“Sex, drugs, rock and roll.”
This was the catchphrase of Dr. Mark Gandolfi, a counselor at St. John’s. Although he is currently a counselor, his teenage years were filled with alcohol, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. However, these actions have given him the experience and the knowledge to talk to teenagers today, about their lives, and the activities they may engage in.
Hong Kong is definitely not the perfect place for teenagers looking for something to do. Because of this, they get fake IDs, and experiment with alcohol or drugs. However, these are extremely harmful. Dr. Gandolfi did not tell us to stay clear of fun altogether. Instead, he used science and the brain to warn us against the detrimental effects of alcohol and drugs. We learned that we could have fun, but engaging in dangerous and unhealthy activities, especially if they could get us addicted, was not the way to do it.
Dr. Gandolfi also made his talk especially interesting by telling us about the similarities and differences between males and females. This included what each gender looked for in their boyfriends or girlfriends, the number of times each gender thought about sex (250 for males, 25 for females), and the fact that males are actually females in the first seven weeks after conception.
He also told us about the way the brain works, and how there are eight types of intelligence. This means that a person considered not academically ‘smart’ probably has strengths in other areas. We should not ask ourselves the question: “How smart am I?”, but rather the question: “How am I smart?”
The engaging way Dr. Gandolfi spoke to the year 12s really allowed us to understand and feel interested in what was being said. By talking about subjects that were relevant to us, and subjects that we felt interested in, he was able to make us both laugh and feel the seriousness of certain issues. We sincerely thank Dr. Gandolfi for speaking to us in Speaker’s Hour, and hope that he can talk to us again soon!
Island School Speaker's Hour 