Where I Stand — Zach Pogue: Teen topics hit home

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998 | 11:36 a.m.

FROM FAMILY treatment to legislation concerning curfews, teens today are subject to many influences at home, at school and within the community.

For four hours, teens representing various high schools throughout the Clark County School District discussed their views and opinions on "Teen Topics." The forum incorporated a plethora of issues, including working parents and teens' place in the home, parental discipline, handling divorce, peer pressure, social interaction and even preparing for job interviews.

With more than 20 topics to be discussed, the representatives in this forum were more energetic and involved with the following: allowances and privileges at home, religion and its place at home, drug and alcohol abuse, birth control and abortion, teenage pregnancies and teenage suicides. For each of these topics, there was one member of the forum who recorded the views and opinions of the participants, which are summarized below.

-- Allowances and privileges such as cars and credit cards are something to be worked up to and not to be just given. This helps develop responsibility, trust, respect and confidence between the teen and his parents. Privileges should be conditional -- earned either through hard work at school or hard work at the job.

Since it is the primary job of a teen to complete high school successfully, it is, for the most part, the responsibility of the parent to provide for the teen until he is 18. Allowances and privileges, if given, should be appreciated since they can help teens learn about real life, which isn't taught from textbooks.

-- Religion should not be taught in public schools, but at home or in the community. Religious teens believe religion develops a sense of unity within their families and instills within them beneficial morals and standards. On the other hand, religious teens are upset that they have been "forced into religion" and have to accept that religion until they are no longer supported by their parents. Nonreligious teens believe they have just as beneficial standards and morals, arguing that they do not need religion to tell them that acts such as killing, stealing and lying are wrong.

Religion can also create problems within a family, especially if a teen lives in a household where his parents have different religions, making that teen subject to a constant battle between both parents. Since it is ultimately the choice of the individual to decide if religion will work for him or her, it is important to be firm in one's own belief.

-- No one believed that drugs and alcohol do not have an influence in their schools. Drugs and alcohol should not be stereotyped to lower-socioeconomic students and schools since the more affluent students usually have more money to purchase drugs and alcohol. Some believe the legalization of drugs is a way to reduce crime and violence. Others feel that if the government trusts that older teens are old enough to vote and lose their lives defending this nation then they, too, should be allowed to purchase alcohol.

It is unfortunate that drug and alcohol programs for prevention are not as effective as those programs that are developed for rehabilitation. Since it is the law some believe that drugs and alcohol should never be used by teens; others feel that "if you don't like it, don't do it -- don't blame the problem, address yourself in the problem." Moderation and understanding are the keys for those who already are involved with drugs and alcohol, but strong discipline early on and having someone to turn to will help alleviate the problem.

-- Abortion, when used as a means of birth control, was not condoned by any teen at the forum. Some believe abortion is a cop-out for many individuals, while others say abortion helps prevent a baby from coming into life with a parent unable to support that baby. Some teens would prefer a limit of one abortion per person for those gray areas, such as rape. Abortion never should be used as an excuse to rid oneself of the responsibility of raising a child.

-- Teenage pregnancy is a central issue today due to its high frequency in the Clark County School District. Some teens believe the reason is that there are few places to turn to for help, and that some teens are ashamed to practice safe sex. The forum established a consensus that to tackle this problem teens need to "know the consequences, know the results and be responsible."

-- Teenage suicide is becoming more of a problem than ever. Peers play a great role in driving other teens toward suicide. The way people treat others ultimately affects the way they feel about themselves. Since noticeable signs are not always ways to detect a teen on the verge of suicide, open communication needs to be available.

For Las Vegas to tackle teenage suicide, information on suicide prevention centers should not be kept "underground." Once teens who feel that all hope is lost know that there is someone out there who can help, only then can they deal effectively with the great emotional load that could lead them to take their own lives.

Even though the issues discussed in the "Teen Topics" panel will always exist, only through active involvement in the community and open forums such as the Sun Youth Forum will these issues be tackled effectively. The Sun Youth Forum provides not only a means for different viewpoints and beliefs on these issues, but it also inspires individuals to take action to resolve them.

Though not everyone was able to be heard because of the time frame given, the mission of the Sun Youth Forum was fulfilled since everyone was able to take something back from the forum to share with their own home and school community.