youths is on the rise due to social media...

Interesting that you mention this... one of the rules for the ski team I coach is "no phones, period end of story." Our goal is to make the two days a week they spend with us about interacting with each other in person. The older kids who've been exposed to the world of social media and excessive connectivity tend to be a little more withdrawn than the younger ones who haven't been bombarded with it yet. I will say that I am grateful that their generation thinks Facebook is lame.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I know people that work in the school system. All the kids have phones. Expensive, like iPhones. The kids want the phones (and don't want to feel left out among their friends who have phones) and the parents want their kids to have phones in order to stay in contact.

If the school staff or security confiscates a kid's phone for the day (to be returned at the end of the day), the parents get mad, come to the school, and demand the phone be returned.

That's where we are today.

As for photography, this seems similar to the Lomography thread.

 

[Sirius Glass]

That was nice to hear. [OP's post]

 

[faberryman]

If the school staff or security confiscates a kid's phone for the day (to be returned at the end of the day), the parents get mad, come to the school, and demand the phone be returned.

And then the school explains the rules and tells the parent that the phone will be returned at the end of the day. End of story.

 

[Chan Tran]

I don't know how you organize you skiing trip and if there is any possibility that a young kid got separated from the group? I think there may be a time during the trip the phone is needed.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

And then the school explains the rules and tells the parent that the phone will be returned at the end of the day. End of story.

No. The parents get hostile towards the school staff and take their kid and the phone home for the day. It happened all the time.

However - that was in Oregon (Portland school district). So - anecdotal evidence.

 

[DoryBreaux]

I don't know how you organize you skiing trip and if there is any possibility that a young kid got separated from the group? I think there may be a time during the trip the phone is needed.

Ski hills have been playing the roll of babysitter a lot longer than mobile phones. The way we handle "separated" kids is "of you loose the group, you either go to X spot or find someone with a radio." Never fails.

More on subject, would a Canonet 17 be simple enough for an 8 year old to "experiment" with?

 

[Sirius Glass]

I taught my children to ask for the ski patrol. It only happened twice: once the oldest one got a ride on a snowmobile back to me at the base of the lift and when the youngest got separated the ski patrol stayed with her while the ski patrol skied back with me.

 

[Chan Tran]

Ski hills have been playing the roll of babysitter a lot longer than mobile phones. The way we handle "separated" kids is "of you loose the group, you either go to X spot or find someone with a radio." Never fails.

More on subject, would a Canonet 17 be simple enough for an 8 year old to "experiment" with?

Simple enough but I think the kid deserve a better camera.

 

[removed account4]

Ski hills have been playing the roll of babysitter a lot longer than mobile phones. The way we handle "separated" kids is "of you loose the group, you either go to X spot or find someone with a radio." Never fails.

More on subject, would a Canonet 17 be simple enough for an 8 year old to "experiment" with?

yeah
we used to just meet at the bottom of the trail if we got separated
never had phones just the person incharge of the team waiving his or her ski pole for
the next group to ski down ... once in a blue moon we'd do a burner run .. straight downhill tuck ...

i don't know much about canonet17 looks nice though ( i just googled it )