The Elmira Youth Network (EYN) wants parents and teens to know about the dangers of pornography and how to avoid the temptation and destructive side of unchecked web surfing.
The group will be bringing in a motivational speaker, Brett Ullman, and his The Porn Project talk, to address issues surrounding pornography in the age of instant technology.
“It is so accessible now,” said David Paisley of the EYN. “Smartphones have changed everything.”
The event will run at Cavalry United Church in St. Jacobs on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. and is free to parents, youth and anyone else who wants to hear what Ullman has to say.
“Increasingly, more people are talking about this,” said Paisley, adding that he can see a need in the community for this kind of educational presentation. “I was a youth worker for a number of years and through that, a vast majority of the young men just really struggle. This is the reality. They want to stop and they want help. At any age, temptation can be overwhelming. As someone working with these young men, it was about what we do and how we approach it and talk about it.”
He gave the example of a young man who got a laptop as a gift.
“It starts innocently enough,” he said. “I was speaking to a young man who got a laptop for Christmas when he was 11, and he opened it up and typed in a few words, and before you know it, he was looking at things that were unspeakable and things that are illegal even in Canada, but is accessible through the Internet. When you Google these words, the porn comes up way before any education resources.”
Ullman’s presentation looks at how excessive, or even occasional, browsing of Internet pornography isn’t as harmless as some people might think. He addresses the impact pornography can have on relationships, children, dating, those involved in the industry and more.
Traditionally, discussions around sexuality have been behind closed doors, says Paisley, but now, it is time to bring it out into the open, especially giving parents different ways to have an open dialogue with their young children.
“This is the stuff that Brett is going to be exploring,” said Paisley. “He will touch on the issue, the reality that people are facing online, and what do we do about it? Here are tools that youth workers, parents, young people themselves can take home and start doing. It is about the churches as well, and what they can do as a community.”
To learn more about Ullman and his talking points, visit www.brettullman.com. To learn more about the Elmira Youth Network, visit www.elmirayouthnetwork.com.
