Helping youth

As a youth worker I cannot just sit and watch the various issues related to youth occasionally raised in the media. With open bars and parties being the hot issue of the moment, young people are, of course, in the centre of it all once more.

In no way do I intend to defend or attack party-goers or organisers. I will leave that to the experts who seem to know it all, even though in some cases it is clear that some do not have any idea about young people's lifestyle or development.

However, I have to comment about the need to pay more attention to what youth organisations and workers have to say. Being involved in youth work for a good number of years, I remember various campaigns held by a number of different organisations targeting young people and promoting a healthy lifestyle. So what? Was anybody listening? Sometimes such campaigns are completely ignored while others might be lucky enough to be featured in a newspaper article.

Strange as it may seem, these initiatives are normally started after a need is identified. So, please note, it's not the "I have an idea let's make it" approach that many people seem to imagine. These campaigns are the result of a circle that normally begins with someone (normally the youth worker) noticing an issue or situation that needs to be addressed. Following this, a response to the need is researched and formulated. It's a circle - starting from young people and being aimed at young people.

However, what makes news is normally the tragic side of the story. I think it is high time to give more support to those young people who day after day strive voluntarily for the benefit of our society. This is the point - our society. We all have the duty to help youth. We all need to feel the responsibility for today's young people, tomorrow's adults. Help can come in various ways, such as sponsoring activities and being given space in the media but, most of all, by listening to what young people and youth workers have to say.

Listening will help to better understand each other. Young people have much to say. But to whom?