Listen to thisI could do an entire Soapbox on how I think we really learn about current issues affecting children and youth from the mass media. Following this premise, various news items in just one week last month converged to offer some interesting perspectives.
The first is Teen Agers' Sexual Activity is Tied to Drugs and Drink (New York Times, August 20). This reports on a national United States survey that found that more youth associated with sexually active peers and were sexually active themselves, and/or had boy or girl friends, the more likely they were to also be using alcohol and taking drugs. Interestingly, the more teenagers had dinner with their families, the less likely they would be to be substance abusers or sexually active.
The second, Internet Gives Teenage Bullies Weapons to Wound from Afar (New York Times, August 26) describes an episode involving eighth grade girls name-calling another as “one of many ways that the technology lubricating the social lives of teenagers is amplifying standard adolescent cruelty. No longer confined to school grounds or daytime hours, “cyberbullies” are pursuing their quarries into their own bedrooms. The article continues to describe how various technological tools enable this bullying “to be less obvious to adults and more publicly humiliating”.
The third, Turning to Classics to Stir Troubled Youth (New York Times, August 18). introduces us to a program called “ArtsLit” in Rhode Island that involves economically disadvantaged youth in traditionally classic literature – Ovid, Shakespearean plays such as Othello and Macbeth. Youth read these august works, adapt them for staging, and actually put on performances. A teacher commented “Doing Shakespeare honored them. If you want to talk about self-respect and pride it made a big difference”.
Finally, I found A glance at the summer issue of Seed: The moral clout of storytelling. (Chronicle of Higher Education online, August 26 . This reports an opinion of the famous cognitive theorist Steven Pinker that “storytelling has helped make human beings a 'nicer species'.” He is quoted as saying “We are getting less cruel, and question is how. Exposure to a wider range of stories has helped people empathize ...”
* * *
So what does this all mean? We all construct our own interpretation of what we read. Given this is a “Soapbox”, I will share my own views of the messages these pieces collectively offer and what their connection is to child and youth work.
There are many, many youth whose potential is eroded by the kinds of behavior described in first article. One asks, “Why?” Aren’t there other things that can engage young people besides sex, drugs and alcohol?” An old-fashioned opinion held by people in my age cohort (although actually supported by some developmental findings), is that it is more emotionally healthy to avoid premature sexual activity and certainly more so to avoid drugs and alcohol. But how?
When it is continually documented that children, at a younger and younger age, seem to becoming meaner, and using more and more ways in which to be so, how do we reconcile that with the observation that we are a less cruel society? One way could be that in macro ways, there is less cruelty, which is the contention made in the article. But in micro ways, the daily activities of children, perhaps this is less so. One might also contend that if the issues of bullying and meanness are not somehow addressed, that the next generation may not support the positive trend towards a less cruel world. Now we learn that storytelling contributes to a greater sensitivity to others, including those who are disempowered and different. Can this approach help us stem the tide of meanness and cruelty among our own children?
This then leads us into considering programs such as “ArtsLit”. It didn’t even take reading between the lines to identify some of the ingredients of this and other programs like it that make it successful: A belief that an “adult” interest can be made so also to young people; direct and ongoing engagement with the youth, challenge inherent in the activity, belief in the ability of youth to rise to the invitation with energy and engagement; a real activity that is not watered down and which represents the best that is available in its domain. I might wonder if youth involved in programs like these which have strong adult presence would somehow find enough gratification, positive self-esteem, and pleasure in developing new skills, that they might have less need for seeking pleasurable outlets in less constructive ways that are more peer dominated. Similarly, the adult involvement encourages more benign peer relationships as they provide a context for youth to relate to each other around common goals and interests that are healthy.
It seems to me that the issues raised in these articles intersect directly with the intent of child and youth work. It is our job (along with others) to somehow ensure that all children have the kinds of experiences from earliest years on, in and out of their families that enable them to be caring and empathic. Furthermore we need to ensure that we, and other adults, are a strong presence in lives of children and youth of all ages.
The “tools of our trade” certainly poise us to address the issues described in the articles. These of course include storytelling, relationship building and activity programming. Storytelling has come into prominence in the last several years as a core aspect of our work: to tell our stories and to encourage children and youth to tell theirs. Given the comment in the article, we must be careful to embrace the power of storytelling and use it frequently. Relationships among peers and adults and youth are enhanced through the context provided by meaningful activities. So as we embark on a new season be it fall or spring, we can feel that we are on the right track as we continue to define our purpose, functions, and methods in line with societal trends that profoundly affect the way young people develop. The challenges are huge of course The issues are large and complex and the needs for constructive approaches to them profound. But we can make a difference.
