Does anyone out there have any successful programs promoting political awareness in teens? I know of some GREAT books, but don’t know how to generate interest. When kids complain about not having enough computers in the library or not having a skate park in the neighborhood, I always urge them to write a letter or otherwise try to DO something about it. They give me blank looks.
I just finished reading Nathan McCall’s Makes Me Wanna Holler, and this passage (after teen years mis-spent on the streets as a thug and then in prison, Nathan has worked hard and gotten a great job as a newspaper reporter covering city hall) resonated:
Before, whenever I heard about decisions that affected the lives of blacks, I passively assumed they were irrevocable decisions made by faceless, powerful white folks who were out of reach. Now I got to see, firsthand, how the political process worked and how white citizens stormed City Hall when they wanted to get something done.
Blacks in Portsmouth seemed light-years away from understanding that process. They seldom organized and went to City Hall, mainly because they doubted it would make a difference. As a result, they were always reacting after the fact, always protesting after some historic black school had been closed or some right infringed upon– all because they hadn’t been at City Hall when the deals went down.
Substitute the word “blacks” with “teens” and the excerpt rings very true for the teens in my area. Baltimore is a city which needs to offer a lot more to its youth (even beyond safe streets, which it clearly lacks). It is also a small enough city that a united group of teens from one area of town could make a big difference. Is there a way to open their eyes to their latent power of change without actually giving them a cause (I certainly wouldn’t want to project my own agendas on to them)? Has anyone started an activism club, or a “improve our neighborhood” club? Please let me know!
Why do we need to promote politics in teens, i was thinking abou that serosedserio?
serosedserio is looking for ways to promote political awareness, not politics. i think that it’s very important for young people to learn that they have a say in what goes on in their city, their country, and the global community at large. teach teens that they have a political presence, and they will ost likely start to look for solutions to the problems thhey’re complaining about – they might start a petition to get funding for the library to buy more computers, or write a letter to their congressperson about their desire for a skate park in their neighborhood. also, they will understand their political system better and be more likely to vote when they are of age.
[...] Activism serosedserio added an interesting post on Teen ActivismHere’s a small excerptDoes anyone out there have [...]