Got support?
By Kennedy Rodarte,
HUB Corespondent–Like milk that keeps babies physically strong, adult support in high school keeps teens mentally strong.
Everyday Life of a Teen:
Teens have adults surrounding them every day of their lives whether it’s in school, work, church, or home; adults are everywhere. Teens with raging hormones causing the known teen “illnesses” such as: sarcasm, bitchiness, and drama.
These “illnesses”, or emotions, are sometimes caused from the situations in a teen’s life which could be made less stressful by an outlet such as an adult supporter. “…a lot of teens go through hard times and situations in life,” sophomore Emma Folkes said.
“…if they have no outlet to support them, people tend to feel alone and hopeless,” sophomore Sarra Falaksfara said. “Teens DEFINITELY need someone in their life.”
Research and Analysis:
Dr. Nancy Erbstein who works in The Human and Community Development Program at UC Davis agrees with Falaksfara and Folkes.
Erbstein and a team of other professionals did an analysis of Northern Californian regional youth; which is called “Healthy Youth Healthy Regions.” She states that young people face many challenges such as violence, involvement in the juvenile justice system, placement in the foster care system, economic poverty, addiction, undocumented immigration status, and support to graduate from high school.
Erbstein and her team interviewed over 50 adult allies of the youth in the Northern Californian region. The responses varied but“…every interviewee noted that young people who manage to navigate these challenges, find ways to be healthy, and pursue their interests have some connection to an adult who believes in them, helps them problem-solve, enables them to see the bigger context of challenges, and helps them recognize and tap their personal and community strengths and insights,” Erbstein said.
Examples in Davis:
The sophomores at DHS are starting at the bottom of the food chain again by just starting a new school year at the DHS campus and that is a big change after being at a small close-knit junior high campus for three years. Teens need some sort of adult support, rather its emotional or mental or spiritual, outside of school because of big changes in their lives, like switching to a new and bigger school, to keep them on track and out of trouble.
”…if there isn’t anyone there to support them they might lead themselves into a bad path,” sophomore Theresa Ahn said.
Some sophomores have the privilege to have support from an adult outside of school. It could be a family member, counselor, reverend, or a tutor. “My grandma…She’s always there to help me study and …always prays for me,” Ahn said.
“I have my sister Rebecca to support me. She supports me, because she’s always there for me and I can tell her anything without being judged,” Folkes said
Then again there are sophomores who do not have an adult supporter and never have, never will, and or don’t even want adult support.
“When they [teens] don’t have it, kids and their communities pay a high price,” Erbstein said.
But some sophomores don’t really think about having someone to support them and “…can honestly say I care less,” sophomore Robert Padilla said.
Padilla said he has never really received support and has never really thought about it. He said that he doesn’t really wish to have an adult supporter, inside or outside of school, either and that he likes “being independent.”
Even if some teens think like that “Reaching out– whether it’s youth towards adults or adults towards youth– …it’s key,” Erbstein said.
Support is something“… everyone should have,” Folkes said.
