Beyond external deterrents

Diary entry: Saturday, January 14.

"Another Saturday night over. Nothing much to report. Went to Paceville, to meet the same friends, with the endless hope of making new ones. We've been going there at least for the past five years now. So much has been said about the alcohol consumed by us young people over New Year. It's the same story in weekends. Well, there's nothing much else to do on Saturday night. How else would you fill your time? I seem to control how much I drink, but many others don't. Or don't want to... Some say they do it because it's a stressful time in our lives: break-up of relationships, exam time, family issues. For others, the weekend is the only thing to look forward to - the rest of the week is pretty boring. Some others find excitement in daring to down yet another shot of vodka - the last perhaps! Others try to lower their inhibitions: to feel less shy and approach the girl of their dreams, or simply to create conversation.

"Sometimes we look forward to something different. A party perhaps? But then again it's no different. Just a little worse, because it's not just alcohol but people popping pills. Of course, we've heard so much about cigarettes, alcohol and drugs frying up our brains, eating away our liver, clogging our lungs but this surely doesn't happen to us at this age? Or does it? At least we don't always feel the effect... except maybe the memory blanking out every once in a while, or the odd incessant bout of coughing.

"Will this ever change? Can it ever be different?"

Much has been written in the past weeks about doing all possible in legislation and enforcement to curb any abuse of alcohol and avoid negative consequences. As the Chaplaincy at University, we fully support all this discussion. However, we believe we should also look beyond such external deterrents to the real causes of the actions of young people. The root of uncontrolled behaviour, be it drinking, eating, sexual activity, driving or other, lies not solely in the particular developmental phase of adolescence and young adulthood. It lies also in the emptiness which many young people feel in their life and in themselves, in the lack of ability to form authentic and intimate relationships with themselves or others. The significance of their life, perhaps also because of their lack of connection with their spiritual core, can be so low that it can be easily traded for any instant short-lived pleasure. It is this that we, as a society, in our role as parents, educators, Church and other entities in community must address.

We would thus like to invite all adults to stop pointing fingers and look at their own lives to consider whether they are living the message they are preaching - that life is really worth living and worth taking care of. Our special invitation to parents is to listen. When young people find someone who can really listen to them, with unconditional acceptance of who they are, they grow up into secure persons who do not need any substance to make them stand on their two feet.

We would like to invite young people to tap into their youthful energy and invest it in the many meaningful experiences which offer growth in the dimension of physical and personal development, culture, relationships and faith. Our own experience has shown that when young people get involved in such activities, they find the real opportunity to build true friendships, to feel so satisfied during the week that drinking and drugging will not be the only source of pleasure (or the only source of forgetting the boredom). We would also like to invite those young people, who have realised that their behaviour has become problematic, or who have landed themselves in some trouble, to seek help. It is never too late or too hopeless.

As the University Chaplaincy we particularly make these invitations to university students. We are aware of the checkmate situation which student organisations face when the only activities that attract students are those which offer free or inexpensive alcohol - be it a party or even a formation weekend. It is a shame that cultural activities organised on Campus are poorly attended. However, we would like to challenge organisations to be creative and provide alternative activities. Nevertheless, their success depends largely on the commitment, openness and positive peer pressure used by students to attend them and break away from stereotypical notion of "having fun". As a Chaplaincy, with all our limitations, we propose concrete invitations through the various services we offer: opportunities such as voluntary work, building communities and individual accompaniment. These are all geared to help students grow on personal, spiritual and social dimensions.

We would like to invite all the entities which offer services for young people to get their heads together and discuss how they can offer better formation and more enriching experiences. Perhaps authentic collaboration can be established with the entertainment industry so as to promote true recreation and create alternative leisure which is accessible and well-promoted. More energy, money and thought need to be invested by the government and businesses that have young people at heart, to promote healthy activities already in place and to support the many NGOs and government agencies which strive hard to keep going.

These are our hopes and invitations but they might remain just so, unless they become your resolutions too.

Ms Sammut - pastoral assistant at the University Chaplaincy - submitted this article on behalf of the Chaplaincy Council.