Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion An alternative peer networking method for young pe

Good afternoon:
Perhaps a discussion could be started regarding the issue of exploring this intriguing effort to acquaint young people about networking with their peers and others via Morse Code use over Shortwave Radio. This activity is presently used by young people and others as described, yet the activity is relatively unknown to youngsters.This activity is an historically vital communication that is now largely ignored and forgotten.
Aspects of Morse communication:
1. So much fun!
2.Challenging
3. Wholesome (FCC rules still prohibit the use of profanity over amateur radio frequencies). Issues related to indecency are not seen.
4. Safe (all users are licensed and vetted by FCC personnel and issued a custom callsign used every ten minutes over the airwaves).
5. Home based and can be enjoyed as a solitary activity.
6. Morse communication is a highly effective and efficient stress diversion activity in this distressing worldwide paradigm now seen. (A unique and never tried before activity is best).
7. Self esteem elevating: Weekly worldwide competitions and contests are heard over the amateur radio shortwave (including Morse frequencies). Skill with Morse is impressive to see and hear.
I have demonstrated Morse communication to thousands of elementary school students in ATOU sponsored school workshops over the years. The gifted students seem to be the most interested in this activity.
The routinely performed online networking and cell phone based texting is an inferior alternative in my opinion.
I also will share several experiences from my youth outreach effort. I have three unique Morse instruments and I discussed them as a part of my ATOU disability acceptance and inclusion school workshop speeches to the local elementary school children.perhaps the following experiences will interest you:
a. I was one of the four ATOU workshop speakers early in the classroom-before the school day started. Only one student was seated at his desk this early. After hearing the speaker chit chat, this third grade student piped up and told us "I like to show people this card when I meet them. I am very shy and don't like to talk to people. Showing this card to people while I am talking to them helps me talk" ( He held up his laminated,school issued ID card). After the speakers were done, this brave,courageous and giving student approached me, gave me his ID card tool that he used to talk to people and said to me, "Here, I want you to have this, I think that it will help you talk. I hope that we can be friends." On the back of the card he wrote " Morse Code". (He had noticed my difficulty with spoken communication during my speech to his third grade class). I was told later that this student was being evaluated for autism. So unselfish, courageous and caring! I hope that he will mature into a leader of all.
b. One of the ATOU speakers is a child who is neurodiverse (he enjoys "Rubic's Cube" and can solve it in less than thirty seconds). The first time he and I were on the speakers panel together, he disrupted the other speakers by practicing Morse while they were speaking.
c. A Southern California mother, with a neurodiverse teen, heard about my Morse outreach.They traveled several hours across California to pick up my Morse donation to them. This daughter told her mother, "listening to Morse Code relaxes me."
d. A neurodiverse teen with her mother visited my outreach exhibit set up at a local Autism Vendor's Fair event. She lingered and seemed unwilling to leave my exhibit because of her fascination with my three Morse instruments. She did not want to visit the other vendors
e. A teen visited my Morse exhibit at a local event five separate times that day to practice sending Morse with each of the three unique instruments. He was fascinated because he had found a method of communication that was fun, challenging and self esteem elevating (this "unknown to peers" Morse communication is impressive to see and hear if used by experienced users). This teen struggled with his vocal stuttering issues.
f. I receive lots of parental "thank you" after events. A father told me," I think that you have a fan!" after accompanying his daughter to my exhibit for a second time that day. A granddaughter shouted to her grandfather after trying Morse during my exhibit event, "This is so cool! You have to try this!".
A peer shunned teen at my teen center Morse station spent his time there at this station and did not want to leave when his mother came to take him home.
Again, I wanted everyone to contemplate this information.