Speak Out Lexington 1998
Topic: "What's Going on With Young People in Our Community?" The ideas shared at citywide Speak Out Lexington meetings were compiled into a report (see excerpts below) that was submitted to the Mayor and Council. These reports (on bright yellow paper) are available in the back of the sanctuary, at the Ransom Street entrance, or in the dining room near the Mission bulletin board. |
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Summary of responses from citywide sessions. Question 1: What is it like to be a young person in Lexington? BORING!!, according to young people and adults alike. Why so boring? Not enough jobs, not enough decent entertainment, not enough volunteer opportunities, and not enough activities, claim Speak Out participants. Most young people and adults believe that Lexington does not offer much to its young people in the way of places to go or things to do. Although some adults argue that there are more opportunities now than ever before, most Speak Out participants agree that many existing opportunities are too expensive and inaccessible for some young people, as well as lacking in diversity. According to Speak Out participants, it is hard to be a young person in today's society. Young people's lives are full of pressure -- from their peers, parents, and society at large; and full of concerns -- about their safety, about their school performance, and about their relationships with others. Often, young people do not know who they can trust, and seem to be in a constant struggle for the right to discover their own identity and for the right to express themselves, with the stereotypes of adults and the media as the opposition. Question 2: What do adults not know about young people that they need to know? The wide range of responses to this question suggests that perhaps a better question would be what don't adults need to know about young people! There is a push-pull relationship between what young people want adults to know and what they want to keep to themselves. Participants of all ages agree that adults do not know enough about where young people are, who they are with, or what they are doing. Additionally, adults do not know enough about young people's state of mind, their interests, or their feelings. This breakdown in communication appears to stem from adults' insufficient awareness and involvement in young people's lives, as well as their seeming inability to really "get down" on the level of young people. On the flip side, young people want adults to understand that they need more freedom, more privacy, and more space for their activities. Many stated that youth know more and care more about the world than their parents or other adults think they do, and they want adults to let them make their own mistakes and own decisions. These young people asserted that they need to learn from experience, rather than from the admonitions and lectures of adults. Young people are keenly aware of the gap that exists between young people and adults. They feel they are stereotyped by adults and are presumed to be part of an overall youth culture that adults neither understand nor view positively. Many young people cited the fact that adults do not know much about teen fashion, popular music, or "what's cool" as evidence of this gap. Young people and adults alike believe that adults do not know enough about peer pressure or contemporary problems, such as violence, gangs, or depression. Participants feel that adults do not realize the extent of drug use or drinking among young people nor the rate of sexual activity at increasingly younger ages. Many participants suggested that young people often do not get the support or empathy they need as a result of adults' ignorance or lack of understanding of these critical issues, and that adults need to realize that times have changed. Question 3: What are your major concerns about young people?
The most frequent responses largely speak for themselves on this question, with concerns such as violence, drugs, boredom, and sex appearing as litany in nearly all groups. Other concerns, such as family life or preparation for the real work, illustrate some variation among different age groups. Concerns:
Speak Out Lexington 1998 Vital Statistics |
