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Vicki's blog: "In the head!"

created on 07/05/2009  |  http://fubar.com/in-the-head/b302516

Adolescents & Poverty

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Adolescents & Poverty


The effects of poverty on adolescents can be not only devastating but last a lifetime for teens. More often than not, poverty is carried from generation to generation. Parents raising families in poverty are burdened by economic stress. The emotional environment in the home and between family members is often harsh and lacking in emotional support. Depression for the parents usually brings on marital conflict and the children may suffer emotionally and or physically. Abuse and neglect are present in the homes of many families living in poverty.
Youth living in poverty generally have lower grades than those in higher income classes and the rates for dropouts are highest within this income class. Their self-esteem is low. They suffer with depression and other mental health issues as well as having more health problems than the norm. Youth in poverty also have higher rates of juvenile delinquency and crime records. The statistics on drug and alcohol use is high as well. Teen pregnancy has also proved to be a major concern among our teens living in poverty. All of these factors model into the adolescent's adulthood and create yet another generation much the same.
At the current time, 17% of children and their families live in poverty. They usually live in bad neighborhoods and positive role models are either non-existent or out of reach for these youth. There are several ideas known for addressing these problems both within the family and in the community. Programs to aid families are often not sought out or desired by the parent(s), and unless intervention is mandated, they are not obligated to seek any help for their children or their families well being. This is why it is so important for the community to reach out to help these young people overcome what they are forced to live.

Since good majorities of parents living in poverty isolate themselves and avoid the more community related involvement, it robs their children of not only the will through self-esteem but knowledge of social interaction within the positive aspects of the community to make a difference.

Civic activism can guide these youth into an area of life with new meaning and self worth. The focus on social injustice, just as they live, can provide our teens with a purpose and place in society. Along with that, they gain a sense of self-awareness in discovering their own growing values and belief systems. Erikson argues, "Adolescent development comprises a new set of identification processes, both with significant persons and with ideological forces, which give importance to individual life by relating it to a living community and an ongoing history." Mentors or role models are those significant persons.

Erikson Stages apply:

Stage 4 - Industry vs. Inferiority
To bring a productive situation to completion is an aim, which gradually supersedes the whims and wishes of play.
The fundamentals of technology are developed
To lose the hope of such "industrious" association may pull the child back to the more isolated, less conscious familial rivalry of the Oedipal time
The child can become a conformist and thoughtless slave whom others exploit.

Stage 5 - Identity vs. Role Confusion (or "Diffusion")
The adolescent is newly concerned with how they appear to others.
Ego identity is the accrued confidence that the inner sameness and continuity prepared in the past are matched by the sameness and continuity of one's meaning for others, as evidenced in the promise of a career.

The inability to settle on a school or occupational identity is disturbing.
The fact that civic activism can be a great youth development strategy is not in question. What is though is the willingness of role models to guide our youth in need. People who are willing to develop long and strong relationships with these teens who have been marginalized or isolated, leading to lesser life chances are actually very scarce.

Adolescence is the last real opportunity to reach teens in need, before they will most likely, repeat the pattern in the next generation. For whatever reason, and there could be several, they are not getting what they need. They will turn to areas in life where they feel comfortable and accepted. Sadly, this is usually a place where they will do what it takes to belong. Without community acceptance and guidance, it will ultimately end in crime, welfare dependency, and teen parenting that will repeat this cycle of poverty and lesser life chances for new generations.

Maybe you know of a teen that has lived with lesser life chances. How do you think they could benefit from a relationship with you? What could you offer them for guidance in social development? How much time would you be able to consistently offer even one youth in need of social and emotional support that they're not sure even exists because their family life suffers?

How much of yourself would you be willing to share for the good of one teen and for the good of society? We can and should ask ourselves these questions. Although these teens may struggle, they have not caused their own poverty, and they deserve all the chances in life that any other child gets, even when their parents fail to provide that chance.

Vicki Sinclair
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