As one walks through the hallways of a local school, the realities of modern societal problems are like a slap in the face.
Seeing the glazed-over eyes of a kid who can’t make it through school without a high;
Seeing the young kid trapped in a circle of bullying;
Seeing the holes in the wall caused from a violent reaction of a student to a teacher;
Seeing the tears of break-ups that are more like divorces;
Seeing the sexualization of everything.
These teens need something to live for beyond the drama-filled hallways, the gossip-filled chat rooms and the music video like bedrooms. As a youth worker, there are two temptations we must face:
The temptation to try and change everything…
or the temptation to try and change nothing.
The problem with trying to change everything about a teen is he or she feels more of a specimen in a social experiment. Theens’ problems become what adults use to define them. Their worth in society is based only on their behavior. They deserve more than to be treated as a project instead of a person. If such treatment continues, they stop trusting those who are trying to help; and the youth worker has reached a dead end.
On the other hand, never addressing issues teens may have is to communicate that teen problems are not worth the time it takes to deal with them. It is similar to walking alongside a blind man and not letting him know he’s on the street instead of the sidewalk. If this is the case, a youth worker is no different–maybe worse than a peer. Teens will stop trusting that those who should be able to help actually can help.
Here is a potential solution: Stop getting stuck at what is. Start looking at what could be.
What I meant is: Stop viewing young people’s problems as the primary starting point. Instead, look for potential. When a teen finds someone who believes in him or her, he or she becomes more self-aware of his or her own problem or issue. That is a youth worker’s dream moment: Love teens enough to meet them where they are, but love them enough not to leave them that way.
Danny Ferguson is a normal guy who likes to ride motorcycles, watch movie, discuss philosophy and happens to be a youth worker. Follow his blog and connect with him on Twitter.
