The Safe Community Coalition’s (SCC) fourth Teen Summit brought together students from area high schools to discuss difficult issues plaguing teenagers. The summit is designed to bring students, parents and local authorities together to figure out how the community can work to support teens.
The topics explored during the summit included eating disorders, drugs and alcohol, depression, and morality. Discussion groups with students and adults were created for each of the topics. The groups then identified underlying causes for the behaviors being discussed and suggested ways to deal with the problems in the future.
The SCC will use the ideas put forth by the students to try to implement new programs at schools or in the community. A complete report on the summit should be available in a few weeks and can be obtained by anyone in the community by faxing a request to Don Morton at 703-356-0089*51.
Students exploring the topic of drugs, alcohol and dating determined that drinking, and not drugs, remains the greatest problem at McLean and Langley high schools. The reason behind the drinking, according to the students, is boredom.
Two novel suggestions were promoted to curb drinking. The first was to "show some of those gory videos that teachers don’t want us to see, about accidents after drinking. Those could have constructive value," said McLean student P.J. Podesta. Nadine Matar, also of McLean, suggested dressing a few students in black, which signaled they were killed in a drunken driving accident, and not allowing other students to talk to them for a day. "I know if I couldn’t talk to my best friend all day because she was carrying a black balloon, I’d be very sad," said Matar.
THE USE OF prescription drugs by teenagers has risen significantly, according to Langley student Seth Cassell. "Prescription drugs are becoming more of a problem at school because they are easier to get your hands on. Some people will only take half of their prescription and them sell the rest," Cassell said.
Sadly, Cassell maintains that drug education has a result opposite the intended. "Drug education made us more interested in drugs. When I was in eighth grade, they told me about marijuana. I didn’t know about it before then. Maybe it would have been better if they hadn’t told me," Cassell said.
Stress was revealed to be both a benefit and a hindrance to teens, much as it is to adults. "We are adapting to our economy and what is expected of us," said Langley’s David Centofante. The pressure to get into a good college presented the greatest stress for students, but most recognized that as they matured, new stresses would replace academic pressures. "Stress starts the day you’re born and continues till the day you die. That’s just the way it is," said Lauren Reisig from Langley.
Student’s were at more of a loss when discussing eating disorders. A lack of education and knowing whom to turn to if negative food behaviors are observed in friends were cited as key reasons for inaction. An emphasis on exercise, including nontraditional exercise like martial arts, was suggested to divert the attention from food to nutrition.
Increasing student/parent communication was also focused on by the groups. Langley’s Ameen Shallal said that children’s lying is one of the biggest barriers to effective communication. "Kids lie to their parents a lot. It’s hard to tell the truth because you’re trying to avoid punishment." The students suggested finding a television program enjoyed by everyone that could serve as the catalyst for conversation.
"A lot of families don’t have family dinners anymore. There aren’t family discussions. That’s a really bad thing," said Centofante.
GROWING UP in the Enron age, with corporate scandals rampant, appears to have positively affected how area young people view morality.
Students asserted that cheating still happens, but the act and the student are looked down on.
Technology has also played a role in giving students an anonymous way of turning in cheaters. "A lot of kids have been caught recently through things like TurnIn.com," said Centofante.
The Internet has a downside in students lives, too, according to Tom Mangan of the McLean Rotary Club, who served as a facilitator on the summit. "There’s a lot of bullying going on online, rumors spread via e-mail and things said on [instant messaging]," said Mangan.
Students will now have an opportunity to put their ideas into action. The SCC will compile the notes from the summit and use teen suggestions to form action groups.