The movie “Boyz n the Hood” is a significant piece that describes the hardships of African-American youths in South Central Los Angeles. It is a guide on what the right way to live is and how to treat others. One of the major themes is that a crime-driven community forces teenagers to get involved in criminal life early on, to survive. This fact is based upon the issue of oppression and limits that were set on the “black” population in America. The problem is that no matter how hard people try, often it is hard to avoid this sort of life. But, there are always exceptions and this movie depicts hope and power of determination and strong will, which can change things around.
The community that is filled with crime and corruption is a cesspool and is hard to avoid. The movie shows a community that is run by gangs and corrupt police and other authorities. In reality, there are several causes for this. Very early on, children are susceptible to negative influence. They grow up in neighborhoods where crime is the predominant force. The laws are unable to regulate the society where guns decide everything. Young individuals go to school and are susceptible to peer influence. The attractive nature of gangs absorbs people. The easiness and quickness with which power and wealth can be accumulated are very hard to resist. If a child wants to lead a lawful and responsible life, they are often put down and picked on by their peers, as being “mamma’s boy” or “soft spined”. This form of pressure almost always has an immediate effect on the psyche of a person (Branch 205). The environment that a child grows up in is very influential on their future life. When a person sees how their family suffers, they feel the need to do something. Often, a single parent experiences difficulty in raising a child and paying for food and shelter, spending many hours working, so it is evident that there is very little time to spend child-rearing. The values and behaviors that a child learns early on are very important. Character forms in the beginning years of life and it is very hard to change later. The movie portrays how uneasy it is to “get out” of an unhealthy way of life, even when such want exists.
The reasons that led to this sort of environment in the “hood” are unfair conditions that society has created for minorities and more specifically African-Americans. For a very long time, there was oppression from the “white” society. When African-Americans were brought into America as slaves, they have always been treated as inferior to others. The denial of rights and freedoms has caused much anger and violence in the later years. Since the civil war and Martin Luther King, there has been a demand to accept African-Americans as equals. Society has come a long way since then but it is evident there was still much oppression that went on in the ’90s and is present even today. The movie shows how the African-American community is secluded from the rest of the world. The race has become such a factor that even police officers treat their “people” as of lower status, compared to others. This can be seen in the movie when Furious calls the police about the burglary. The African-American police officer treats Furious with disrespect and superior behavior. He is shown as being an authoritative power-hungry man who hates “his kind” (Boyz n the Hood). One of the greatest problems is the system that treats African-Americans in a predisposed and stereotypical manner. Very often, law authorities resort to racial profiling and thus contribute and reinforce the negative statistics and views of the rest of society. The work market is also slanted to the negative side. Employees are less likely to hire an African-American because of the constant negative attributes that are forced onto the population. Recently, there have been many changes in the system and the treatment of African-American people. Unfortunately, this does not fully prevent discrimination. It is rooted very deep in society and so, the young generation must make changes that give everyone an equal chance with fair and responsible judgment (Dagbovie 20).
“Boyz n the Hood” depicts how hard it is to avoid the negative influences of peers and society but, at the same, it shows hope. Tre is an example that a person, who is determined and has the right support, can reach anything they set their mind to. His father, Furious, grew up in a harsh environment and so, he explains to Tre that the life of violence and crime is not the right way to live. This makes an impression on Tre and his positive thinking is supported. Tre is determined to move away from the negative influences of the crime-driven community and lead a better life. He understands that the key to this is education and he must do everything in his power to acquire one. In the movie, it is shown that Tre is an intelligent person. When he gets into the right environment, he begins to reach success in school and his understanding of the world around him. This becomes the base for his determination and strong will, to create a responsible way of life. Throughout the movie, it is possible to see that sometimes he is shown to be naive and soft-hearted. But reason and a kind heart always take the right direction. The same principles must be abided by in real life. Close to the end of the movie, when the gang goes to avenge the killing of their friend, Tre is shown as hesitant. The feelings of revenge and “the right way to do things” fight with one another. Finally, Tre decides that he must be above this negativity and does not go through with the drive-by shooting (Boyz n the Hood). The moral of the movie is that sometimes, it is very difficult to stay on the right track. But Tre is an example that it is possible and anyone can accomplish anything they set their mind to.
American society strives towards the best treatment of people and the highest rights and freedoms for everyone. The goals set are very optimistic but many obstacles in life will prevent people from attaining them. The movie proves that when people work together and are focused on fairness and equality for all, this dream can become the reality. The environment is a very strong force and the political system is not perfect, so it is up to individuals and communities to do their part, in changing the world to be a better place for everyone.
Works Cited
Boyz n the Hood. Ex. Prod. Steven Nicolaides. Los Angeles, Cal: Columbia Pictures. 1991. Film.
Branch, Curtis. Adolescent Gangs: Old Issues, New Approaches. Philadelphia: Psychology Press, 1999. Print.
Dagbovie, Pero. African American History Reconsidered. Michigan: University of Illinois Press, 2010. Print.
Young people have a unique way of searching for identities and social positions. The media plays a critical role towards escalating these identities. Some local cultures might brainwash the youth and even affect their goals. According to Clarke, Hall, Jefferson, and Roberts (1976), the youths will always establish their own cultural groups. These groups embrace their definite practices and ideas. It is agreeable that such subcultures satisfy the needs of every member. Most of these needs are important to young persons. Adolescents embrace new behaviors, values, and norms that differ significantly from those of the wider society. This essay examines the issues surrounding the Hippie Subculture of the 1960s.
The Hippie Youth Cultural Group
Description of the Sub-cultural Group
The Hippie Subculture began as a powerful Youth Movement in the 1960s. The movement emerged in the United States and spread to different corners of the world. A few years before the movement, many American youths had tried to design new clothes and hairstyles that would eventually change the country’s culture.
This new culture revolutionized the ideals supported by the American society. For instance, the youths wanted to establish their groups. They also began to produce new songs and works of art. According to Clark et al. (1976), the individuals also promoted the concept of sexual revolution. The hippies began to use hardcore drugs such as marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. This cultural group wanted to create a new world without societal pressures or influences.
This new cultural group transformed the values of the mainstream society. This movement was significant because it changed the world’s culture. The famous Aquarius Festival of 1973 marked the achievements and successes of the hippies in Australia. This festival “was held in Nimbin” (Giroux, 2003, p. 58). The hippies staged similar ceremonies and festivals in different countries such as the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Chile.
As discussed above, this historical cultural group ignored the norms and practices embraced in their respective societies. The youths in the United States decided to live in harmony. They were not ready to support the issues existing in their communities such as racism and discrimination. These individuals also began to promote new music varieties. The practices were critical towards establishing new ideas in literature and film. Such events continued to reshape the whole world. A new popular image emerged in every part of the world. Krinsky (2006) believes strongly that most of the ideas, practices, values, and concepts associated with the hippie culture had become part of the global society by 1980.
The Hippie Subculture therefore redefined the world by resisting its original order. The individuals associated with this subculture were ready to express their views about the world. The “issues associated with this new culture encouraged more people from different backgrounds to embrace it” (Krinsky, 2006, p. 7). For instance, both African American and Latino youths began to embrace similar practices. These practices led to the establishment of a new culture in different parts of the world.
Does the Grouping Constitute a Subculture?
The hippies formed a sub-cultural group within the wider global culture. This exceptional subculture “had its beliefs, interests, and morals that are different from those of the larger society” (Cassell & Cramer, 2005, p. 57). That being the case, the hippie was a unique subculture that began in the United States. The subculture spread to different parts of the globe within a very short duration. This social group exhibited characteristic behavioral patterns thus distinguishing itself from the wider society.
Most of these values and fashions affected the world’s culture. These youths influenced “television, arts, and popular music” (Bennett, 1999, p. 613). It is agreeable that most of the facets of this subculture have today become common in different societies. The hippies embraced different religious and cultural diversities thus making their subculture recognizable. The Hippie Subculture “played a major role towards changing different practices such as music festivals, social celebrations, and sexual mores” (Cassell & Cramer, 2005, p. 59). These aspects explain why the Hippie Youth Movement eventually became a distinguishable subculture.
Activities Associated With Members of this Grouping
The hippies wanted the society to treat and view them as cool people. The subculture used images and attires to pass the intended messages to the society. These individuals wanted to detach themselves from the social values and practices that defined their contemporary culture. This group dissociated itself from the demands of the era.
The youngsters began to embrace new lifestyles that included the use of drugs such as heroin and marijuana (Giroux, 2003). The group was keen to react negatively to the ideas of war and militarism. This subculture “promoted the themes of love, global peace, and universal sisterhood” (Cassell & Cramer, 2005, p. 59). At the same time, the hippies supported their own thoughts without necessary conforming to their respective societies.
The other activities associated with this subculture “included music production, use of funny clothes, and promotion of their personal thoughts” (Cohen, 1973, p. 38). Many boys began to have long hairs than ever before. The subculture also created its ideas and concepts. Their lifestyles and activities attracted listeners from every part of the world. This fact explains why the Hippie Subculture became a major force. The individuals also began to use psychedelics thus defining their positions in the society (Cohen, 1973). The hippies were ready to be part of a new subculture that supported their beliefs, values, and ideas.
The hippies began to use various drugs with the ability to alter their minds. Many youths were ready to consume alcohol and smoke marijuana. Majority of the youths were willing to be part of this subculture. This practice became common in the United States and other societies across the globe. According to many scholars, the hippies used different psychedelic drugs because of their potential to improve their thinking capabilities. However, some youths began to wear funny clothes without necessarily having to use different addictive drugs (Cohen, 1973).
These people also worked hard to redefine every cultural more. The individuals believed strongly that their clothes would redefine their values and ideas. Ragged and brightly colored clothes were common during this period. The hippies began to wear jewelry and sandals. They also began to wear multicolored t-shirts. The practice distinguished the hippies from their parents. The individuals were against the idea of commercialism. This behavior made it easier for them to purchase secondhand clothes at cheaper prices (Springhall, 1998).
Most of these youths began to appreciate the power of religion. They “hippies were drawn to the beliefs of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism” (Cohen, 1973, p. 85). The acceptance of religion also played a powerful role towards transforming the lives and beliefs of these individuals. Many hippies became true believers and influenced their friends in a positive manner. The hippies also borrowed numerous religious symbols and made them part of their subculture.
They produced new songs and works of art that defined their beliefs. The hippies borrowed many ideas from every religion thus developing new behaviors. The “group was willing to experiment with every idea instead of being part of its mainstream society” (Cohen, 1973, p. 103). According to Critcher (2003), the Hippie Subculture made it possible for the society to create yoga centers and beauty shops.
The other activity associated with this subculture was the rejection of every social institution. According to the group, such institutions were inappropriate and corrupt. The best thing was to do away with them and establish better ones that understood their expectations (Bennett, 1999). According to these individuals believed, every original culture was either flawed or inadequate. The elders in the society wanted them to behave in a particular way in order to become acceptable (Critcher, 2003).
The subculture was ready to establish a new world. The youths behind this subculture wanted to find better meanings in their lives. They did so by opposing the production and use of nuclear warheads. This idea led to the end of the infamous Vietnam War. These hippies also rejected most of the values associated with the middle-class (Albury & Crawford, 2012). They embraced better ideas that could make the universe much better. Majority of the hippies became vegetarians and environmentalists. They wanted to have a friendly environment that could support the lives of their children.
This cultural group also “wanted to have sexual liberation” (Springhall, 1998, p. 68). They wanted to form sexual relationships with individuals from other racial backgrounds. The society wanted their children to marry individuals from their races. However, these hippies wanted things to become better and meaningful. The sub-cultural group also began to formulate new philosophies (Albury & Crawford, 2012).
The Hippie Youth Cultural Group (HYCG) participated in various street theaters and arts. The approach was critical towards establishing a new social order. Graffiti became a common feature in almost every urban area. These practices were relevant towards establishing a new lifestyle. Giroux (2003) also explains how these youths rejected political violence and social disorder. They strongly believed that such behaviors could affect the world. The important thing was to promote a better ideology that would eventually make the world much better for every human being.
Presentation in the Mainstream Media
The media played a major role towards analyzing the issues associated with this group. The mainstream media portrayed the group as a new movement that continued to transform the world. The media was also keen to broadcast most of the festivals and celebrations associated with the hippies. Many hippies continued to gather in various cities across the world. Such gatherings were common in Europe, Canada, and the United States. Different media houses covered most of these events such as the Summer of Love (Springhall, 1998). The event took place in 1967 when thousands of hippies gathered in San Francisco. The media coined the term “Hippie Revolution” to define the practices and ideas promoted by this cultural group.
The sensation caused by these media houses forced many individuals in the society to question the behaviors of this subculture. The media portrayed the sub-culture as an electric group that wanted to redefine itself. The “media also explained how such individuals were ready to integrate new insights, values, and ideas into their daily lives” (Krinsky, 2006, p. 8). Such individuals continued to reject various consumerist concepts. This discussion explains why mixed reactions emerged because of the Hippie Revolution. The media explained how the hippies remained suspicious of every story narrated by the government. New films and songs emerged thus promoting the ideas embraced by the hippies.
Did the sub-cultural group spark a moral panic?
According to Krinsky (2006, p. 10), “moral panic occurs when the media presents stories and reports that can cause anxiety or fear”. This fear occurs when such stories appear to threat an existing societal order. The Hippie Revolution attracted mixed reactions from different individuals and scholars. The sociological analysis of “drug-use, delinquency, and deviant behavior explain how such malpractices can promote social unrest” (Cohen, 1973, p. 95).
Most of the behaviors associated with the hippies sparked a major moral panic in different parts of the world. The behaviors and values embraced by the hippies supported the features of moral panic. For instance, the subculture “raised much concern in the society” (Cohen, 1973, p. 95). Many people in the society believed that their behaviors were capable of producing negative effects.
The mainstream society also became hostile against the youths thus calling them “folk devils” (Bennett, 1999, p. 608). This development resulted in new divisions between the society and the subculture. The agreeable fact is every moral panic associated with this revolution disappeared within a short period. According to Critcher (2003), social panic disappears when the media begins to bombard the people with different stories or topics. The agreeable fact is that the Hippie Revolution transformed the future of the world.
Conclusion
The Hippie Revolution was a major event that influenced many values and social practices. This movement was critical towards redefining the behaviors of the youth. Cultural and religious diversities became common in every part of the globe. New dressing styles emerged during the period. This revolution caused moral panics in many societies across the globe. The mainstream media also played a major role towards sensitizing more people about this subculture. The agreeable fact is that the Hippie Movement presented new practices and behaviors that would revolutionize the world.
Reference List
Albury, K., & Crawford, K. (2012). Sexting, consent and young people’s ethics: beyond Megan’s story. Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 26(3), 463-473.
Bennett, A. (1999). Subcultures or Neo-Tribes? Rethinking the Relationship Between Youth, Style and Musical Taste. Sociology, 33(3), 599-617.
Cassell, J., & Cramer, M. (2005). High Tech or High Risk: Moral Panics about Girls Online. Center for Technology and Social Behavior, 1(1), 53-74.
Clarke, J., Hall, S., Jefferson, T., & Roberts, B. (1976). Subcultures, cultures and class. In S. Hall and T. Jefferson (Eds.), Resistance through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain (pp. 48-62). London, United Kingdom: Hutchinson.
Cohen, S. (1973). Deviance and Moral Panics. Paladin: St. Albans Press.
Critcher, C. (2003). Made in Britain: The Processual Model of Moral Panics. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Giroux, H. (2003). The abandoned generation: Democracy beyond the culture of fear. Millan: Palgrave.
Krinsky, C. (2006). Introduction: The Moral Panic Concept. Ashgate Research Companion, 1(1), 1-14.
Springhall, J. (1998). Youth, Popular Culture and Moral Panics: Penny Gaffs to Gangsta-Rap. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Media plays important role in shaping the attitude of society towards a specific group. Nevertheless, media influence is not always possible. Negative aspects of media portrayal are evident in the representation of Australian youth. Teenagers and young people have a clear presence in media. Images of young people are often abused to promote everything from cosmetics to charities. The portrayal of youth’s participation in society is a critical factor given the significant role of media in shaping the social concept of youth and the capabilities of young people.
Undoubtedly, media includes the voice of youth, but it tends to present only a selected group of people in the light of a certain range of issues. Publications are mostly devoted to individual achievements or faults, while there is an evident lack of portrayal of youth as a distinct social group with its own rights, desires, and qualities.
Positive Portrayal of Youth
Kuehn and Yarlett (2001) argued that a positive view of youth’s active participation in society was found in specific areas. In particular, young’s people who participated in the labor force were positive focusing on career achievements. Participation in education was portrayed also positively with a large proportion of young people presented as educated. In addition, young women’s role in deciding on social matters was also portrayed from a positive aspect.
Nevertheless, Kuehn and Yarlett (2001) expressed the concern that the diversity of youth presented was rather limited. Most articles under research presented young people as educated and having their educational status stated. For example, the young people represented in media were aged 19-21; while females enjoyed a greater range of representation from 12 to 22 years of age. In general, newspapers tend to present positive images of young people and their participation in the labor force, social life, and education. However, most of the articles are individualistic and there is a lack of focus on collective activities and involvement in decision making.
Youth and Criminal Justice
The perception of youth by society is also reflected in the corresponding national legislature. Bradley (2003) argued, “that it is possible to conceive of a different type of children’s court, one which wrests at least some of the control of the proceedings from the legal experts and hands it to the child; one in which proceedings are comprehensible, where children’s choices are therefore informed, and where the court carries an enforceable obligation to ensure that the interest of children are paramount”.
While legislators question the attribution of criminal responsibility of children at the age of ten, development psychologists point out that children can be held responsible for their actions only at the age of fifteen. Australian society is concerned with the rights of children and young people. However, there is an evident lack of consideration of the moral culpability of young offenders. In any case, the state is responsible to provide a fair trial and ensuring that the rights of young people are fully protected.
The negative portrayal of the young in Australia is traced in the article titled “Young People and Policing in Australia” by Blagg and Wilkie (1997). In particular, the authors wrote that “young people, particularly those from Indigenous, migrant and ethnic minority backgrounds, those deemed to be street present, homeless or in some other way marginal to society, have disproportionately higher levels of contact with the police than other social groups”.
This one sentence portrays all minority young in Australia in a negative light. In order to assess the scope of this negative portrayal of youth in the Australian Journal of Human Rights, it is worth referring to the social attitude towards African Americans in the United States of America. While U.S.A. law prohibits discrimination of any form, media does portray the black minority as socially unstable and more prone to criminal involvement. A similar attitude is common in Australian media which portrays minorities as more likely to commit crimes.
According to the recent article “Media Negative on Teens: Youth Forum” (2008), Australian teenagers are portrayed negatively in media. In particular, young people express a concern that media has a distorted portrayal of the correlation between young age and alcohol abuse. Jennifer Duncan, an executive director of the Youth Affairs of South Australia, points out that young people in Australia feel that they are negatively portrayed in the national media. Duncan adds that young people are portrayed in a positive light only through advertising. Therefore, Australian media creates unfair stereotypes of young people. While only a small proportion of young people does actually binge drinking, the media puts all young people under the category of abusive alcoholics.
Misconceptions About Youth
The author of the article “Are young people really the irresponsible, inarticulate pill popping louts many people believe they are? Or has the media not given them a fair go?” (2006) argued that every young person has his own experience with negative stereotyping. A shop attendant observes young people suspiciously or bus drivers refusing to give a concession rate despite the student card at hand. Most young people are likely to become victims of unfair judgment by others.
Researchers point out that negative experience is often a result of media failure to portray young people in a positive light. While media is focused on youth drug addiction and vandalism, very little attention is paid to positive aspects of youth in Australia. In general, Australian media tends to present the following misconceptions about youth in the country: young people steal and take drugs; young people are rude and do not contribute to the community; young people are lazy and do not want to work.
Media plays important role in shaping public opinion about young people and in turn, creates policy and laws. If the media portrays youth inaccurately, there is a threat that national social policies will not address the true needs of young people. On the other side, negative media images influence young people themselves. As media delivers the message that young people are socially incapable, they become protective and start acting in accordance with stereotypes imposed by media publications. Moreover, young people are at risk of becoming victims of discrimination because of negative stereotypes created by the media. In other words, media alienated young people by the negative portrayal.
Media Effect on Youth
On the other side of the argument, media has a negative impact on young people in Australia. According to the National Survey of Young Australians (2007), body image is reported to be the biggest worry for 11-24 years old. Ironically, young people in Australia are concerned with their body image more than with family conflict or coping with stress. When Australian youth is asked the questions “What do you value?” and “What issues are important”, they respond that having an ideal body was very important!
The survey result had significant positive results though. In particular, it revealed that young people rated the environment as an important concern. At the same time, a quarter of young people mentioned bullying, emotional and physical abuse as major concerns. Nevertheless, Australian media fails to address these issues. As the result, the real concerns of Australian youth are not taken into account. While the media representatives strive to increase their audience through terrifying headlines covering youth violence, the true interests of young people are not mentioned.
The survey identified that 76 percent of American young people rank family relationships as their top valued things. The media does not present this value in association with young people. Based on the media portrayal of young people in the Australian median, youth does not care about anything. However, a national survey revealed that approximately 40 percent of 20-24-year-olds are involved in volunteering. Unfortunately, the media does not cover this aspect of young people’s involvement in social life. Journalists prefer writing about crimes and rapes because such topics attract more readers while the positive aspects of youth’s life in Australia are not covered sufficiently.
Sternberg (2005) provided an interesting example related to the negative portrayal of youth. He outlined the “Today Tonight” show in which ten kids were invited to trash a house. The show was presented as a unique experiment – young people aged 10-15 were allowed to live one week without their parents. Their actions were recorded by hidden cameras and broadcasted each night. As a result of the show, the most negative stereotypes of young people were created.
On Monday, children talked about sex. On Tuesday, they spent $500 on food. On Wednesday, they started a fight. While on Thursday, they decided to return home. Sternberg argued that shows similar to “Today Tonight” placed the youth into a situation where they were doomed to failure. Moreover, most media presentations are subjective in nature and portray youth in a negative light only with the hope to expand their audience reach.
Ephebiphobia
Ephebiphobia is a fear of young people. Despite the rare use of this term, ephebiphobia is not a new concept. There are many people in society who refuse to deal with and/or communicate with young people. They move away and lobby against anything positively affecting the lives of young people. The phobia is based on the negative stereotypes of young people created by media or as a result of a bad experience from childhood. The fear of young people may often lead to discrimination against youth. Males (2002) noted that “ephebiphobia is a full-blown media panic”. In other words, media creates distorted images of young people contributing in this way to fear of youth.
If the media continuously presents young people as materialistic, aggressive, and irresponsible, the social image of young people will be steadily negative. Young people are the future of the nation and media should encourage positive portrayal of youth to promote healthy social relations and progressive development. Negative portrayal, on the contrary, leads to social instability when young people do not feel secure. Moreover, adverse effects of negative portrayal are far-reaching and may in fact result in increased aggressiveness.
“Some cultural groups are shaped by a shared background and experience, such as birthplace-related cultural groups. Other groups emerge or develop because the members share a distinct or unusual commonality” (Scott 2007). The problem is that Australian media tends to portray young people as thugs who have no values in life and are just waiting for an opportunity to harm others or steal. Scott (2007) provided evidence to support this statement: young people are more likely to be stopped by police for committing a crime. The offending rate is four-time higher than the average of the rest of the Australian population.
Therefore, young people are put through police processes more often than other groups of people. Youth are more likely to be stopped by police and asked to move on to a police search. Whether or not a young person has committed a crime, he/she is more likely to be searched and processed by police only based on age. Ironically, the media rarely portrays young people as victims of crime. As the result, Australian grandparents fear for the safety of their grandchildren more than for their own (Graycar & Grabosky 2002). Nevertheless, according to statistics, young people are victims of crime more often than they commit crimes. For example, elderly people are five times less likely to be a victim compared to the youth.
In conclusion, the media in Australia fails to portray young people adequately. While journalists are interested in writing articles about young violence and antisocial behavior, they fail to cover positive aspects of youth involvement in the social life of the country. The image of young people as created by media is negative and it affects the perception of youth by society. As the result, young people are feared. The solution to negative stereotyping by media is evident: journalists need to adopt a positive attitude towards young people. However, the problem of negative portray is not new in Australian society, but little progress has been achieved.
References
‘Are young people really the irresponsible, inarticulate pill popping louts many people believe they are? Or has the media not given them a fair go?’ 2006, ACT NOW. Web.
Many questions inquiring on the education system of the youth and children care come by, but one major query is whether the professions are in a poison to meet the education demands today. Beside effectiveness, the credibility of professionals in a school setting is the key factors contributing to child and youth development within the current educational debate.
This paper addresses the major professional issues in the discipline of child and youth care practices especially in Canada but in comparison to other countries worldwide.
The Professional Ethics for Canadian Child and Youth Care
According to Ungar (2009), the major professional issues in the discipline of child and youth, care practices include the programs models that are in use within the learning setting, the preparation procedures concerning educator’s role, functions and instructive researches. There is also need to consider the profile and the image of the professionals.
Involvement of the Child and Youth Care Practitioners
The child and youth care practitioners mainly the teachers and workers are involved widely in a variety of ways within the education sector. The Canadian educational system has a variety of program models, functions and roles required for accountability, referral, and initiation of the system. (Garfat, 2004) The approaches these professionals use in combating the issues related to the youth and children is unique and in some cases require therapeutically related approaches.
Considering the Canadian school-based system of child and youth care, myriad school governance programs may be in use to solve individual historically related cases. (Garfat, 2004) The school administrative framework supports a variety of therapeutically and educationally specialized departments with emphasis on structural educational environments for problem solving processes.
The involvement of the professionals indicates that today’s experience is eminent, with great demand on special centres catering for troubled youth or children with special needs. The program also involves other part-time special workshops to address these special needs.
Challenges facing development of child and youth care
There are many challenges regarding the care, but the implication befalls the professionals in the educations sector and they way they address them. The impacts of the challenges are both short-term and long-term and thus the eminent need to address them soonest before any future predicaments.
In line with Bodilly, (2005) the advantage of solving the school related cases is their close references especially the youth related issues. One major problem at a certain institute may already have solutions at another. This makes the professionals or communities to be in a position of borrowing a leaf for better and tested solutions.
First is the challenge of professional roles, functions and preparations. The children and youth based care centre professionals are committed, innovative and proactive. Relating to the Child Care Association (CCA) (2004) and MaCable, (2006) the amount of payment they receive is mostly little and not any close comparison to the amount of tasks they undertake.
The main task of a professional in the Canadian child and youth education centres involves promotion of behaviour and personality growth to ease tension or difficulties in coping with the environment. The child’s problems are due to the common social, emotional and physical confrontations. (Fulcher and Ainsworth, 2006)
The profession requires one to be in a poison of implementing non-academic training in the aim of informal skills development. The child or teenager also need special skills to enable them be in a position to integrate at the family level.
Secondly, there is a huge challenge concerning the program representations within the school setting. The programs involving the youth and childcare practitioners must assist learners to cope with the transitional and social problems. These are young people attracted by the street life and this means that if the education programs are less attractive over other options, then the system may fail to succeed. According to Leach, (2009) today proper school based program models lack proper financing by the government. There is also the need for the community groups to establish and lobby for funding for the institutions especially those concerns with special education.
The issue of programming also arises whereby the educator or child and youth care educators requires collecting of data and providing it for analysis with the aim of program effectiveness. The challenge entails the procedure to use for effective monitoring of the student’s progress and the standards governing the various perspectives for better understanding of growth and change. Today the various programs in use over monitoring have different emphasis. (Bailey, 2004)
Lastly, some systems such as the Canadian educational settings provide very little or no assistance for the government to provide official recognition as an integral part of the ‘training and educational in child and youth care’ management system. The basic perspective remains to be that the “child and youth care is supplementary to the instructional component”. (Bailey, 2004)The main aim of all other related services is to support educational service delivery.
Other recognizable challenges entail the “increasing emergence of seriously disruptive in-school behaviours by youths who openly use weapons, are verbally and physically aggressive, and conduct extortion, prostitution, and drug businesses during the school day”. (Bailey, 2004) He emphasizes that removal of a student from the school setting because of misconduct solves the problem for that particular time, but fails to address the issue permanently thus causing a long term impact to the community.
Today the is a considerable change on the type of programs in use in the education system especially regarding the setting, financial supports, populace and professional harmony. Most of the programs that exist fit the description of insignificant institutions. (Ungar, 2009)
Issues with respect to boundaries, values and ethics
According to Leach, (2009) when the behavioural needs of a child facade some good enhancements in the early ages, the child’s ability to acquire the educational skills is highly enhanced. The early learning prepares the child or the youth to meet any future challenges.
The professions have to ensure they instil proper theoretical and conception skills. The benefit of a thorough early life pragmatic understanding of concepts makes the young person strong enough to face the future systems that influence their career growth and family lives.
There is eminent need for the practitioners in this field to move beyond the stipulated boundaries of government educational ministries for the support of all round growth. This is a separate and special supportive role beyond educational or professional level, which calls for extra abilities.
Issues with respect to the training and pre-service qualification
Research and analysis of various job descriptions and requirements especially in the Canadian setups indicates lack of performance on all the listed functions among the educationalists. (McCable, 2006) The education professionals seem to concentrate on just part of the requirements.
The professional teacher must be in a position to provide wide range of functions with respect to the school, individual students, related groups, families and communities.
General school related functions include the ability to enhance working within a classroom setup with the aim of enhancing behavioural change. Professionals ought to be in a position of moulding social skills of individual students within a class setting. They should also assist fellow teachers in recommending individuals, families or even conferences.
The teacher is supposed to collect information regarding the school or class environmental setup as well as the students’ population. They need to be in a position of promoting coordination and consultation among the teams. Lastly is the issue of participating in school-related meetings. (Bailey, 2004)
The minimum requirement for employment of professionals at the school setting entails the three-year diploma course. The requirements are however becoming stronger due to competition and need for better services. Today the ideal candidate for the teaching profession would be a “bachelor’s degree in Child and Youth Care, psychology or education”. (Leach, 2009)
The Masters Degree and supervised practice is more preferred. The additional skills required for these professionals entail life saving skills to cater for the children and youth concerning “recreational activities, counselling, and assessment skills in areas concerning drug abuse, pregnancy, suicide, career education and learning difficulties.” (Bailey, 2004)
The educators also need to have special positive views over the learning settings and have the sustainability of other professionals especially in the same field with the aim of promoting the learning process.
Professional relationships required for CYC professionals
There is eminent need for group relationships and intervention functions, which include preparing and assessing students. Professionals dealing with teenagers and children need to work as a group for better work force. These are delicate people in a serious stage of development and thus combined efforts are required. It is easy to identify, prepare, intervene and evaluate students for short and long-term group counselling to ensure proper developed social skills.
The grouping of the professional can be across the social-work boundaries or even over the country confines. The initiated groups are also involved in recreational activities as well as social and cultural developmental activities. As a way is responding to the special needs of children, special programs are also required.
Professional communication
Communication entails the personal interactions involving students and educators. According to Leach’s writing, (2009) today the demand for competence on the line of duty is very high. This requires the use of social opportunities to build rapport with the aim of gaining educationally. Professions ought to schedule others in their routines for positive criticism as well as the third party professional opinion over a work related challenge.
Well-developed communication styles and skills are crucial for professionals. This entails both the written and verbally presented work. Proper communication is important in the school setting and its enhancement it achievable through planned schedules such as meetings and discussion groups or programs.
Conclusion
The work of an educationalist remains flaunted with daily new and unique demands. This is a call for implementation of international standards to combat the challenges. There is an eminent demand for teamwork to enhance proper grades. Professional in the education sector musts keep to date with current affairs. They should also be in a position to provide proper summaries or articles of innovation in the sector or upgrades of the existing systems to new systems in close relation to their expertise and experiences.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) reports, approximately 10% of all children are handicapped. Furthermore, the estimates show that at least five percent (5%) of these children in regular school have some special education needs. This is about one in every 1,000 children. This means that in the views of this research, all stakeholders should be involved in assisting the learners to achieve their education in less straining conditions.
Recommendation
This research paper recommends further research with respect to strategies that enhance commitment and involvement. Special total commitment and emotional, physical, spiritual or economical support by the educators and stakeholders for the child and youth care setting especially the needy is important for growth. The voice and presence of everyone can make a big difference in the education sector.
References
Bailey, C.T. (2004). “The 2004 National Survey of Child Development Associates (CDAs)”. The Council for Professional Recognition.
Bodilly, S. and Beckett, M. (2005). “Making out-of-school time matter: Evidence for An action agenda. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.
Child Care Services Association. (2005). “Child Care Wage$ Project Selected.
Fulcher, L.C. and Ainsworth, F. (2006). “Group care practice with children and young People”, Routledge publishers.
Garfat, T. (2004). “Child and youth care approach to working with families”. Child & Youth services, v. 25, no.1-2. Routledge publishers.
Leach, P. (2009), “Child Care Today: Getting It Right for Everyone”. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers.
McCable, L.A. & Cochran, M. (2006). “The New York States School Age Credential Evaluation: Preliminary Findings”. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, Cornell Early Childhood Program, Department of Human Development.
Ungar, M. (2009). “Handbook for working with children and youth: pathways to Resilience across cultures and contexts”. Hawker Brownlow Education publishers.
There is a big debate surrounding the importance of children attending school. Many scholars have argued for or against going to school. According to some, school is the only place a person can grow to learn how to interact with different people in the society. Those against schooling say that school wastes time for the development and growth of a child.
They further assert that in the olden days when there were no schools, people still lived and socialized without having any problem. Several things may make it bad for children to attend school. With the increasing cases of bullying that have been claimed to scar the lives of children, then there is no need for attending school.
This essay will compare and contrast two articles on the topic “School is bad for children.” The articles that will be used include John Holt – “School is bad for children” and Rachel Grobstein – “Why School is bad for Kids.” It will compare aspects such as deficiencies involved in the current education system and the role of school in teaching children about making mistakes and being wrong.
The aspects that will be contrasted in the two articles include learning as a continuous process and how it is applied in daily lives. The essay will further compare and contrast the two articles with two other scholarly articles. This will include the articles “Bullying at school can be good for you” by Paton and “Reclaiming Childhood: Freedom and Play in an Age of Fear” by Dr. Helene. The goal of the essay will be to provide a synthesis of the four articles in order to make my own argument about the topic.
Discussion
Similarities between John Holt “School is bad for children” and Rachel Grobstein “Why School is bad for Kids”
John Holt and Rachel Grobstein believe that education is misleading to children. For this, both writers claim that school does more harm to the child than good. They both give their personal views on schooling where they illustrate the deficiencies involved in the current education system. The two claim that education makes children to feel that it is a crime to be in the wrong. According to them, children in school can only work when under supervision.
John Holt in his article, “School is bad for children,” claims that school teaches children that making mistakes and being wrong is a crime(Mandell & Kirszner, 2010). This is further echoed by Rachel Grobstein in her article, “Why School is bad for Kids.” She says the child learns that, “to be confused or wrong is a crime. The school wants right answers, and the child learns countless ways to con the teacher into thinking he knows something he does not; he learns to bluff and cheat” (Grobstein, 1999).
In their articles, the two writers claim that by attending school, children miss learning essential concepts of adulthood. Their only interaction is solely among other children and people who have been trained on handling children. The children are shielded from many things that they need to learn to prepare them for adult life. A child they say needs to be exposed to some realities about life and this cannot be achieved in school(Holt, 1999).
Differences between John Holt “School is bad for children” and Rachel Grobstein “Why School is bad for Kids”
John Holt in his article claims that school is a place where children learn how to turn themselves off and this is why many in their attempts to seek awareness and responsiveness end up engaging in drugs. He says that school is mostly cold and inhumane where children learn to take orders and this hinders their curiosity(Mandell & Kirszner, 2010).
Rachel Grobstein, however, claims that the child learns to be lazy. According to her, a child before going to school learns to work without expecting reward but this is changed once they join school. In school, the child learns that a person does not need to do anything they do not want and they learn to be bored.
Rachel Grobstein claims that a child is taught in school that there is a difference in learning and living. She says that children learn while in school but outside school they live. This is different from John Holt’s article who asserts that learning should be an ongoing process and children should be able to learn wherever they are.
According to John, a child learns a lot away from school and he cites a child learning to talk. He says that through experimentation, the child learns the language without attending school. He continues to say that the child learns many other things that are complicated to be learnt in school (Grobstein, 1999).
Graeme Paton in an article written for the Telegraph strongly supports the need for children to attend school. According to him, school is the most important place where a child learns firsthand about real life. According to him, experiences in school such as bullying help a child to learn how to manage disputes and this helps them learn about interacting with others.
Dr. Helene Gulberge in the article, “Reclaiming Childhood: Freedom and Play in an Age of Fear”, states that the obsession about bullying among teachers and politician is robbing children the experiences they need to grow and develop(Paton, 2009).
Graeme says that school is a place where a child learns some of the basic requirements of the society. He says that even if a child is home schooled, he may perform better in the academic arena, but miss the social aspect that is taught in schools. Children learn at school how to cope with different people and this will be instrumental when they grow up.
According to Graeme, school offers the child more than a learning environment. The children go through experiences that shape their lives. If they miss these experiences, then we are going to have an understanding and resentful society (Sternheimer, 2009).
My argument about the topic is that schooling is very important for children since it helps them learn how to interact with people of different characters. In my opinion, I feel that the process of learning should be more involving especially through the incorporation of field trips since this helps students to learn hands-on. Learners should interact with one another as this helps them improve their performances.
They also need to be more responsible in learning by realizing their mistakes without waiting for their teachers to point them out. Learners need to be more confident and independent of their own capacities. If the above suggestions are incorporated in education systems, then this could improve the quality of education offered to our children.
References
Grobstein, R. (1999). Why School is Bad for Kids. Serendip. Web.
The terms youth, adolescence and young people have been defined in different ways by different scholars and groups. This paper will use the definition used by the World Bank and United Nations that refer to youth as persons between age of 15 and 24 years (World Bank Group, 2011). Thus, youth is a period of life between childhood and adulthood.
The youth contribute a large portion of the global population; currently, more than 1.5 billion people are youths in a world, who are faced by many challenges and changes including globalization, information and communication technologies, AIDS pandemic, global warming, poverty and other issues that have significantly altered the world system (UNFPA, 2011).
Youths are very active group of people who are able to use available social and communication avenues to share information, ideas, music, popular culture and participate in various activities they deem important to them. Through these avenues, the youth are able to link and organize themselves to advance different course thus the youth play important role as catalyst for global changes in social, economic and political dimensions.
As the youth are navigating through the adolescence, they undergo many life changing transitions in terms of their body structure, psychological, social and economical aspects.
In this period of transition, the youth are faced with many challenges and it is the period when they should make very important life changing choices, which are mainly shaped by the community and family expectations. For the youth to transition well, they need a lot support from the communities, government, and families in order to adequately address and solve their issues.
The young people have different experiences as they transition to adulthood due to diverse factors such as age, sex, marital status, schooling levels, residence, living arrangements, migration, and socio- economic status, thus by focusing on these areas of youth life the young people can get better opportunities and overcome challenges with positive results (UNFPA, 2011).
Young people, challenges and efforts to tackle them
For the youth, the major challenge to their situation is due to the facts that adolescence is ‘a time of unprecedented curiosity about life and the decoding of its inner workings” (Breinbauer & Maddaleno, 2005). In addition, Breinbauer & Maddaleno (2005) claim that “this curiosity is a product of boundless energy and a nascent sense of independence and power as the prospects of becoming a full fledged adult draws nearer.”
Due to this understanding, there has been global partnering between world bodies, institutions, and communities to ensure that the issues of the youth are addressed globally in the following five key segments.
They include “empowering the youth with skills to achieve their dreams, think critically, and express themselves freely; promoting health, including giving them access to sexual and reproductive health information, education, commodities and services; connect young people to livelihood and employment programmes; uphold the rights of young people, especially girls and marginalized groups, to grow up healthy and safe to receive a fair share of social investments” (UNFPA, 2011).
In tackling the youth issues, support is needed right from the family level to community level and then to societal level at large. With continued efforts and support the currents youths will spend more time in school, delay engaging in marriage and will focus more on utilizing their potentials to gain opportunities and solve their issues.
In our society today, youth are faced by many issues including education, poverty, drug abuse, sexuality, crime, violence, unemployment, in adequate health systems, and psychological and social conditions such as identity crisis, sense of hopelessness, lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem and the negative impact of the digital technology. There fore issues affecting the youth are very many and diverse thus there should be global focus to them especially through studies.
The study of the youth is among the rapidly growing area of research in different fields including sociology, anthropology, social work, psychology, women’s studies, ethic studies, education, history, and cultural studies, leading to an emerging set of methodological concerns specific to the study of this diverse group (Best 5). In this paper, I will further discuss education and unemployment in relation to the youth as some of the major issues affecting the youth today.
Youth and education
Education is very vital in preparing the youth for future roles as adults. Generally, most of the education received in individuals life occurs mostly during childhood and adolescence that in offering education these target age groups should be well addressed to enhance the quality of education they receive. Young people in the developing countries are spending most on their adolescence life in school than in previous times, with around three-quarter of 10-14 year- olds attending school.
The survey data of 2000 representing “60 percent of the population of the developing world shows that the mean number of grades of school completed has risen over the past two decades, from 6.0 to 7.4 for young men ages 20 to 24, and from 3.8 to 6.0 for young women ages 20 to 24” (UNECA, 2).
This represents a significant improvement in the portion of global population accessing education. Education is a very essential ingredient in socio-economic and political transformation of countries and societies. Youth are playing a key in enhancing and participating in these changes aimed at alleviating poverty, illiteracy, and furthering developments.
Apart from education, empowering the youth through knowledge and economic gains education offers remedy to many challenges facing the youth in the society. For example, secondary schooling can enhance the reproductive health of young men and women; both male and female students who remain enrolled during their teens are substantially less likely to have had sex and their levels of contraceptive use tend to be higher than those of than their unmarried non-enrolled peers (UNECA, 4).
Other benefits accrued through adolescence education include possible future academic advancement, delayed marriage, and parenthood, possibility of developing into more positive and enlightened adult are more, and tackling of future responsibility as an adult is enhanced.
To enable the youth to live better, active and fulfilling lives all stakeholders in the society should work closely to ensure the youth can access universal quality primary and secondary education, and are more empowered on sex education and other basic health measures.
Despite the benefits the youth can reap from education, there are several challenges to youth education that hinder some youth’s progress in education. These include, first, most of war affected youth or internally displaced youth are not in school and have limited realistic opportunity of ever attending.
For example, in the southern Sudan during the late civil war years, only 0.7 percent of school age children in one of the war torn county were in school and 0.3 percent of the school- age children completed all eights years of primary school (Sommers, 30). Secondly, antisocial behavior can be challenges to youth education, for example in the United States by 2001 between four and six million children and youth in schools had been identified as antisocial.
Thus, at serious risk of negative outcomes, such as school dropout, vocational maladjustment, drug and alcohol abuse, relationship problems, higher hospitalization and mortality rates, if not curbed earlier the behavior can progress to increase risk for police contacts and arrest, all of which would negatively impact of the youths education (CECP, Para. 7).
Thirdly, adolescence is transition period in life in which people are undergoing transformation, thus, for the young people due to changes taking place in their body and preparations for the next stage in life the adolescents may experience the following problems in school, which may affect the educational performance and general behavior pattern. First, there is problem of self-understanding (emotionally, socially, physically, and intellectually).
The secondly problem is developing new ways of relating to others. The third problem involves teacher- student relationships; and lastly, the problem of the teaching- learning situation. With these problems affecting the young people, their academic prospects are affected but proper school management can help reduce these problems and also offer more care to adolescents who are more affected (Muessig, 7).
Additionally, youth education is faced by the global challenges to education at large such as lack of adequate funding, and lack of proper educational policies implementation. Lastly, adolescents are more susceptible to peer-pressure, which can influence them negatively to engage in early and unsafe sex, drug and substances abuse, violence, crimes, alcoholism and engaging in bad internet practices such pornography, gaming, and cyber frauds, which can adversely affect their education.
Youth and unemployment
Global issue of unemployment is one of the major challenges facing the current world due to the long-term negative impacts it imposes on the people and economies at large. With the youth constituting more than 1.5 billion of the world population, the youth contribute a large portion to the global unemployed population.
According to the World youth report, 2003 “160 million people in the world are unemployed, with almost 40 percent of those without work are young people, and the levels of unemployment tend to be two to three times higher for this group than for the adult population; with most of employed young people being in low paying jobs with few protections and are unable to provide themselves with adequate means to ensure their survival” (Anon, 55).
This situation clearly indicates that there are huge disparities between the number of young workers available in the market and the global need for their services.
This situation is further worsened by the fact that, developed nations are preferring flexibility of labor and relying more on non-permanent agreements that are seen to erode job security. However, the developing nations are flooded with youth working in informal sector where earnings are significantly low, and they are prone to exploitation, as they do not have sound bargaining power (World Youth Report, Para. 2).
The expected future leaders of our society, families, organizations, and governments are suffering from limited employment opportunities and they are being discriminated against based on age, gender, sex and socioeconomic background in finding jobs in the current labour markets (DCOMM, Para. 10).
The problem of unemployment exposes the young people to more problems including: first, unemployment is very stressful event that makes people unhappy and increases the fear of the uncertain future hence lowering self-confidence and self- esteem (Winkelmann & Winkelmann, 1).
Secondly, unemployment increases susceptibility to malnutrition, illness, mental stress, depression, with the psychological imprint of joblessness being long-term and can affect the health outcomes of the workers (Linn, Sandifer, and Stein, 502).
Thirdly, if unemployment is prolonged it would reduce further future chances of being employed for the young people. Additionally, there is strong correlation between increase youth unemployment and increase in crimes rates especially properties crimes, burglaries, thefts and drug abuse and drug offences (Thornberry and Christensen, 609).
Lastly, massive youth unemployment impacts negatively on the socioeconomic development hence the decline in economic growth largely because youth unemployment is a social menace, breeding vulnerability and feelings of exclusion and worthlessness. This may lead to “personally and socially destructive” activities; therefore, unless the potential of young people is used in a productive way, both the economies and the youth face a dull future (DCOMM, 2004).
With these developments, a huge portion of the youth population is being lost in jobless calling for global efforts towards combating this menace. In addition, the issues of the youth being disadvantaged against the older workers in the labour markets should be addressed urgently globally to streamline and cater for the future labour demands.
Conclusion
The burden of tackling the youth issues should be well shared among all the stakeholders from the parents, communities, governments, international bodies such as ILO, United Nation, World Bank, IMF and the society forming a synergy that can address the youth issues in a more focused unitary approach with an aim of reducing any negative impacts and empowering the youth.
Works Cited
Anon. “Youth Employment.” World Youth Report, Pp 55-75. 2003. Web.
Best, Amy L. Representing youth: methodological issues in critical youth studies. NY: NYU Press, 2007.
Breinbauer, Cecilia & Maddaleno, Herrera. Youth: choices and change: promoting healthy behaviors in adolescents. NY: Pan American Health Org, 2005.
CECP. Preventing Antisocial Behavior. Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice, 2001. Web.
DCOMM. “Youth unemployment at all time high.” World of Work Magazine, No. 52, November 2004. Web.
Linn, M. Sandifer, R and Stein, S. Effects of unemployment on mental and physical health. American Journal of Public Health, 1985. Vol 75, pp. 502-506. Print.
Muessig, Raymond H. Youth Education: Problems/Perspectives/Promises. Washington DC. ASCD, 1968. Web.
Sommers, Marc. “Education Amidst Conflict: The Youth Challenge.” PRAXIS: The Fletcher Journal of Human Security, Vol XXIV, Pp 30-39. 2009. Web.
The World Bank Group. Who are Youth? 2011. Web.
Thornberry, Terence and Christensen, Ron. “Unemployment and criminal involvement: An investigation of reciprocal causal structures.” American Sociological Review, Vol 56, 1984, pp. 609-627.
UNECA. YOUTH AND EDUCATION: TRENDS AND CHALLENGES. National Academies Press, 2011. Web.
UNFPA. Supporting Young People at a Pivotal Period in Their Lives. 2011. Web.
Winkelmann, Liliana and Winkelmann, Rainer. “Why are the unemployed so unhappy? Evidence from panel data.” Economica, Vol 65, No. 257, 1998, pp. 1-15.
Being a good and effective child and youth care counsellor doesn’t always come automatically but rather through much training and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of human nature and particularly the kids. The article “Attracting resilience: Helping kids do better” presents the reflections of the author, Hector Sapien in his endeavor to understand the nature of children and how he would position himself as an effective child counselor.
His work has presented rich ideas, observations and conclusions that are worth understanding for anyone who is aspiring to be an effective child and youth counselor. It is, therefore, imperative to critically analyze this article with the aim of understanding the art of attracting resilience which will eventually lead to an effective and efficient child and youth counselor.
Attracting resilience helping the kids do better
The writer begins by introducing his works by reflecting on our own personal experiences in dealing with frustrated or disappointed kids who will fail under any slight amount of stress and blame ourselves for not rising up to the occasion. He introduces his own personal experience as a child care worker giving the predicament of Javier as an example.
Javier’s case is just one of the many painful, difficult experiences that most children in the same situation go through. Poor parenting, poverty and peer influence. He was reported to have become rude defiant quiet and reserved. He involves himself with the wrong group of youths and finds himself in the correction facility.
Javier seems to have the least resilience ever and will break under any slight stress. The writer gets a chance to interact with him and in the process makes some very important and interesting discoveries; he claims that “I was amazed and excited at how Javier managed his disappointment with such emerging resilient composure” (Sapien, 2007, 1).
I find it particularly interesting how the writer discovers the changes in Javier’s resilience when he is treated with understanding and empathy. Javier is reported to have felt better about himself and the people around him. It is worth noting that Sapien had to go through experiences with other kids and at times felt lost and disappointed just as the kids he was trying to help and also shared the experiences with the other coworkers who had gone through the same experiences.
Through interacting more with the kids at a more personal level and having the willingness he finally learned the art of attracting resilience. I find it interesting that we have these talents within ourselves and what is expected of us is to discover them and as he says, “become more intentional and deliberate in their use, while also finding and devising ways to stimulate or attract them in others” (Sapien, 2007, 1).
By looking at what the writer goes through in his journey of discovery of how best to deal with kids, it becomes important to understand that one has to invest a lot of time in understanding how to deal with different issues concerning kids and young people.
The writer had to go through “late night conversations with fellow colleagues, attendance to child care conferences, and reading about what other people had come up with, as well as a relentless survey of my personal history” (Sapien, 2007, 1). He presents his first idea of focused selective attention which, in my opinion, is of utmost importance when it comes to communication and relationships with kids.
I agree with him that communication is important but how we effectively communicate is even more important. The only way to attract kids in order to help them is to use the techniques of good communication which encompasses talking, body language and listening which should be focused selectively depending on the given circumstances. Targeting healthy positive emotions by initiating interesting and captivating conversations should be blended with careful calculated response and listening.
The art of prospecting becomes necessary for any meaningful connection with children. He personally did the prospecting by “watching, listening, and being emotionally sensitive to what was going on at any given moment while looking for particular elements in their play, personal stories, and general endeavors” (Sapién 1). I find it necessary to take time and constructively interact with the children in order to understand their strengths and weaknesses and look for the best ways get to help them.
Perhaps one of the things that help the writer to accomplish his mission of reaching to the inner life of the kids is the ability to remember the previously observed nuggets and timely application of the same. This means that to be effective in dealing with kids I would have to understand them, their history, collect enough nuggets and use them when the appropriate time comes. He claims that, “then when the person was having a difficult time I could use one or more of these nuggets to attract their increased resilience” (Sapien, 2007, 1).
I strongly agree with the writers thought about emotions and how they indicate the effectiveness of satisfaction in life. He maps need deprivation with negative feelings and need satisfaction with positive feelings.
I agree with his interpretation of resilience in terms of emotional needs “Resilience is the power of the individual to get back on track to getting what they need in their day to day lives, after being bombarded by some significant event and/or experience that is felt as jeopardizing these needs being met” (Sapien, 2007, 1). This revelation goes a long way into helping people develop resilience quite fast by bringing in the emotions that have the potential of restoring good feelings and hope.
The law of attraction arguably speaks for itself. The writer has it that “Attraction involves thinking, doing, saying and feeling certain ways that attract certain desirable qualities such as resilience” (Sapién 1). This simply means that one is more likely to achieve tremendous results by thinking, acting and being involved in activities and experiences that are resourceful in resurrecting and bringing back to life experiences of resilience.
It also means that we can’t simply give what we don’t have and as such we should internalize within ourselves and create emotions of courage, bravery and resilience and only after that will we be able to project the same to the kids who look upon us for guidance and consolation. This can be seen as the key prerequisite for an effective counselor.
The article is particularly important for anyone dreaming of becoming an effective child and youth care counsellor. The art of taking time to understand what the kids have gone through seems to be the first step towards attracting them. The article stresses the importance of time investment in the right experiences such as spending time with the kids, reading resourceful materials and discussing experiences with other counsellors.
The article also stressed the importance of the theory of attraction whereby thinking, doing, saying and feeling certain ways that attract certain desirable qualities such as resilience will make one an effective counselor.
The article also stresses the importance of bringing in the emotions that have the potential of restoring good feelings and hope which in my opinion makes one valuable counselor since the youth and the kids look at us for guidance and source of hope.
The need for precision in terms of identifying the key areas to touch to have the largest impact on your target is particularly stressed in the article. He claims that “a nutritionist identifies those foods that are most physiologically nutritious” (Sapien, 2007, 1). In the same way a counselor must be in a position to deliver quality.
Conclusion
Becoming a child and youth care counsellor is not a simple task and calls for much preparedness and willingness. The article has been critically analysed and found to be of great importance in modelling an effective child and youth care counsellor.
It has stressed the importance of the theory of attraction, need for precision in terms of identifying the key areas to touch, art of taking time to understand what the kids have gone through and the concept of bringing in the emotions that have the potential of restoring good feelings and hope. The importance of listening, and being emotionally sensitive to what was going on at any given moment has also been stressed. The article is highly enriching and can be recommended for anyone aspiring to be a child and youth care counsellor.
The general purpose of the research study is to determine whether or not archery and fencing should be included in the youth’s sports program. Creswell (2007) is of the opinion that research questions and hypotheses are employed in a study to shape and specifically focus the general objective of the study through the use of cause and effect questions as well as predictions that a particular researcher may hold about the relationship or association among variables.
As such, the research questions were created based on what the two sports (archery and fencing) can contribute towards the attainment of the mission set by the youth’s sports program
Many youth sports programs, according to Berlin et al (2007), use sports to provide the “…youth with opportunities to play, learn, and grow, inspiring them to recognize their potential and realize their dreams” (p. 85-86).
Youth sports programs, more than anything else, should ideally assist the youth to develop character, respect for society, inspire values, and nurture positive self image through reinforced behavior change (Beedy, 2007). Youth sports programs should also serve a basic role of developing the youth’s physical health and wellbeing, psycho-social enhancement, and the attainment of desired motor skills (Fraser-Thomas & Cote, 2006).
As such, any sporting activities introduced into the youth sports program must first and foremost assist the youth in attaining the above named goals before they can then be used for competitive purposes.
This implies that it would serve no purpose at all to introduce archery and fencing sports in the youth sports program if they will not assist the youth in the development and articulation of their physical, psychosocial and motor wellbeing, and the actualization of discipline, character, respect, and positive self image, among others (Le Menestrel & Perkins, 2007). The two research questions were formulated based on this rationale.
According to Creswell (2003), hypotheses are formulated predictions also used to shape and streamline the purpose of the study, in addition to forecasting about possible relationships among variables. Hypothesis 1 and hypothesis 2, aimed at predicting possible relationships between the two sports and the factors mentioned above, were arrived at after reviewing various studies related to youth sports programs and their potential (Fraser-Thomas & Cote, 2006; Berlin et al, 2006; Beedy, 2007).
The two null hypotheses were formulated to predict that there is no relationship between archery and fencing on the one hand and the development of youth’s physical health and well-being, psycho-social enhancement, character, self-image, acquisition of motor skills, value development, confidence, and positive behavior change on the other hand.
The viability of the null hypothesis in the study will be tested to determine if they provide viable possibilities towards evaluating whether or not to include archery and fencing in the youth’s sports program, or if they will be rejected by the data collected.
Reference List
Beedy, J.P. (2007). Sports-based youth development: A global perspective. Independent School, 66(4), 40-48. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier Database
Berlin, R.A., Dworkin, A., Eames, N., Menconi, A., & Perkins, D.F. (2007). Examples of sports-based youth development programs. New Directions for Youth Development, 27(115), 85-106. Retrieved from Academic Source Premier Database
Creswell, J.W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches, 2nd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc
Fraser-Thomas, J., & Cote, J. (2006). Youth sports: Implementing findings and moving forward with research. The Online Journal of Sports. Web.
Le-Menestrel, S., & Perkins, D.F. (2007). An overview of how sports, out-of-school time, and youth well-being can and do intersect. New Directions for Youth Development, 27(115), 13-25. Retrieved from Academic Source Premier Database
The Youth Employment and Demonstrations Projects Act (YEDPA) was enacted in 1977 by the federal government of the United States to control the high levels of unemployment and related issues that affected American youth.
Federal funding earmarked for youth employment programs was from then on vastly augmented to cater for the needs of the youth. Though it was later ended in 1981, YEDPA provided a blueprint for the current youth employment methods (Gillespie, 2007).
The first method is the Occupational Skills Training Programs which are essentially aimed at imparting to the youth skills that are pertinent in particular occupations. Such programs include the Job Corps and Youth Initiatives in Apprenticeship which are aimed at training youths that are not attending school.
Labor Market Preparation Programs are also a method used for youth employment and the programs provide information on occupational opportunities and requirements, work habit and attitude, ability and interest testing as well as job search techniques (Sloman, 2004).
In addition, the programs offer direct work experience together with orientation to the working environment. The programs are also responsible for remedial basic education skills training together with General Equivalency Diploma (GED) preparation.
Temporary Job Programs are also used to provide youth employment by providing transitory sponsored employment (Gillespie, 2007). These programs are similar to Job Placement Programs which on the other hand offer the youth direct assistance in finding and securing employment.
In addition to providing job referrals the Job Placement Programs also offer supplementary services such as workshops on preparing resumes, instruction on appropriate behavior during a job interview and support groups for job seekers. Programs such as Job Factory and Job Track are included in this category and are essentially employment procurers for the youth (Sloman, 2004).
Various countries have built youth centers that are aimed at monitoring and controlling the rate of youth unemployment. Depending on the country and the nature of the programs, centers can be limited to neighborhoods or can also be targeting a particular group with similar age, gender or race.
Some of the centers have a regional or national reach depending on the funding and the impact they have on the youth. European countries for instance conducted a joint evaluation of the youth employment situation through the European Commission (Gillespie, 2007).
Projects such as the Youth in Action Program are designed to educate the youth about business and financial management as well as open up opportunities for self employment. Youth-Pass is also joint European programs which is aimed at providing informal education for the youth as well as provide job opportunities in the informal sector such as in farms (Sloman, 2004).
African countries have also taken issue with the rising rate of youth employment and various projects have been initiated since the late twentieth century to create youth employment. Most African governments have a Youth Fund which is basically a specific sum of money set aside in the annual budget to specifically create employment for the youth (Gary, 1994).
The youth in Africa are especially encouraged to procure informal jobs such as mechanic, construction and farming due to the low academic diversity perpetuated by the high educational fees in most African countries (Gillespie, 2007). It is for this reason that most African countries have reduced or completely eliminated the fees charges in order to crate more opportunities for future youth.
Asian countries have also experienced the same problem but countries such as china, South Korea and India have taken up the task of conducting higher education reforms in order to empower the graduating youth (Sloman, 2004).
Youth Employment Methods of the USA are basically more advanced and diverse when compared with Youth Employment Methods in other countries. Youth employment programs in the USA are numerous per given area than most countries since different projects can be found in a single area.
For instance a neighborhood could have a local youth employment project, while other different programs may exist at the district, regional, state and national level. American youth employment projects also cover a broad cross-section of the young adult’s life. Some projects specialize in employment education, other projects deal with preparation of the youth for employment while other projects help the youth in acquiring employment (Sloman, 2004).
An American youth can therefore advance faster while compare to the youth of another country since there are projects at every level from finishing school to attaining employment. The major problem in employment at a domestic level is scarcity of jobs where there are numerous qualified individuals but few or no job opportunities.
This leads to a high rate of unemployment which conversely translates to higher crime rate (Sloman, 2004). Academic qualification is also a domestic and international problem in employment where few individuals have the necessary academic prerequisites for a given job (Gillespie, 2007). This leads to importation of labor or outsourcing which leads to indirect draining of the affected economy.
Youth also have the tendency to associate informal jobs with lower social status or poverty and hence few youth engage in informal jobs such as farming, mechanics, construction and embroidery unless as a hobby or family business. This creates a void in the affected industry and consequently deterioration in the net income of the industry (Sloman, 2004).
References
Gary, F. (1994). The Unemployment Effects of Minimum Wages. International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 74-81.
Gillespie, A., (2007). Foundations of Economics. New York: Oxford University Press.
Young people moving out on their own frequently have numerous decisions to make regarding what form of living arrangements will be best for them. There is a range of different housing types available including apartments or condos, renting duplexes or houses, or purchasing a single-family home. Although living in an apartment or condo provides an immediately comfortable living environment and renting a duplex offers many of the comforts of independent living, purchasing a single-family home is by far the most comfortable and flexible option available.
For most people, renting an apartment or condo when they first leave home is the quickest option for establishing their own home. In most cities, this type of housing is readily available and offers the benefit of not being permanent if the individual is not sure they are ready to settle in that region. In addition, apartment renting means there is little or no concern for the care and maintenance of the property. As Steve McCutchen (2007) points out, a single check was written to the management company typically takes care of all the regular bills, saving the renter time and stress in attempting to keep up with utilities and other concerns, while also ensuring that at any time of day or night, there is always someone to call when a toilet backs up, an outlet shorts out or the neighbor’s dishwasher starts flooding into the hallway. In addition, the grounds are typically kept looking very nice for potential future residents without requiring any effort from the renters themselves. However, in this scenario, the renter builds no equity in their investment each month and must typically put up with neighbors who are not always as ideal as one might wish.
To work around the problem of noisy neighbors and gain greater flexibility of movement in and out of the rented walls, individuals who can’t afford to purchase a home may choose instead to rent a duplex. “In some parts of the country, the American dream of owning your own home may no longer be a practical possibility for much lower and middle-income Americans” (Pankow, 2002). By renting a duplex or home, the renter is able to attain a sense of ownership in their living environment and gains the ability to behave more like a homeowner in activities such as caring for the lawn and sometimes even painting the interior. Like renting an apartment, the renter of a duplex typically has someone to call when things go wrong but is expected to take greater responsibility for the upkeep of the home. Also like the apartment renter, the renter of a duplex is also not building any equity on their housing investment.
Purchasing a home is typically the best option available for housing choices if it can be arranged. When an individual purchases a home, they are making a major investment in their future. Homeownership provides a person with a sense of pride difficult to attain in any other way and provides the homeowner with the ultimate decisions regarding home improvements and exterior yard decoration. In addition, purchasing a home means the homeowner gains a number of tax breaks and financial options that are simply not possible for the renter. These include an appreciation of the value of the home, mortgage interest deductions, property tax deductions, capital gain exclusion, preferential tax treatment, and equity loans (Weintraub, 2008). While purchasers must be careful to negotiate sustainable mortgages so as not to lose their homes, this is by far the most beneficial living arrangement one can select.
Although there are some advantages to renting an apartment or duplex, both of these options restrict the individual’s freedom of expression in determining their own preferred environment and force individuals to ‘share’ walls, making it necessary for neighbors to ‘work together’ to create a positive living environment. In order to be truly capable of creating the ideal living environment, one must own the house one lives in so as to be able to paint or even knock down walls, replace ugly tile or re-landscape the backyard. This is also the only option in which individuals might actually increase, rather than decrease, their overall wealth.