1994-1995 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest
Should Government Intervene To Help Children and Teens in Trouble: If so, How? If Not Government, Who or What Entity Should Offer What Type of Assistance?
Teacher: John Hendricks
Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
The prize winning papers from Salem High School were submitted to the Alternatives contest. The following students participated in this contest:
Shara Bowers
"Everyone faces the problems of being a teenager sometime in life. But the
problems 30 years ago can't compare with the problems teenagers face today. The harsh
reality is that there is a big problem all over the country as well as [in] rural towns,
like Salem... The difficult part is [locating]...the people willing enough to take time
out to help find new creative ways to get kid's attention."
Holly Hart, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"In a recent survey of Salem High School, results showed that a large portion of
today's students take part in alcohol abuse and promiscuous sexual activity. Also, more
alarmingly, these activities are progressively occurring in younger age groups."
Jonathan Thomas, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"School administrators cannot simply accept any drug education program without
critical review in an attempt to meet state mandates. Administrators, our committee, as
well as teachers, students and other community groups, must work together to craft a
program that will unequivocally contribute to [a] totally drug-free environment in the
school and community."
Shara Bowers, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"My job as a Salem citizen and a current teenager, is to form a committee to reduce the amount teenagers use drugs and alcohol and to increase the amount of education taught by parents and teachers. The difficult part is going to be how to find the funds to support this project and how to find the people willing enough to take time out to help find new, creative ways to get kids' attention....What are the advantages of starting an anti-drug committee? The committee will bring new, innovative programs into schools and homes to help educate children, as well as parents. It will find activities for teenagers to do, bring community involvement together, and reduce the dangerous problem of teenage drug and alcohol abuse.
The disadvantages exist with funds and security. Since Salem is such a small town, it is very difficult to raise the money for programs that are going to be extremely controversial anyway. Also, parents might have a hard time dealing with the fact that their five year old is learning about crack cocaine. Some might not think that the tactics the committee uses are appropriate. The solution is to find new, innovative and creative ways of raising money and to educate parents about the importance of these programs.
My first goal is obvious. Getting people to join. But why would they want to? The people of Salem are generally caring citizens concerned for the town's well-being. Seventy percent of the citizens surveyed said drugs and alcohol was a major problem in Salem. Multitudes of people would want to join, from parents to teachers to public officials, if they knew it would reduce the increasing problem.
Why wouldn't they want to? Some just might not care what the teenagers in this town do. Others might think it would take up too much time and there are those who don't agree with the purpose of the committee. But in all reality, the average citizen is concerned and only wants the best for the kids and the town, so finding volunteers will probably be the easiest task.
After the committee is organized, the first objective will be education. Washington offers American schools $500 million each year to adopt drug use prevention programs. School officials tend to find themselves drawn to the programs that have the most eye-catching props, including classroom games and hand puppets. But most of them don't deliver. Of 350 programs examined by one 1988 study, just three produced decreases in student use in drugs or alcohol. Surprisingly, research has found that techniques like role-playing to equip self-conscious teens with basic social skills, deliver the best results. With program like these, graduates have been found to be 20-40 percent less likely than others to use drugs or alcohol. These types of programs range from $15-20 a pupil.
Where are we going to get this kind of money? We can ask businesses for donations, do
radio-thons, bake sales, car washes—anything it takes for these programs to enter
Salem schools. When they do, high school students will be prepared to present these
programs to elementary and middle school students. Younger children tend to look up to
high school students as role models and friends...The committee's second objective would
be to find activities for teens...Committee members might talk to local businesses to find
job openings for teens and help set up interviews for those who need help. Members could
also ask local clubs, like the Lion's Club, Optimist, or Tri-C to help fund an intramural
sports program which would give kids something to do in a solid competitive atmosphere.
Members of the committee [might also lobby for] a drug-free teen dance club that would be
opened on weekends. Funding for this might be difficult. It would take a sincere effort by
the entire community...We can no longer sit around and hope [our problems] will go
away...Teen drug abusers will turn into adults and have children that will do the same
thing. It is a vicious cycle that will never stop unless we as a community do something
about it. Even if the committee only saves one teen from drug abuse, it has
succeeded."
Holly Hart, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Youths are at the mercy of the cunning, the strong, and those with money. [They
either] conform to the pressure of a peer group for acceptance or they [become] loners.
Peer pressure can be negative just as often as it is positive. Too often unsupervised
activities, fun and dares, result in tragedies, such as theft, mayhem, murder, malicious
destruction of property, rape, unwanted pregnancies, unnecessary accidents, drinking, and
drugs. Don't leave youths to roam and seek false maturity without responsible
guidance....Too many youths come to their senses too late and have scars of juvenile
delinquency. The lucky ones realize their own mistakes. However, they are left only to
feel low self esteem for not being able to grip with real life. Now they try to make their
way on their own. The task is not easy!"
Melissa York, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Many things influence the maturity rate of a person. The living environment is the major influence...genetics, racial background and values [all play a role.] The major factors causing people to be more mature today than [they were] 50 years ago will be explained. Today the media affects almost every person in the United States. People spend many hours each day reading newspapers, listening to the radio, and watching television. Events and facts from all over the world can be seen, heard, and read. These things can be bizarre: uncommon or abnormal deaths, facts about sex, and biased advertisements. [For example] some entertainment shows are about animals in the wild mating, rescuing people from deadly situations, or learning about new homosexual trends on talk shows. This gives different perspectives on the world and other people's values. The mind gathers information from the media that was formerly only available by personal experience. While most of the minds are more open today, they may not be as wise because there were no behavioral consequences involved in gaining this knowledge. The open and informed mind seems to mature at a faster rate.
Violence is widespread in today's society. Many people are killed each year. Some die accidentally and some purposely, but it is still a more violent world than a few years ago. Gangs are an ever-increasing outlet for violence in the United States. They have been spreading and becoming more violent since the 1970s. These gangs are usually short-lived, loosely organized groups, but for the most part are very violent and disruptive while they are together. Some common gang activities are drinking, using drugs, vandalizing, and sexual misbehavior. Many times conflicting gangs fight, which [often] leads to serious injury and death. Contact with this type of behavior can corrupt and change the mind and body. This type of living environment tends to advance maturity because of the experiences and the knowledge that, if thought and caution are not used, existence is usually ended. Many teens today have this type of environment and therefore mature at a faster pace than teens before the 1970s.
AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), is a very big threat to the lives of all people today. It causes the immune system to become very weak and the body loses the ability to fight off diseases, which results in death. Cases of AIDS were first identified in 1981 and have become very numerous and widespread since then. It is now diagnosed throughout the world. Scientists have determined that there are only three ways to be infected with AIDS: (1) intimate sexual contact with an infected person, (2) direct contact with infected blood, and (3) transmission from an infected woman to her fetus or baby. Condoms can be used to decrease the risk of getting infected through sexual contact. All blood is tested to stop infected blood from being transfused and tests are available to anyone to determine if they are infected...Mental maturity has to come before physical maturity to realize the scope of this threat and its consequences. Before 1981, young adults did not have a disease like this to worry about and therefore didn't have to mature mentally as fast.
[Today] media and advanced communications, violence, and AIDS are three important
influences on young people during their maturing period...I feel the more advanced man
becomes, the more quickly advanced maturity will be increasing."
Dean Jones, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"Most of the problems that concern teenagers today happen in the home. I would
suggest that many children are under turmoil and do not understand all that is happening
in their lives. If there were a center for them to go and just talk to skilled nurses and
doctors and even friends (it) would be the first step in turning at least one child's life
around...Poverty, neglect and molestation is a problem in Salem. Children do not
understand why...this happens to them. With trained staff ...available for the kids, it
would help them get back on their feet, take charge of their lives and have
self-confidence again. There may be many reasons for a teenager to use the center: (1) for
a shelter to get away from the evil, (2) it also will be there for teens who are just
bored with the everyday routine of cruising town and they [might use] the youth center for
a hangout with all of their friends...This would be a place to be comfortable and ...be
yourself."
Nikki Bowen, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"I realize some people are very busy with their jobs and family, and it [would be]
difficult for them to find time to participate in a committee such as this, but to have
improved results in the community, it is important for parents, students, teachers, and
other community members to get involved."
Shara Bowers, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
Back