The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development issued the results of a ten-year study about six months ago. It should be must reading for every group that has an interest in young people ten to fourteen years of age. Although it is a sobering report, it has very concrete suggestions for change and some inspiring success stories. My only complaint about the study is that it does not specifically talk about the role that the church can play in mobilizing for action and change in the lives of our youth. If asked, there are very few of us who would choose to live our adolescent years over again.
Most parents face the adolescent years of their children with great anxiety and worry.
Many parents, teachers and community leaders feel overwhelmed by the many issues and pressures facing young people today. Recruitment of volunteers to work with this age group is often a monumental task. The above images, feelings, concerns, anxieties are a burden for adults but they result in a negative message to our young people about who they are and what they represent. I often ask myself which comes first, the chicken or the egg. Having parented three young women through those years, I can honestly say they were not as bad as I feared or had been led to expect.