News | Peachtree City

Students want to help young kids

Wed, 02/08/2006 - 2:10pm
By: John Munford

Spurred by the suicides of two McIntosh High School students in one week, local high school students are anxious to roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help other young folks.

A group of high school students called the Youth Council Serving Fayette County is aiming particularly at middle school students, who they see as more vulnerable to peer pressure.

Several at Tuesday’s youth council meeting referenced the controversy created by eighth graders at Booth Middle School last year who were caught having sex on a school bus. The situation resulted in the principal sending a note home to parents, urging them to strike up a conversation with their kids.

A lack of appropriate parenting was another key factor cited by several at the youth council meeting. Some parents in town, for kids as young as middle school age, are buying alcohol to host parties for their kids and friends.

Several participants said parental authorization of such illegal activity could be a recipe for disaster ... and it also sends the wrong signals to the youngsters.

A number of families have parents who both work, leaving kids to come home to empty houses “and do whatever they want” until the parents get home around 6 p.m. or so.

The council also talked about the possibility of having a “teen center” to host fun events for teens, many of whom cite the lack of leisure activities in the city. Council advisor Art Sivertsen said it could be a matter of finding a church with free space to house activities or perhaps having later hours for the Kedron Fieldhouse to host events such as a regular “trivia night.”

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Dear Parents
Shelby Barker's picture
Submitted by Shelby Barker on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 12:49am.

I wish everyone had the opportunity to go to the youth council meeting, but if you did not have the opportunity let me sum up what I had proposed last night.

You see I am the former Peachtree City Youth Council President, class of 04’ (now just your everyday college student) I realize Fayette County has a major MAJOR problem on their hands as does every other person who attended the meeting.

What I proposed at the meeting is a program called the "Bridge the Gap" campaign. This program will consist of a couple key components. I also must note as of right now the Youth Council and the City has not made any Formal comments about my ideas.

Key Concepts

1) We must create an atmosphere where Fayette County and outside residents realize there is a problem here. (This ball is already starting to roll)

2) We must "Bridge the Gaps" between High school Kids and Middles School students, through "buddy" programs, question and answer periods etc...

3) We must "Bridge the Gap" between students and parents. We do this by allowing the parents the opportunity to learn the "new" risks for their child i.e. MySpace.com. We will do this through question and answer periods.

4) We must build a teen center. This is very important, in doing this we will provide a safe place for teens to go. Parents a bit of information, the way to envision this place is imagine your child's dream basement, video games, D.J.'s, poker, etc...

5) Continually be looking for possible ideas.

Residents if we accomplish the "Bridge the Gap" Campaign we will see major success through out our schools. We will see less drug usage, sexual harassment etc....

If you have any questions or comments please
Call me at 678-371-5322
email---shelbybarker@gmail.com


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Why killing yourself isn't "the only way to ease your pain"
Submitted by Reality Bytes on Wed, 02/08/2006 - 11:44pm.

If you think your life sucks because you live in an affulent community, like to drink or smoke and get in trouble, break up with a girlfriend or boyfriend, have a fight with someone (your parents, your friends, etc.) or some other temporal situation, take a trip up to the Central Presbyterian Church night shelter. Spend three hours there, see the people who REALLY have it tough.

This isn't the most popular opinion, and I even know the family of one of the teenagers who committed suicide, but IT'S JUST NOT THE ANSWER.

Teens - stop looking for "things to do" or "people to love you". Look beyond the mirror, young ladies and gentlemen. Go to school, get a job, do your homework, participate in a sport, read. Stop trying to be things you're not - like alcoholics, sex fiends, drug abusers and attention seekers.

Life isn't about getting everything you want, or doing what you believe is what should be done. Growing up isn't supposed to be all sunshine and punk rock.

I wish that everyone would stop trying to create "solutions" for "bored teens". Guess what? There are solutions - they're called JOBS, SPORTS, CLUBS, SCHOOLWORK, CHORES, etc.

Parents - fire your maid and your landscaping service. Make your kids work for it. Better yet, work WITH your kids. Stop being so dang out of touch. Don't let your kids barricade themselves in their rooms with cellphones, IMs, ipods, playstations and the like. Occasionally pay attention to them, instead of living your lives around them as if they were obstacles. PARENTS - you are the idiots who decided to have sex 15 or 16 years ago. You don't get a break...ever.

Otherwise, you ARE stupid, no matter what your age.

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Reality check
John Munford's picture
Submitted by John Munford on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 2:35pm.

Dear idontknow:

If you think all PTC kids have it GREAT because they "live in an affluent community" then you need to get a clue. And get out of the "bubble" while you're at it.

Given your jaded response and generalisms, it sounds to me like you are the first case of documented "immaculate mis-conception." Either you were beamed onto this earth as a full-fledged adult and you got to skip the angst of childhood and teenage-hood ... or you're simply too old to remember what it was about.

You must've had the perfect childhood! Good for you! You probably grew up in a generation where divorce was a dirty word. Maybe you grew up in a loving small town where everyone knew (and looked after) everyone else.

Today's PTC kids don't have that. Heck, almost all of them were uprooted (at least once) to move here and that alone is traumatic. Many of them have single parents (or stepdads and stepmoms). I'd surmise that few of them have any other family members living nearby for support.

How are you to know that any kids commit suicide because of this, that or the other? Chances are these kids were facing a lot more adversity than you ever thought of.

Your trivialization of the issue, to me anyway, appears to be quite uneducated.

I agree that parents need to pay more attention to their kids and be more strict in general. But if you think the average PTC house has a maid and landscaping service, you need to step out of the bubble yourself and find out what's really going on. Not everybody is a CEO or rich to the gills self-help author.

I'm not making excuses for these kids, both the ones who behave and the ones who don't. I just thought everyone might like to look at this issue in a more reality-based manner.

P.S. I will post this in all the forums you chose to "copy" your post to, just to spread the word.


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True!
livininPTC's picture
Submitted by livininPTC on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 12:53pm.

idontknow: "Parents - fire your maid and your landscaping service. Make your kids work for it. Better yet, work WITH your kids. Stop being so dang out of touch. Don't let your kids barricade themselves in their rooms with cellphones, IMs, ipods, playstations and the like. Occasionally pay attention to them, instead of living your lives around them as if they were obstacles. PARENTS - you are the idiots who decided to have sex 15 or 16 years ago. You don't get a break...ever."

Truer words have never been spoken on the biggest issues that trouble teens in this community! It's all these parents that are so involved in one-upping their neighbors that they make no time to spend with their children.

40-50 years from now nobody will remember that mansion you had, the luxury SUVs you drove, but people will notice your children and they way they live their lives!

PS: In no way shape or form am I implying that the 2 teens who recently committed suicide had parents who were not involved in their lives. I don't know either family nor their cirumstances, I have just noitced the problem with teenagers in the PTC area in general.


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Teen Age suicide
Submitted by BravoMike on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 12:23pm.

The post by "I don't know" really hit the nail on the head. Parents, be engaged with your children. And teenagers, God help you to get a life beyond myspace.com, boys, girls, cars, drugs, beer, complaining there is nothing to do, etc. ad infinitum, and realize life is not a bowl of cherries and that sometimes life is the pits.

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amen
Submitted by Stroke on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 8:32am.

I think poster idontknow knows something here. We need, as a community, to be funding teen centers with DJ's to entertain teenagers with way to much time any money on their hands, about a much as we need a dog park. These young folks need to think about something besides themselves. Acting like they are auditioning for some kind of drama induced MTV show is not the way to go.

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Parents check this out!!!!
Submitted by peachyinGA on Wed, 02/08/2006 - 9:49pm.

Check out myspace.com Both of the kids who took their lives last week had myspace pages there. While the parents can't always prevent things from happening, they can see what their kids are into.

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RE: Check this out
Submitted by leber on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 10:29am.

While I agree that teens on the internet ie myspace.com need to be monitored, I would be more concerned with the drug activity going on at our big ole' pretty strip Mall and a coffee house located there.
I am lucky, i have a teen who still thinks it is ok to talk to her parents. According to her and the rumors at school, that Mall and the coffee house that everyone so dearly loves is the place to go to pick up whatever drug of choice you want.

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Leber's right
Submitted by PTCMomma on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 4:54pm.

My teen and friends confirms what Leber's does. I know adults that are afraid to go near the coffee shop during the weekend at night. Like Leber's, mine still feels safe talking to me. Make your child feel safe talking to you, and they will reveal alot.

Mom to 3, plus a few strays

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One solution for kids
Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Wed, 02/08/2006 - 8:44pm.

The YMCA would be more than happy to set up an after-school program for teens or students of any age. Their programs could be tailored to the students and would be the best part of their day.

Churches could do it as well.

Just get involved! If you can't be there yourself to help your own kids - then contribute some money to the Y or the church of your choice.

It isn't smart to expect the schools and the city to raise your kids for you. After all, they are both government entities - and what has government ever done efficiently? And you expect them to raise your kids for you? Look out!


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