Community Programs

WEDNESDAY, MAY 2; program begins at 6:30 p.m. Contact the Golden Rondelle (262-260-2154 or Rondelle@SCJ.com) to have your name added to a wait list for this Sold Out program.

Following the program, a Wright@Night SC Johnson Campus Tour will be available from 8:00-9:30 p.m. – a separate reservation is required.

In 1918, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 women to France as telephone operators to help win the Great War. They swore Army oaths, wore uniforms, held rank and were subject to military justice. By war’s end, they had connected over 26 million calls and were recognized by General John J. Pershing for their service.

When they returned home, the U.S. government told them they were never soldiers. For 60 years, they fought their own government for recognition. In 1977, with the help of Senator Barry Goldwater and Congresswoman Lindy Boggs, they won. Unfortunately, only a handful were still alive.

This documentary features rare 100-year-old film footage of America’s first female soldiers, courtesy of the National Archives and never-before-seen photos from family archives. On March 1, 2018, The Hello Girls was screened at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery and will be seen in Wisconsin in May.

Following this screening of The Hello Girls, James Theres, the film’s executive director and producer – and Racine native – will be on hand for Q&A. The film is 56 minutes in length and is not rated.

THURSDAY, MAY 10; program begins at 6:00 p.m. 

One in five teens lives with a mental health condition and yet more than half are not getting the help they need. Stigma remains a huge barrier to teens seeking help. Many cite fear of negative perceptions as a major factor in choosing not to speak up.

Raising awareness by sharing information and starting conversations about mental health is key in reducing these perceptions and increasing the likelihood that teens will seek mental health care when they need it. NAMI – the National Alliance on Mental Illness – is committed to helping start those conversations.

Say it Out Loud was created to get teens talking about mental health symptoms and how they can help support each other in their journey of recovery.

Program Agenda
This interactive program begins with a short film highlighting the 10 common warning signs and showing three youth who share their experiences with mental health issues. After the film, Marina Pappas, executive director of NAMI Racine County, will facilitate an interactive panel discussion of parents and youth on their personal journey to start the conversation about mental health.

This program is for ages 13 and above.

TUESDAY, MAY 22; program begins at 6:30 p.m. 

Parents won’t want to miss children’s media expert and author Nicole Dreiske, one of the nation’s most respected pioneers in the study and understanding of how children engage with screens. This evening program/workshop – entitled The Upside of Digital Devices - Screen Smart^TM Skills to Accelerate Learning and Close the Achievement Gap – will give parents the skills to teach little ones mindful viewing.

The founder of the International Children’s Media Center (ICMC) and author of THE UPSIDE OF DIGITAL DEVICES: How to Make Your Child More Screen Smart, Literate and Emotionally Intelligent, Nicole helps parents transform the way in which their kids experience digital content, whether through YouTube, television, smart phone apps, games or the internet. Combining her rich legacy in arts education with forty years of field-tested techniques, Nicole shows parents how to help their kids develop their own media filters and engage screens in ways that are healthy, safe and beneficial.

Parents will learn:

• A powerful step-by-step technique for practicing mindful viewing that’s simple and draws upon skills parents already have.
• How to transform screen time into magical connection time between parent and child.
• A simple vocabulary to use with children that will help them safely navigate away from peril as they explore the digital world.
• How to finally eliminate the constant tug of war between parents and children over what they can watch.

Nicole Dreiske, the founder and executive director of the ICMC, is an educational innovator and internationally respected curator of children’s media content. She is a leader in the development of 21st century learning programs that “accelerate learning and use screen time to foster emotional intelligence and critical thinking.”