"The Meaningful Education Advocate" title combines my work with the Viktor Frankl Institute of America and my blog that challenges the institutional framework in which we educate our children and presents new opportunities emerging in the transforming economy. I also co-host a podcast called Q-Ed Up with Ziz and Pam that discusses what it means to be educated in the 21st century. Most recently, I co-founded  Straight Up Impact with producers Kate Cohen and Marisa Polvino of Straight Up Films. Our mission is to share thought-provoking stories at the intersection of film and social impact.

Join us for the screening of our first film in the Meaning in Madness short film series, entitled Mackenzie.

Thursday, May 20, 2021, 5:00 pm PST/8:00 pm EST

The Meaning in Madness series highlights the systemic issues contributing to the epidemic of anxiety, depression, addiction, and suicide in our youth. All films showcase personal stories told from the perspective of a young person and are short-form documentaries. Our first film focuses on Mackenzie, a 17-year-old high school student’s experience in our standardized system of education.

The 60-minute program will feature the world premiere of the film, appearances from a special guest, panel discussions, and original music. Plus, we will be announcing the launch of the movement inspired by the series called B-Unbound with our partners at Big Picture Learning.

B-Unbound

A partnership between Straight Up Impact and Big Picture Learning

Be You. Unbound. B-Unbound is a community-based network that connects young people, ages 14-24, to mentors, experiences, and each other with the goal of promoting wellbeing through meaningful relationships and interest exploration. 

The Real Cost of a Meaningless Education

Viktor Frankl was right. In 1965, the world-renowned psychiatrist and author of Man’s Search For Meaning described the U.S. system of education as ‘mechanistic’–a system that treated students like machines rather than human beings. He warned that ignoring the essence of their humanness would create feelings of meaninglessness and cause a void in them that would produce anxiety, depression, addiction, and even suicide. He called this void the ‘existential vacuum’. Frankl believed that each person’s motivation for life is to search for their unique meaning. It cannot be imposed upon them as it is deeply personal. By standardizing education and defining a singular goal for all students, we have created a plague of meaninglessness and an epidemic of mental illness. READ MORE

I enjoyed my interview with Kathy Kristof, editor of Sidehusl.com. Read "New-Collar Work: High Pay, No Degree Required" in $IDEHUSL.

My interview, "Changing With The Times" can be found in The Capistrano Dispatch, San Clemente Times, and the Dana Point Times' Crib to College Guide.

Crib to College -- An Educational Guide to Your Child's Success