Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with youth

Youth Passions Research in Montreal

divabat — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:11:25 -0800

If you had one year to dedicate yourself to researching how young people's passions and interests can be supported and encouraged, what would you do? Bonus points for Montreal-related responses. I'm planning to apply to the Sauve Scholars program, a one-year fellowship based in McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where you are given full support and resources to research, study, and work on a project of your choice. I would like to use the year to come up with a project plan for resources that help young people find support for their passions and interests - mainly from a Malaysian perspective, as there's nothing there, but involving research into how young people are supported in other countries.

We need to come up with a plan for our project - what we want to investigate, how we're going to go about it, how we can use local resources to help us. With a topic like this, it can be pretty broad, so I'd like some ideas for actions I can take to support my research for this one year.
I'm planning to apply to the Sauve Scholars program, a one-year fellowship based in McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where you are given full support and resources to research, study, and work on a project of your choice. I would like to use the year to come up with a project plan for resources that help young people find support for their passions and interests - mainly from a Malaysian perspective, as there's nothing there, but involving research into how young people are supported in other countries.

We need to come up with a plan for our project - what we want to investigate, how we're going to go about it, how we can use local resources to help us. With a topic like this, it can be pretty broad, so I'd like some ideas for actions I can take to support my research for this one year.

If you had one year to dedicate yourself to researching how young people's passions and interests can be supported and encouraged, what would you do?

What sort of research would you do? Who would you want to look up? Where would you volunteer or work? I don't expect specific names (Though that'd be great!!) but things like "You should look up what their relevant youth policy is and find government agencies that work with young people" or "Find a Malaysian Students Society to interview" are the things I'm after. If you've worked in a venture that does exactly this (support young people's passions), what sort of work did you do to form and maintain your venture?

I've been getting a lot of "ask the young people themselves", which is what I'm doing too, but that's not something I need the fellowship to do. I'm more interested in finding out what resources are available in Montreal/McGill that I can tap into.

Teach Me How To Teach How To Sew

chara — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:01:58 -0800

I've volunteered to help teach 10-12 year olds how to sew. We have limited supplies (only three machines for 15+ students), so I was wondering what suggestions you had for: a) teaching the very basics to youngsters in a safe and fun way (not too frustrating and not too bloody) b) working with limited resources I meet with the students once a week. My first lesson is in three weeks and it's been a while since I first learned to sew, so I'm not exactly sure where to start. Any words of wisdom, online or paper resources would be appreciated! Thanks!

Resources wanted - cultural diversity, youth, arts

divabat — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:20:02 -0800

Cultural diversity, youth, and the arts/creative industries - where do I start looking for resources? I'm doing a work placement with an Australian youth arts organization (non-profit) that provides advice and services to young emerging artists. I've been tasked with preparing a cultural diversity strategy, both to get more young people from culturally diverse backgrounds using their services, and also to make their current programs more respectful of cultural needs.

I've never actually written a strategy paper before, but I personally find the topic interesting so I'd like to do as much work as possible. I'd like to know where I can get more information.

I'm guessing this is largely a question of terminology, as searching for resources in my local libraries haven't given me much - what should I be looking for? So far I can think of:

* Brisbane/Australia's policies re: cultural diversity and the arts sector
* How other countries and cultures regard the arts and creative industries (no idea how to search for this)
* Examples of strategy papers
* Efforts in integrating different cultures, not just with young people and/or the arts world

What else should I be looking at? What resources fit the above list and what else should go on that list? Are there any universities/organizations that would be helpful?

How does a strategy paper look like anyway? It seems like right now I'm writing a plan for a strategy paper. (This project is only a week old so far so there are opportunities for adjustment.)

The org is Queensland-based and has offices in Caboolture and Brisbane, but resources from anywhere in the world are fine. My supervisor's worked in Eastern Europe and USA, and I'm from Malaysia, so we're all pretty good at taking our multicultural backgrounds and incorporating it into our work. I don't want to rely on stereotypes though, so I'd like to look at as much info from everywhere.

Article on Chinese youth

anonymous78 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:20:22 -0800

I'm looking for a radio program or new article I heard/read in the past month about growing up in China and all of the pressures Chinese youth face to be successful in school and life. The program mentioned that this was partly a result of the one-child policy, which means children will be responsible for their parents later on in life. I also remember the article/program mentioning some examples of extreme parenting - a mother who went to school with her child, etc.

It's likely to have been a program on NPR or an article in the New York Times or the New Yorker, but I couldn't find anything on those sites so that's not a guarantee.

Summer program for 15 yr old NYC?

quiverandquill — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:45:22 -0800

Can you recommend a summer program, August - Sept, for a bright 15 year old girl living in Queens, NYC? My niece is very smart, loves dance and theater and wants to excel academically. She's starting to make choices that aren't ideal, and (unrelated) do somewhat poorly in Math. I would love to find a program in Queens, or NYC for the month of August that can help her with school, inspire her and encourage her in the right direction. Help?!

For I have known a sorrow such as yours, and understand.

Alligator — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:36:01 -0800

How can I feel less alone in my grief? A close friend of mine from school died a year ago today. I had only know him for a year, but he was what I would call a kindred spirit. I treasured our new friendship, and I was ecstatic about the times we had ahead. He helped me through some difficult times when I didn't have a whole lot of people to turn to.

Right now, I'm living very far away from home. I'm living in what also happens to be his hometown. I don't have any friends here that knew him. I know that his family, his old significant other, his old friends, etc. are all here in town, and I can't help but feel jealous and isolated in my mourning when I know that so close are all of these people who have each other for support. They can cry, and share memories, and laugh, and go to memorial services and whatever else... while I just sort of sit in my room to feel alone and sorry for myself.

Right now, no matter what I'm doing, in the back of my mind there is always the thought that, "He's dead. He's dead. He's dead." I know this will continue as his birthday and my birthday are both coming up very soon.

Anyway, what can I do to feel less alone in this? I've been tempted to write a letter to his mom about how much he meant to me, but I'm not sure if that's out of line. I'm scared to contact any of his friends from high school because I feel like I'm not worthy or something. I feel weird asking people who didn't know him to take part in memorializing him. Maybe things to read or something. I'm not really sure.

Over-Ambitious Teenagers

divabat — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:40:03 -0800

If you were writing a book/essay about the motivations of over-ambitious young people, where would you look for research? One of my friends was asking me why young people (often like myself) would go through all that effort to apply for opportunities (conferences, courses, fellowships, etc) overseas, then go through the hassle of trying to find funding for them. Why not, she asked, just save up your money and apply, or go to something in your own turf?

In my reply, I had mentioned Government grants, and she said that she'd rather her tax money go towards a charity for the homeless rather than "to send an over-ambitious teenager overseas to chat with the UN". That term inspired me to think about doing a book or essay on such "teens" (or youths) - the ones who go conference-hopping, or travel on unorthodox study abroad programs, or hike for weeks in Tibet, or so on. Why do they want to do so? How did they support themselves? What challenges did they face?

To do this though, I need to do extensive research on the background issues so that I know my argument holds water. Which areas can I research to flesh out my arguments?

So far I'm considering:

* Currency values across the world (what can $1000 buy you in different places, for example)
* Why events/conferences/programs charge the amount that they do, and where the money goes to
* The percentage of Government budgeting towards different fields (education vs war vs medicare etc)
* Funding opportunities for young people in this position
* Attitudes towards overachievers - Tall Poppy Syndrome, Impostor Syndrome, etc
* The impact of such programs internationally (for example, the argument that short-term study-abroad/service programs only benefit the student, not the host)

My main argument is that side costs (such as travel) are usually the high and hard-to-fund costs, that Government funding for these efforts aren't very high, that there is very little private support for individuals, that not all countries have such opportunities in "their own turf", and that there are strong benefits to networking and doing service internationally. Would that work? What do I need to look up to make my argument stronger?

Has anyone else done work on this before? What else should I be looking at?

Veggies instead of Cheetos

Stewriffic — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:13:36 -0800

Childhood obesity prevention programs that incorporate (or center around) community vegetable gardens. Know any? I work in an adolescent health clinic in Raleigh, NC. Most of our patients are overweight or obese as well as low-income, and we're looking into funding to address the obesity.

I'm a big fan of gardening, and the idea of somehow creating a health education/youth development/health intervention program using a (likely urban) community garden as a tool to address the childhood/youth obesity issue sounds fantastic to me. I can see all sorts of benefits: self-esteem boosting, increasing healthy food consumption, financial literacy, physical activity, keeping kids away from TV/Internet/risky activities, etc.

However, I'm having a hard time finding programs that have been evaluated as effective in meeting certain objectives (whether those be weight reduction/management, increase in physical fitness, or whatever). I don't want to recreate any wheels, so I'd like to emulate another program that's already been implemented.

There IS one program locally that I'm working with, but if any of you either know of programs in your area (wherever that may be...not limited to the US) or can help me find research about this type of program, I'd be greatly appreciative!!

where is the sonic youth dvd :(

edtut — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:34:00 -0800

there was a great clip at the end of a sonic youth video, which featured 4 kids in a band, cruising around and arguing. can anyone tell me where i can find a copy of the file? a few years back i bought a compilation dvd of sonic youth clips. at the end of the vid, was a clip where 4 kids were touring the US in a small van. it is a great monologue, and stuck in my mind. but i travel a lot, and i would have no idea where i stored that dvd - not even which country i left it! does anyone know the clip i am referring to, and how i could get a hold of it? i already own the dvd somewhere, so i dont think i am breaching copyright tehcnically no matter where i download it from?! (i know i am too old and shouldnt be listening to this music, but anyway..)

Do kids care about volunteering?

pineapple — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:18:36 -0800

Did you volunteer as a child? Or do you work now with a children's volunteer group? Tell me what you know about youth service. I am collecting information about extracurricular service clubs for children and young people -- specifically, organizations that are designed to support school-aged youth as they pursue volunteer work and personal development. I am interested in both the organizations that are school-sponsored, and those that stand alone.

Obvious U.S. examples would be the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Camp Fire USA, and 4-H -- but, I am interested in learning about youth volunteer culture from everywhere, doesn't have to be North American.

Were you involved with such a club or activity? Was it a national or local org? What was your experience like? How do you feel it affected your attitude as an adult? Do you have a child involved with a service club? What are the demographics of that org like? How do the teenagers stay motivated, once the distraction of dating kicks in? (How do Eagle Scouts stay motivated that whole time, for example? Is that a function of the boy or the program?)

One challenge I've had in my research is finding totally or mostly secular organizations. There are plenty of service-oriented groups with religious affiliations or objectives (such as Awana, Young Life, and basically every church's youth program), but I am especially curious about secular projects, which have been harder to find. Do you know of any in your area?

Any personal experiences, links or resources -- religious or secular -- are welcomed!

Bonus question since we're already talking about children and volunteering: did you, or does a student you know now, have a compulsory volunteer requirement in secondary school?

(Hope this doesn't seem like I'm cheating with one meeeelllion questions. I just want to clarify that I am looking for a broad spectrum of information about youth in service; you don't have to have been an Eagle Scout, or have a kid in Camp Fire, to respond.)

Hip-hop stuff to do in NYC

seeminglee — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:12:22 -0800

The 17-year-old son of a friend from Austria is into hip-hop. He'll be visiting NYC on 7-10 December and wants to know how to find out about concerts, venues, etc. Can anybody tell me the relevant websites to send him to?

Making My Blog More Relevant

divabat — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 17:43:15 -0800

My blog is getting some significant attention and I'd like to make it more useful. How do I do so? My blog (in profile) is about a particularly niche-y subject - alternative education and youth, particularly in Malaysia. I was recently nominated for a high-profile youth award because of that blog, so myself and my blog have received some significant attention from the public. Some of the issues I have brought up on my blog are also (finally!) being considered by the Government and other people with considerable power.

I would like to build on this attention and make my blog more useful and relevant than it is now. I am looking not just at web content, but also related offline content and activities. What could I do?

Some ideas I have:

* A book (a few people have suggested this)
* Syndicated news articles
* Workshops / roadshows
* Education fairs
* Youth fund/scholarship
* Sponsorship with a bookstore to sponsor books for review

as you can see, they're rather long-term, so some things for the short/mid term would be good too. Also, due to my nomination, I've scored free web hosting for a year, so anything web-related would be great too.

Thanks!

End of youth?

farishta — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:24:31 -0800

When was 'the end' of your youth? A professor recently noted that a certain author's death marked 'the end of his youth,' and I found it perplexing. Is it just a turn of phrase? Can anyone think back to a moment that represented the end of your youth? I'd like to do some sociological research on this in the near future, but as a relatively young person I'm having difficulty with the concept. (Also, to avoid chatfilter, I'd appreciate any sociological resources, theories, or practices that are relevant).

Adventures in Living

greekphilosophy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:31:53 -0800

If the world were your oyster, where would you go? I just learned that I failed the New York bar exam. That's actually better news than you might think, because now my partner and I feel free to head just about anywhere. Since I'll have to take a bar exam anywhere we end up, it's no more insane or taxing than staying on the East coast. In fact, if we land somewhere with a reasonable cost of living (unlike the East coast!), we'd end up better off than if we just stayed put!

We're young, I've got decent earning potential as an attorney anywhere I pass the bar, he's planning to go back to school to study something fun and creative, and we really just want to go on an adventure for the rest of our 20s. He's from Philadelphia, I'm from the Houston area.

Where should we have that adventure?

What defined 1973?

grabbingsand — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:41:48 -0800

What defined youth culture in 1973? Specifically, I'm looking for clues that might provide a better understanding of society (mostly American) in 1973. That there were divisions is fairly evident ... How else do you explain Bowie's glam rock zenith occurring in the same year that "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" was the year's #1? Was it just a matter of young versus old, the oft-cited generation gap? Was there a split as defined as what we're experiencing now, with liberals on one side and conservatives on the other? Or was it more of a post-hippie backlash?

I am seeking either personal reminiscences or exemplary source material (books, movies, so on).

The Dangerous Book for Non-Boys

divabat — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 03:04:27 -0800

I've read "The Dangerous Book for Boys" and I generally love those kind of books (information about anything with guides on doing stuff). What other books are out there that are in a similar vein? I'm a 21-year-old girl but would rather not have a "girly" book.

Investing in Youth Projects

divabat — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:58:46 -0800

As a young person, how do I invest in youth projects? I'm fascinated and passionated about youth projects, and would love to invest financially in as many projects as possible. Being a young person myself, I know how hard it is sometimes for young people to receive funding and support for their work, so I want to help them the best that I can.

I'm not interested in earning money from this venture, though I certainly don't mind doing so! I don't have a lot of money but am willing to spend up to AUD$100 or so (depending on the project). I was hoping for some sort of social investment fund that gave money to young people (sort of like a youth-oriented hedge fund) or a youth "stock market" but I haven't seen such a thing yet.

Some things I'm doing:

* Buying products and services from young entrepreneurs (especially my friends)

* Donating to causes and projects founded and run by young people

* Joining organizations for young people

* Write up and promote youth projects (doesn't involve my money directly though)

What else can I do to provide financial support to young people?

(Location reference: I'm based in Australia and am particularly vocal about Malaysian youth since I'm from there, but I'm open to supporting any young person from anywhere.)

I've never been comfortable being an "adult" since I look so young. How can I learn to just accept it??

0217174 — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 01:33:05 -0800

I've never been comfortable being an "adult" since I look so young. How can I learn to just accept it?? I've always looked way younger than my real age. I'm 33, but I haven't changed much since my late teens. I still got the body of a typical 19 year old kid, short and slim, my face hasn't changed at all either, just got a lil bit chubbier but not much.

I know this isn't a big deal to some people, but it bothers me so much that I've isolated myself from everybody, I'm a total loner now. I feel fine at work and this isn't an issue at all. It's just outside of work, socially.

I spend most of my time thinking about this and what can I do about it. I don't think seeing a therapist would help though, honestly, unless they can make me look my age or hook me up with a hot wife. I'm just stumped. I've gone thru too many ups and downs, emotionally, spiritually, everything. The only thing that worked so far was using drugs, then I couldn't care less. I thought about prescription drugs, maybe like zoloft or some anti-depressants, because I'm almost positive it would be similar to marijuana and hit that same part of my brain, but I'm hesitant because I don't want that feeling like I'm bound to the drug. Then it's not much different from smoking weed. Honestly, what's the difference? So I kind of don't want to use any drug. But I might have to.

What do I do now?

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:05:27 -0800

I'm not even thirty and the sex is terrible. Am I the only person with this problem and what should I do about it? Apologies, there is... Three years ago, I was in the best relationship of my life. At 24, I met a beautiful girl at a bar and from the first date started having great and frequent sex for more than two and a half years. She was the first person I really easily connected with sexually, we knew and enjoyed each other's kinks and explored some if not all of them. I found myself carefree and easygoing in the bedroom and open to foreplay, taking our time - and, when the mood was felt, just getting wild. Then came a really bad holiday season with her family that ended our relationship. Since then, my mind has really turned off to sex.

I have since dated two women who were lovely, intellectually and physically stimulating, and physically interested in me. But, my body just didn't want to do the work. For the first time, my body and mind were not cooperating to make sex happen. My penis, very erect, would touch a woman's vagina and whimper in fear of it. I realized that we were not exploring a lot of the kinks I enjoy, but I felt totally out of place not even being able to enjoy the complete act of intercourse.

During the first relationship after my big break-up, my partner suggested and I followed through on seeing a therapist who said I was simply not comfortable yet. I personally was comfortable all the time except during sex, I felt I was blanking out and physically, my body followed. I also saw a doctor who assured me I did not have erectile dysfunction and was dealing with anxiety. I am willing to go see another specialist, but I hate thinking this is something that I have done to myself. I have recently given up both smoking and drinking, but smoked during part of my longest, most sexually satisfying relationship.

I can only think this is psychological, but it's really tearing me up inside and I want my relationships to be as good as the one I had. I'm 27, in moderately good shape, working out, and walking every day but this is freaking me out.

Should I see a doctor or a psychologist or just wait until the right person comes along again. I thought I had found that person six months ago, but this block was too much for the relationship to stand.

I know this is a sensitive issue. People can respond to this question at S0XKRnb0A1cfEPkn@spambox.us

Starting a Foundation or Fund

divabat — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:29:21 -0800

How do I start a fund or foundation? I would like to start up a fund or foundation to give grants to projects by young people back home (Malaysia), an area currently in need but not served very well. Being a young person myself with plenty of enthusiasm but not enough knowledge, I'm not sure where to begin.

I understand that a lot of information will be location-specific (laws, regulations, etc), but what else do I need to take note of when starting a fund?

How do I get the money? (I can't just use my life savings...)
What sort of bank account would be best?
How do I get people to be interested in the fund, to support it and apply for grants?
How do I choose who do I give grants to, and what do I do with them afterwards?
How do I build credibility? (A big problem back home is that youth projects tend to start up with plenty of hype, then disappear soon after. I don't want that to happen.)
How do I find people to help me? What sort of people should I be after for this - businesses? Community people? Other youth?
What existing models can I follow or use as reference? I've seen the YouthBank UK website and it looks interesting, and I would like more examples.
What is the difference between a foundation and a fund? Will I have to redefine this project if I decide to do more than just give money?
What else am I missing?

Any and all help appreciated. Assume I know nothing. Thank you!

Arts Mentor seeks NYC Youth

twistofrhyme — Sun, 20 May 2007 09:52:05 -0800

Know any performing arts-related youth mentorship programs, where artists can teach kids & teens, in the NYC area? I'm looking for info about programs where professional artists can mentor or teach kids/teens in the NYC area. Preferably programs that pay at least an honorarium.
Bonus points for the following types of programs:

ARTS-RELATED - stuff where the youth are encouraged to create art (performance, writing, visual, music, whatever) in collaboration with adult artists.

PERFORMANCE-RELATED - programs where adults work together to make educational or empowering shows that they perform for kids / youth, in or out of the school system.

SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY CENTRE-BASED- existing youth programs that already have, or would benefit from, an arts-eduation for empowerment type of program.

The thing you might read between the lines is that I'm a professional artist with experience teaching & mentoring youth (and a BA degree, and a lot of professional cred, and expereince teaching drama, writing, and music), and I'm looking for work in the NYC area. I love working with youth, so being an artist-mentor would be an ideal job, I think, and I have the energy and experience to design my own program if need be.

Specific names & contact info for anyone I can contact for tips or send resumes to would be awesome,
and much appreciated at shinyshinygoodgood@gmail.com.
Thanks, hive!

What are some classic novels penned when their authors were unusually young?

scarylarry — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 00:56:34 -0800

Help me think of great novels that were written when their authors were unusually young. I'm trying to make a list of great novels that were written when when their authors were quite young--let's set the author's 27th birthday as an arbitrary cut-off date. This is a slippery area, but I'm also hoping to make a distinction between merely 'promising' novels (i.e., books that offer glimmering hints of what the writer will produce later, but aren't fully-formed works in and of themselves) and 'great' novels (books that can be recognized as such outside the context of a given author's oeuvre). Pynchon's _V_ is an example of the kind of book I'm looking for.

Also, it's not important to me that the book be the *best* work of a writer's life, just that it's vital and important as a stand-alone work (Gravity's Rainbow is better than V, IMHO, but V still applies). Thanks a lot!

How do I give small scholarships to at-risk kids

conch soup — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 13:22:49 -0800

How do I disburse scholarships for an after-school program to underprivileged youth, who have little or no parental support? I am involved with a youth sailing club on a tiny (13,000 people) Caribbean nation, and we have a modest scholarship fund. Here's alot of background before I flesh out the question- Sorry for all the detail:

Most of the US sailing institutions at which I've taught have had primarily wealthy cliente (surprise!) but at this club most of the kids would be considered at-risk youth and quite a few come from very poor families, with one or zero parents in their home. This has created it's own set of challenges, but it is also the reason I got involved in the first place. We try to teach sailing in a culturally relevant manner, emphasizing teamwork, confidence, and self-respect.

The club is non-profit, slightly government supported, and one of only a handful of recreational programs for kids to do on the island. Our enrollment fees are extremely low (around $40/ month), especially compared to similar US sailing programs. Even so, alot of families cannot afford to send their kids to the after school program, or the summer sailing camp. Furthermore, residents here are very unaccustomed to the idea of paying for, or even encouraging their kids to do extracurricular activities.

What really inspires me is that some kids will show up, week after week, to sailing classes with no parental encouragement or support. Sailing is the national sport here and has played a huge role in the history and culture of the nation (which was a fishing-based economy until only recently), so they are the most dedicated sailing kids I've ever taught.

So, disbursing the scholarships so far has been tricky. At first, we sent home notes, saying something like, your child has expressed interest in our Wednesday sailing class, the cost for this class is X, but we provide partial or full scholarships that you may request by calling 555-555.

That got zero responses. Forms, in all their incarnations are very foreign here, and not received well. Alternatively, there are some kids who we know could not come up with even a fraction of the money to join the program, so we comp'd them. I know with any educational program, getting the parents involved is key, and we've had some success with that. But contacting some of the parents can be quite difficult at times, as they may be "off-island" for indefinite periods of time, they may work irregular hours, or they just don't see any value in the program. Speaking with the kids about this can have it's own challenges, like explaining a scholarship to an 8-year old who has no noticeable parental role other than a 13 year old brother. It seems unfair to exclude kids because their parents aren't responsive to their interest in the sailing club, but we also can't just say if you don't pay, Ta-da! you have a scholarship. That is setting the fund up to be abused, and the program taken for granted, and we don't have a ton of funds.

Has anyone had similar scholarship programs where you had small scholarships to give out to kids in a youth recreation program? I've considered making the monthly price $5 instead of $40, and then stating to the involved parents that the suggested price is $40, which many are glad to pay. Or, we could say the scholarship will cover $30 of $40, and you can come work for a few Saturday mornings, and earn the $10. Any stories of similar programs and solutions would be very helpful. I don't assume that there will be an exact answer, but I'd like to hear if you've gone through a similar experience and what your solution is.

Where can I find resources regarding "group building" activities for teens?

HuronBob — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:18:50 -0800

Where can I find resources for "group building" activities for teens? My agency (an alternative education program) works with young people age 13 to 18 who are not successful in a public school setting. Most of our students come to us due to behavioral difficulties at school and, without our program, would probably be expelled or suspended from school. They stay with us for 1 to 2 years with the goal to be able to successfully return to a public school setting. This group is pretty diverse racially, many are fairly low income, we're in a small urban environment (Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Michigan)

We're in the process of initiating some "Town Hall Meetings" and would like to include some group/community/trust building activities as part of this.

If you can point me towards online resources, that would be great, or perhaps books that include these kinds of activities.

As always...thanks in advance!

Why was a bus loads of Swedish teens dressed in drag? And another as cheerleaders?

muddgirl — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:11:28 -0800

While I was in Stockholm, Sweden this past August, I witnessed an odd youth event at a park. Can someone please help me figure out what event it was? While sitting in a park near the Oden Hotel in Stockholm, I saw two bus loads of teenagers (around 17 years old) pull up. The teens were standing and dancing and shouting on the upper deck of the bus, and each bus load was dressed in a different theme. The teens got off the bus, where they were met by four coordinators (dressed in universal coordinator gear - matching logo t-shirts!) who led them in some activity (they were sitting in a circle and passing a jug of something around).

After about 15-20 minutes, the kids piled back on the bus and pulled away, shouting. A few minutes later, another bus full of teens would show up. This continued through the afternoon. It was all conducted in Swedish, so I had no clue what it was all about.

While reading this article on a Finnish secondary school tradition, I was reminded of this strange event. Can anyone out there help me figure out what was going on?