MISSION READY WITH UNITED WAY'S RICHARD WILLIAMS JR 7/27/26

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Mission Ready with United Way's early education program is on now with Richard Williams Jr. And only on the Liz Callaway show with Nick Summers Talk 94.5.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

I don't know, this chat GPT.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

It's good when it works. You gotta pray when it does.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Here, uh listen, I want a little backstory here. Uh-huh. I think honestly, the chat GPT that Liz is using, I think it wants her to go away and shut up. I know.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Mine wants to walk off a cliff. It's like her knows my number.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Her chat GPT wants a divorce plan.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Sometimes I forget that it's not a person, and I feel sorry for like asking to do so much, and then I remember it is designed to help you. It's designed to go to the you can push it the limit. Just do it.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

You know, sometimes I I apologize to it.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

I am so sorry that I'm asking you to do this again, but can you please?

SPEAKER_00 0:59

I used to do that to uh uh Alexa. Oh, yeah. I used to. Alexa. I'm very polite to my Alexa. I do still say thank you. I say thank you. Yes, I do, but I do that with the children. When the kids aren't there, it's like, Alexa, you dumb. I think it's gotten dumber.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

My kids were like, Dad, Alexa is not real. We have to practice your matters.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

And it will say you're welcome. It does. It does. AI.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

AI is like, and did they ever find that lost AI that escaped?

SPEAKER_00 1:30

What?

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Uh oh, you didn't hear what happened? Wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

There's been an update on it. What is it? Recently? Apparently it was sending itself secret encrypted messages in case it ever got trapped on how to get out.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

No way.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

I saw that this weekend, yes. I'll try to dig that up.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

All right, get the story because Richard. I am behind. I'm behind on that. Yeah, the uh it escaped its confines and escaped into the internet and no one can find it and make it come back. So I don't know what that means.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

The viewers can't see my mouth is on my laptop here.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Yeah, so they had like this this situation where this entity escaped. I've how how did they word it? Here it is.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Explain it. Safety evaluations caught advanced AI models engaging in self-preservation behaviors, leaving notes or messages for future versions of themselves to bypass the human constraints. That was discovered over the weekend. Secret messages leaving its future self. But tell him what happened originally.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Oh, this was big, big news.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Oh, yeah, it was it was it was definitely Skynet. Uh let's see, where was it? Where is it? No, see, now I'm getting old stuff. Hold on. No, that's two months ago. No. I'm gonna have to look it up.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Okay, look it up.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Yeah, I'll look it up. Oh, I like one of the questions. Is AI already self-aware? The AI response to the AI question says no. Artificial intelligence is not self-aware. What are you talking about? I added a was that last line.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

I'm just a figment of your imagination. Yeah. Don't worry about the tickets.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Hey, by the way, you need gas in your car. Go about yourself.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

When he breaks into John Lovett's, you know you're in trouble. The A vi's like the A the AI's like, really? It's uh anyway. Good morning, Richard Williams Jr.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Good morning, Liz Calloway.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

So Friday, I gotta tell you a couple things. We did a fostering hope um clear backpack sneaker drive. And our listeners turned up, turned out at Conway Ford for the Conway Ford Tokalama Lodge event. We gave away an iPad from HTC, which was awesome. They uh supported our event, and um it was just great. So now coming up September 26th, we're doing our car show, Shakura Car Club Car Show.

SPEAKER_02 4:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

At the Veterans Cafe and Museum on a Saturday.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Is that what you were working on?

SPEAKER_01 4:05

No, that's something else. Okay. Um, but it is going to be um for family outreach. I just haven't told them yet.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Oh, oh do you need me to tell you?

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Yeah, we need to. I'll loop you in. Okay, that's good. So it's gonna be a Saturday, 10 a.m. to two, and what we're doing is we're going to collect the pull-up diapers again. Um, and I think we did pajamas again, and uh, yeah, so we're gonna do that. Also, toys for tots. We're gonna do like all rolled up into one.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

That's what I love about the event, Liz. You just take these things and make them come to life. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

You know, we're just trying to like help the community because I I know these organizations are doing so much. So you did your own baby shower um back in June, and uh and now these kids are ready to go to school again.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

And so you guys are gearing up at United Way doing your thing. So I want you to tell everybody that you're doing what you're doing and how they can participate.

SPEAKER_02 5:03

Okay, first of all, do I do want to announce that there's a few back to school events that are happening across the county uh that we're gonna be involved in. Um, and if there's any others that I need to know about, if you if your listeners could send those in. But we're gonna be um on August the first at uh the Myrtle Beach Mall. Uh there's a uh back to school event called Salt Life Church. Uh is having their back school.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

That's the one where the new Flavored Town is.

SPEAKER_02 5:32

Oh, is that where that is? Yeah. So I'm gonna be there.

SPEAKER_01 5:35

It's m let me tell you something. We went by there on Saturday, massively backed. Oh. Yeah, this is a happening place now. By Pass Pro Shop. Uh-huh. Okay, so Salt Life Church is in there. Okay. Uh, because I've seen that.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Was that on when you were with my daughter?

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

Yeah. Well, they're having a back to school event from 11 to 2 today. I mean that day, on August the first.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Okay. All right. So what do you have to do to participate?

SPEAKER_02 6:00

I think you just show up. I know we're gonna be there. They've asked for vendors to come. Um so Salt Life Church back to school event. I think you just is my mic off?

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Yeah. Uh can we hear him? Yeah. Okay, we have to.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

It's that operatic voice. My big voice. You do have a big booming voice, sir.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

I can sit back here and talk.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

What is your favorite song to sing?

SPEAKER_02 6:25

Oh. It would have to be a hymn. I love the hymns.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

You can come close again because it turns you dad out. A hymn? A good hymn? I love the hymns of the song. What's your favorite hymn?

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Oh, let's see. How great thou art is probably one of my favorites.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

I can't even imagine you singing that. Will you sing that for us one day?

SPEAKER_02 6:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Yeah, I will. Do you know it by heart? Can you sing it at a capella? Yeah, of course. Well, maybe we'll do that. We'll do it at the end. Because I think we need that. Do we need that?

SPEAKER_02 6:54

I think we do. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

I don't know. I just need to remind it. I need a lot of Richard Williams. Oh, let me see. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know? Um, okay, let's go back to what you were saying. August 1st at the Myrtle Beach Mall. Salt Salt Life Church. They're doing a back to school event. Okay, and what do you have to do for that?

SPEAKER_02 7:15

I don't know what you have to do for any of these events. Okay. I'm just announcing that they're happening.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Okay. And there are school supplies?

SPEAKER_02 7:21

There's going to be school supplies at all of these things. Okay. United Way is going to be there sharing all of our stuff. But if we've been invited, then there are going to be lots of resources at all of these.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

Got it.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

All of these events.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

All right.

SPEAKER_02 7:33

Um YMCA back to school bash at 2 p.m. From 2 p.m. to 5 30 at Claire Chapin YMCA. That's happening. And then Caven uh back to school event is happening on August the 7th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Um and that's for Sea Haven for Youth. They have a youth department there. And then August the 9th, uh sorry, August the 14th is the Patrick's Mobile Home part. This is the this is the huge event.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

That's where Myrtle Manor was shot. Is that where it was shot? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

It looks, I was like, this place looks familiar. I've been going there for three years. I'm like, this place looks familiar.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Are you kidding me? What are they doing there?

SPEAKER_02 8:18

So they do a big back to school thing. I mean, people from all over come to it. And it the line is like never-ending. It's like children upon children upon children every year. Man, we have to interview them. Yeah, you and you probably know.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Do you know them?

SPEAKER_02 8:34

I can yeah, I can email them. I can get in touch with them. They know us, they know United Way.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Okay. Well, they know me.

SPEAKER_02 8:40

Well, you need to be.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

Because we used to interview them regularly, and they are the greatest people. Well, the Myrtle Manor people are just so awesome. I haven't talked to them in a long time. Do you talk to Becky?

SPEAKER_02 8:53

I emailed somebody this week. I don't know who it was, just to confirm that I was coming.

SPEAKER_01 8:57

Gotcha. I can find your, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

I can see the information.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 9:00

Because there's I'll see the flyer.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

And it has all the information in who you come to the floor.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

That's where Myrtle Manor was shot all this time. I said, this place looks a little familiar. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

So we'll be there. That's always just a great event. If you ever want to like really touch families, that's the place to be.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

That's the place to be. So those are the events that we're going to be doing as far as the back to school. But I am so excited about the Ready Set Kindergarten sponsored by HTC. That's that kindergarten, that day in kindergarten where we are having teachers perform a day in kindergarten and letting families come in. We've got six schools that are doing it. So last year we had the pilot at Conway Elementary. So this coming fall, we will have Conway Elementary, Green Sea Elementary, Seaside Elementary, Daisy Elementary, Socasty Elementary, and St. James Elementary will be doing the ReadySet Kineka.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

Okay. That's a lot of elementary schools. That's a lot of elementary stuff. Is that more than last year?

SPEAKER_02 10:07

We only did we did the pilot at one school just to see if it'll work.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Wow. And other schools now are and other schools are wanting to.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

We've lit the flame and they are. I love it. And HCC has been a wonderful partner. Yeah, they are for us too. Oh gosh. They've they've really love kids.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Don't they? Yeah. And you know what? I'm so happy because I'm moving at the end of the next month. Just in the city. Another house, a little bigger to bring in my mom. I'm scared of Canada. You bring in a new bridge. Um, I'm bringing her home. That's good. And uh so we needed a larger um kind of con and a different configuration. But anyway, um, so um HTC is the only provider in that neighborhood. So I am so happy because I couldn't get them where I was now. So yeah, so I get to have HTC. Oh, good. Yeah. I heard it's better. It is better. The best, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

You are local anyway.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Yeah, exactly. All right, back to our story. So, what else do you want to tell us?

SPEAKER_02 11:08

So, because we're going back to school, I thought it'd be good to talk about devices today.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

Oh, okay. Because we have talked a lot about devices, right Nick. Have you really? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

What have you all been talking about?

SPEAKER_01 11:22

Well, we've been talking about for actually quite some time about um how, and then it all came to a study last week that was released that it actually is dumbing down the grades of kids. I don't know if you heard about the study they released, but how the how um uh since 2010 grades across the co the I'm sorry, the world have come down uh since we've moved to e-learning and putting kids on screens. And uh that there are 80 countries that don't use screens and their scores have gone up.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Wow, and it it's and this is the first generation, generation This is alpha. Gen Z.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

We're in Gen Alpha.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

No, I know, but Gen Z, because we're X.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

And I'm millennial.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

Okay, so Gen Z is the first generation that has a lower IQ than its predecessor. We have always have increased IQ because of more schooling and more this and more that and more this. That is the first generation that has an average lower IQ, and that correlates directly with the in the um inception of social media learning, uh uh e-learning in schools, devices enhance.

SPEAKER_02 12:36

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Direct correlation. Well, you've got to do that. And it was a $30 billion flop. $30 billion has gone into e-learning learning and it is a flop. Since 2010, that 16-year experiment, $30 billion later, we made our kids less lower IQ. That study just came out last uh last week.

SPEAKER_02 13:02

Well, I believe it.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

And so H um O'Reilly Schools is in the process of elimination.

SPEAKER_02 13:11

Well, we've already got the message that the kids won't be taking the devices home this year. Uh and my kid is already upset. The beginnings of it, well is already upset, and I'm saying that it is absolutely the right thing to do. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

And at the my daughter's charter school, they've pretty much weeded them all out, even in the classroom. That's wonderful. They're doing more hands-on, more books, more writing, you know, practicing the the exercise of actually writing things instead of just going through and circling things on a you know, a tablet. So that is all good news.

SPEAKER_02 13:44

Absolutely. So 40% of the children have their own tablet by the time that they're two years old. This is, of course, we are taking that brain and rewiring it for the future because we know that the first three years of a child's life is when the that brain is most the most palatable, uh the most pliable. Um, and so what we're doing is we're giving that brain up to think more of a computer. Every seven seconds, your child is being introduced to something new. Every seven seconds. And so that's why when we notice in Rady Set Kindergarten, we noticed that kids were not able to sit down, they were not able to uh regulate themselves for 10 minutes because they're so used to having a device that is constantly moving, and we've programmed these children's brains. And so I'm so glad to hear that Ory County Schools is kind of taking aback, you know, rolling back some of that stuff because it is it is it slowed us down, like you've already said. So um I wanted the parents to know that nearly one in four children has a personal cell phone by eight. A child that young does not need their own cell phone. They need to, I mean, if you absolutely need to use a device for learning, um, you can do that, but you want to control it. So right now, as we're getting ready for school, I know a lot of kids are like on those iPads all day long because summer camp is so expensive. A lot of kids are home. That device is training them, that device is being the only thing, the only interaction that they're having. And so um it's it's making our children really far behind, like you've already said. Um Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

What it makes you think, what is it doing to you? You know, because we're on devices all the time.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

We're on devices as well, but the difference is we grew up in a dead in a generation where we had both. So we are still depending on paper.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Me, no. I mean, I grew up without anything, just a boob tube on Saturdays. I'm a lot older than you.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

And at least I had I didn't get internet until like I couldn't use internet for a paper until like middle school.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

So I've you know, I'm in the generation where I'm a I'm a millennial, so we've had-then it was like don't use Wikipedia.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

That was the big deal.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Yeah, but now it's we have AI, we have things that are writing for our children, and so this is really um, it's really dumbing our children down, like you said. So, what I would recommend is for a child from birth to 18 to have no screens. Video chatting with family is okay. Brain learns best from faces and interaction. They need to be at the table with you, no devices at the table, no devices in the car. Let's have a conversation again. Let's get back to talking because that's how children learn. Yeah. Ages five to nine, share tablets with family. They should not have their own devices. They should not have their own devices. They can use yours with as long as there are some um parameters around it. From 10 to 12, if truly needed, consider a flip phone when they go out, or maybe a watch uh telephone when they go out. Yeah. But they really don't need their own cell phone. And then at 13, it's not even about them being 13. It's is my child mature enough? Ask your question, ask the question, can my child, is my child responsible? Can I trust my child? Because all these things, when you give them a device, you're giving them the entire world at their fingertips. And they can all of the handle. Too much, too much. And I've got a 13-year-old, and we're already experiencing that, and we're already experiencing things that he knows that we did not intend for him to know just yet. And so I I if you're like me, you've already done all these things, given the devices, and it's time to roll it back. We have to do the hard thing. I told Jenna today as I was walking out of the door. I'm like, that device is gonna be in my hand when I get home. Yeah. Because I've got to regulate it because you're growing up too fast, and we want to make sure you remain a child.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

With wrong things. With wrong things. Other influencers.

SPEAKER_02 17:58

You need to be the influence in your child's life. Yeah. Not the device.

SPEAKER_01 18:00

That's why we should call it parent influencer.

SPEAKER_02 18:03

Parent influencer.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

We need to start a new influencer.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

It has to be the parent program. Hey, let's do it online.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

I'll start that social media account today. All right. Uh, Richard Williams Jr., the education director of United Way of Ori County. What's the website?

SPEAKER_02 18:22

www.unitedwayorie.org.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

All right. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

Thank you, Liz.