Newell-Fonda High School
Newell, Iowa

 

The American Rite of Passage
By Craig Corderman
Senior

 

Many cultures around the world have rites of passage. Most cultures see the passage as a way for one to reach adulthood. Some would say the youth of this country are on the wrong path, but maybe it’s the only path that was given to them. The American society already has many and great rites of passage for its youth; parents and society must guide them to better decision making skills through the process of the passage.

 

Americans today have many rites of passage like baptism, confirmation, barfitsmas and graduations. Providing such passages gives the youth a barrier to the next level of life.  Studies have shown that alcohol and tobacco are on the rise with youth across America because adolescents see alcohol and tobacco as a rite of passage, and they wish to act in ways of any adult. Youth see drugs as a way to be an adult.  Parents need to talk with their children while they are changing from a teenager into a man or woman. Guiding their children to make good decisions and being there to help them when they make a bad one. Youth always feel they need to revolt and be dangerous, but they won’t as often if a parent talks with them and treats them as adults.

           

ROPE, a center for the advancement of youth, family, and community services has developed a program to ease youth through the changing process. Phase one is to focus community, parent, student, and school attention on the separation of children from their elementary school experience from parents (ROPE). During this phase parents and teachers must train them with the important life skills that they will need. They must also make this learning process a fun learning experience, or they will rebel. 

           

Phase two is the focus on connecting youth with community resources (ROPE). This stage is common with the middle or junior high school students. Society must promote and provide positive leisure time activities like football, basketball, band, track, and school plays. The more activities a community provides for the youth the less time they’re out drinking and doing drugs. 

           

Phase three is the focus on the important adult value of giving one’s self to others through community service (ROPE). Older students are role models and guide the youth in social community service. The youth of today look up to the older more than ever and the more they see people helping others and not doing drugs, the more often they are willing to help others also.

           

During these stages, the youth need to see and feel the connection to society.  They must feel that they are important to society, and that society will struggle without them. Youth must also feel that they are controlling their own lives and that their parents aren’t.

           

People need to help guide the youth of America through his or her rite of passage; we need not create a new rite of passage. If one is created, it will only be abused like the current ones. Children already have enough rites of passage; more would only confuse many and turn away others  Margaret Mead would say that culture is man-made and man should redesign its make-up and boundaries. While agreeing with her I also disagree.  A community may be able to change its culture ever so slightly, but this country will never be able to get its mind of making the big bucks.  Money turns a person greedy; that’s the bottom line.

           

In conclusion, adults must see youth as the future and pushing them to make better decisions only enhances the future of this country. The American society has enough rites of passages for its youth, and it doesn’t need to create a new one. Problems need to be solved through talking with adults, and adults need to be open to helping.  ROPE has established stages and phases to help adults to guide children. It is time for local communities to team to together on current rites of passage and work on helping the youth through the difficult times.

 

Answers To Questions Regarding Required reading

 

1- The Army’s slogan is, ”Be all you can be,” while Margaret Mead sees it as individual fulfillment or defeat.

 

2- All are still issues in today’s world.

 

3- Yes to a certain degree, a small town community would be able to change its culture, but not a big city community.

 

4- Greater knowledge and control over the civilizing process would be what she was advocating.

 

5- Adolescents want to know the truth and not to be lied to; adults need to tell the truth while still setting structure.

 

6- I’ve seen a kid eating shrooms, seen people chewing tobacco, and I have seen someone drunk in school.

 

7- No, racism is always going to be here, we’ll have to live with it.

 

8- No, I like being able to interact with the opposite sex, home school would not be fun.

 

9- I feel my school is giving me the best possible education they can provide; possibly in other schools it could be a possibility.

 

10- True, adolescents need someone to look up to, someone to discuss their problems with, but children also know that troubles are good, it makes the person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

www.rope.org/.  Center for the Advancement of Youth, Family, & Community Services, Inc.