Problems of young people

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Contents

Preface

The theoretical part

The practical part

Сonclusion

References

Preface

All people have problems. Some people have a lot of problems, others have one or two. And no matter how old you are, you will still face difficulties in your life. We can solve some problems but some problems are very hard to solve.

There are a lot of teenagers in our country. A teenager is a person from thirteen to nineteen years of age. And young people here face as many difficulties as grown-up people do.

There are problems, which are common for all young people. These are spending your free time, choosing a good friend, how to deal with your parents and the classmates, finding your place in this world, first love and relations with beloved, choosing where to study after finishing school, alcohol and drugs.

Youth is a very important period in the life of man. This is the time when a person discovers the world and tries to determine the place in the universe. Young people face lots of problems which are very important for them and do not differ much from those that once their parents had to deal with. At the same time every generation is unique. It differs from the one that preceded it in its experience, ideals and a system of values.

The adults always say that the young are not what they were. These words are repeated from generation to generation. To some extent they are true, because every new generation grows up quicker, enjoys more freedom. It is better educated and benefits from the results of the technological progress of the time.

The theoretical part

Young people of today do not directly accept the standards of their parents who believe that they are right because they are older. The adults don't want their values to be questioned. The young on the other handcannot accept the values of their "fathers". All these differences generate a generation gap when the young and adult do not understand one another. As a rule the adults, dissatisfied with their own lives, teach the young how to live. Unfortunately, the adults apply old standards to the new way of life. They cannot leave behind their "good old days". This burden is very heavy. They think that the world is going downhill. They gloomily look ahead unable to understand the optimism of their children who want to pave their own way in life. The majority of the young people do not want to live in the past. They have their own ideals. They want to make their own mistakes rather than to listen to the warnings of the adults and repeat the mistakes of the older generation. They want to overcome their own difficulties without looking back. However, the life of the young is frequently determined by the adults. I think that parents will never understand their children. And children, in their turn, shock their parents with their dress, language, behaviour. The existence of sub-culture which is specific for every generation is a form of protest of the young people against the values of the adults. Thus, informal groups such as Hippies, Rockers, Bikers, Skinheads, Punks, Goths, Acid House appeared as a kind of protest against the values and lifestyles of the older people.

Traditionally, young people were looking at their elders for guidance. Today the situation is different. Sometimes the young people share information and experience with their parents. I think that it is not bad, especially when the adults really try to understand what is going on in the lives of their children. Moreover, young people grow up so quickly that they almost do not have time to enjoy their childhood.

For some young people the paths to adulthood may be blocked, for example, the absence of jobs or by their own lack of social skills; some are tempted into crime. Effective youth work, statutory and voluntary, intervenes to help young people to deal with such roadblocks, to develop their potential as valued individuals and to become responsible citizens. A similar cry could be heard in the late 1999s and early 2009s. At times when there is a crude emphasis on control and private gain, those wishing to protect and promote youth work tend to fall into the trap of making extravagant claims. This is a trend exacerbated by the general withering away of distinctive youth services in many parts of Britain and Northern Ireland. Their non-statutory nature and continuing problems concerning a relative lack of attention to theory, purpose and practice, have combined over time to make them a sitting target for cutbacks.

Another problem that young people face today concerns their relationship with their friends. As far as friendship is concerned, I think that a person can and should have a lot of friends. Не/she can be on good terms with the classmates. But at the same time there can be only two or three real friends. I believe that real friends will never betray each other. They will always understand and help each other. I agree that tolerance is the pledge of friendship. It is wonderful if a school friend will remain your friend for the rest of your life. But in this case everything depends on the person.

The problem of love is very important for young people. Today they fall in love when they reach the age of Romeo and Juliet. Romanticism and idealism very often accompany the love of the young. They can love deeply and passionately, they believe that their love will last forever. Unfortunately, often their hearts are broken. Young people are not always ready to have stable relations. In many cases they are too young and inexperienced to begin a family life. They have to continue their education, while family obligations will force them to make money. At the same time without good education it is not easy to find a good job.

Communication has always been an important part of young people's lives. Today they can choose between traditional and new ways of communication. Traditionally the young meet after classes with their school friends, make parties, go to the movies or disco clubs to have fun, relax and acquire new friends. But if the young people do not like noisy clubs and other places of entertainment, they can find friends without leaving their homes - the Internet gives such an opportunity. Although this international Web Wide Web is intended for getting knowledge, only few users employ it in this way. Others use different computer programmes to chat with their friends from all over the globe. They can sit for twenty four hours staring at the monitors. Such young people do not eat, sleep, work or learn properly. Their parents think that they are doing nothing, but this is not absolutely correct. They only thing many young people are interested in is navigating through the net and checking their e-mail boxes. And it is a great problem of the present and future. In general all the problems of the youth are linked with the present rather then with the past or future.

Drug abuse is the excessive, maladaptive, or addictive use of drugs for non-medicinal purposes. It also defines a state, emotional and sometimes physical, characterized by a compulsion to take drugs on a constant basis in order to experience its mental effects. Drug abuse gives rise to dependence both physical and psychological. Dependence gives rise to mental, emotional, biological or physical, social and economic instability. The effects of drug abuse on an individual therefore form the basis for its cumulative effects on the society. This is the major danger of drug abuse.Youth in any society occupy a delicate and sensitive position within the population structure for several reasons. The Nigerian law for example recognizes that an individual below the age of seven is incapable of committing a crime and an individual between seven and twelve years should be able to know what he ought not to do that is if it can be proved he doesn't know and he also isn't criminally responsible for his acts. Between the ages of twelve and seventeen, a person is regarded as a juvenile, and while he may be held responsible for his acts or omissions, he is treated specially under the law by the Children and Young Persons Act instead of the Criminal Procedure Act. Statistics have shown that drug barons prefer recruiting their traffickers from the ages of 15 to 35 years, most of whom are either unskilled, unschooled or students or the unemployed. There are several factors, which can influence the abuse of drugs among youths. The major ones are: peer pressure, weak parental control, child abuse, imitation, emotional stress, truancy among students, the availability of the drugs and the ineffectiveness of the laws on drug trafficking. Types of Drugs Abused by Youth: Several types of drugs are susceptible to abuse by youth. These drugs range from most common and less expensive such as cigarettes and alcohol to expensive and more deadly such as cocaine and heroin.

Cigarettes - these are drugs easily available to youth. They are classified as drugs because the contain nicotine and it has physical and psychological effects on the body. Cigarettes are addictive and they cause lung disorders such as cancer.

Alcohol - Beer, wine, brandy and spirits are in the drug category mainly because of their chemical contents and potential for addiction. Alcohol has a toxic and sedative effect on the body and is available without prescription. It is a central nervous system depressant and its consumption can cause a number of marked changes in behaviour.

Caffeine - This is usually abuse through the excessive chewing of cola-nut or concentrated coffee. It is the active ingredient of coffee, tea and some bottled beverages.

Marijuana - Also popularly called Indian hemp, is a drug that contains tetrahydrocannabinol, (THC) which determines its potency varying from 0.2% to 20%. It is a hallucinogenic stimulant, and is usually produced locally. Hydrocarbons - Glue, gasoline, cleaning solutions, varnish, paint thinners, nail polish remover, and lighter fluids, all distilled from petroleum and natural gas, belong to the class of hydrocarbons. They are usually inhaled or sniffed. Cocaine - Cocaine is one of the most potent stimulants of natural origin. It is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant grown in the Andean highlands of South America. Illicit cocaine is usually distributed as a white crystalline powder, often diluted by a variety of ingredients. The drug is usually administrated by snorting through the nasal passages. Crack - This is a street name for a chemical directive of cocaine in hard, crystalline lumps. It is heated and inhaled as a stimulant. Youth usually go for this because it is less expensive than cocaine Heroin: Heroin was first synthesized from morphine with a bitter taste. Illicit heroin may vary in both form and color, from white to dark brown. Heroin is about three times more potent than morphine, and it is readily available in Nigeria. The danger of drug abuse has been defined as "a state of periodic or chronic intoxication, detrimental to the individual and society, of a drug." The major indication of drug addition is the irresistible desire to take drugs by any means. Physical dependence manifests itself when drug intake is decreased or stopped resulting in withdrawal syndrome, which leads to a very distressing experience. Psychological dependence is experienced when an abuser relies on a drug to produced feeling of well being.

This is a relatively new problem but it is becoming more and more dangerous. Million young people today are using drugs, and most of them will die. Usually they want just to try it , then again and again … and after year may be two years they will die . It is true. Because there are no medicine to help you.

That's why never do it, if you do - it goes bad, very bad. I think that police must work hard to protect young people from drugs. Because drugs will kill our young generation and our future will be very bad.

The practical part

I'm fifteen so I belong to the group of Russian teenagers. One of the most important problems is “a generation gap” - the problem of fathers and sons. Teens usually want to be independent and show this to our parents. And this is kind of depressing when our parents try to control everything we do. Our parents usually don't understand the clothes that we wear and the music that we listen to. We have different tastes. For example, when I go to the shop with my mom she likes these jeans but I like those ones. She pays and this is often difficult to convince her that this is really what I need. My parents want me to become a doctor as they are skilled teachers but I have a taste for economics, and my dream is to be an accountant. But they say they know better. They often treat us like small children. And this is rather difficult to start listening to each other and understanding each other. Some teens even begin drinking alcohol or smoking just to show that they are grown-ups. That is really stupid, I must say. I don't like smoking. You must have to be a grown-up inside and a cigarette or a bottle of beer won't help here. This won't help you look cool. These bad habits cause health problems in future (for girls especially).

It is a problem to get a good education as well. It is expensive to get a good education nowadays. I think it is difficult to learn a subject well, for example, without additional classes. And you can't enter a university without good knowledge.

As for the problem of friendship, I always remember a good proverb, "A friend in need is a friend indeed." I like this one because it shows what a true friend must be. I like honest people. And, of course, I want to have a friend who will always listen to me and understand me. I want him or her to support me in difficult situations. If a teen has bad relations with others he tries to find a group to follow for example - goths, emos and others. They try piercing and tattoos.

One of the most serious problems nowadays is taking drugs and AIDS (the disease when the immune system of your body stops working).

The problem of free time is also very important. Where to go, what to do in free time. Every teen must find a hobby or just go in for sports. Not just wander in the street without an aim. We must not forget that it's good to go to museums, theatres, cinemas and parks even if it is not popular.There is also a problem of having extra (pocket) money to go out with friends, to make presents to your friends, to buy clothes that you really like. So youth has to earn money - wash cars, sell or deliver newspapers, help old people or work as waiters or waitresses.

We have some problems but we are sure that we solve them properly. We make mistakes but only those who do nothing make no mistakes. I think that the young people in other countries have such problems too. The best way to solve them is to be yourself and be responsible for your life.

Here you are some questions which I ask my classmates:

- Do your parents like music?

- Yes, they do. They like both classic and popular music. But my tastes differ from the preference of my parents. They prefer the music of their youth performed by Joe Cocker, the "Beatles" or something of that kind. They do not like chaos, rap or tech, which my generation chooses.

- Do you often quarrel with your parents?

- No, I prefer to settle all our problems peacefully. Sometimes the best tactics is not to contradict the parents while doing what I think is important. It is not always necessary that parents should know that I disagree with them. But very often my friends are unable to follow this pattern, especially those who hate compromises and do not like to make concessions to their parents.

- Do you think that a generation gap can be bridged?

- I doubt that a generation gap can ever be bridged. But I think that some concessions on both sides are possible. Sometimes older generations are important for young people because they can share their experience however irrelevant it may seem to the young. Parents are also providing their children with pocket money. That is why the young should not be too impatient when older people teach them what to do, what to wear or how to think. Tolerance is the only way to bridge the gap of the generations.

- Do you think that people can live without problems?

-Problem is the result of the activity of human mind. Only a simpleton can have no problems and be happy with everything. Nothing will come of nothing. Problems are inevitable when people do something. I think that without problems our life will be very boring. Moreover, when people start to cope with different problems they become stronger and more experienced. They harden like steel while overcoming problems. I do not think that life without problems will be better. We have some problems but we are sure that we solve them properly. We make mistakes but only those who do nothing make no mistakes.

Сonclusion

problem young people family

I think a healthier and closer relationship between the child and their family would help solve some issues. Closing the gap between their lives will bring them closer together and help the parents get more involved in the child's life.

I believe the power of positive change lies in the hands of the media. The riots clearly demonstrated that young people use every aspect of the media to communicate and therefore we should use the media to educate.Also, if I may point out, media affects youths in great ways. Many learn and follow what they see as examples. If a footage of negative act (such as kids doing drugs, acting violently, etc) is seen by the youths, there's a chance that they may try them out. So, maybe it'll help to lessen the youths' access to such clips, files, footages, etc. ?

I think that the young people in other countries have such problems too. The best way to solve them is to be yourself and be responsible for your life.

References

1.Ainley, P (2004) 'Towards a Learning or a Certified Society?' Youth and Policy (56) pp 42-54.

2.du Bois-Reymond, M (2006) 'Future Orientations of Dutch Youth: the emergence of a choice biography' in A Cavalli and O Galland (eds.) Youth in Europe, London: Cassell.

3.Smith, G et al (2002) 'Youth in an Age of Uncertainty' in Carnegie United Kingdom Trust The Carnegie Young People Initiative: Years of Decision, Leicester: Youth Work Press

4.Tennant,. M. (1999) Psychology and Adult Learning, London: Routledge.

5. Tony Jeffs and Mark K. Smith (1999) `The problem of “youth” for youth work', Youth and Policy 62, pages 45 - 66.

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