The adult role Session 7: 120 minutes Youth Alive Training1

Goal – Assist adult facilitators in becoming comfortable and confident Needs – Power point slides – Private place for adults to meet while youth staff exposed to FG activities Youth Alive Training2

Overview of adult role Without them the Youth Alive conference and local club will not survive Without them the Youth Alive conference and local club will not survive Presence of the adult is the Key to a successful program Presence of the adult is the Key to a successful program Youth Alive Training3

Adults must be… Christ committed Willing to coach, not impose authority Flexible-Think like youth think Young at heart Able to draw lessons from experiences Appreciative of youth activity A listener rather than a talker Youth Alive Training4

Adult readiness Provide Warm Fuzzy papers to adult facilitators Give them opportunity to write general Warm Fuzzies for his/her own Friendship Group (without names) Insert FG members’ names after 1st session Conference participant should get minimum of 2 Warm Fuzzies throughout Youth Alive conference from the adult and youth co-facilitator of their FG The more Warm Fuzzies-the more connected they are to their FG Youth Alive Training5

Overview of the need for the adult role What has changed in our youth today? Why are sexual urges different? What appears to be promising in the area of preventing harm and danger amongst our youth? Youth Alive Training6

Contributing factors to changes in today’s youth Women Youth Alive Training7

Declining Age of Menarche Youth Alive Training8 Sweden

Change of first menstrual period Youth Alive Training9 Young women start to feel sexual urges after first menstrual period During the 18 th century we see girls had their first period around 16 or 17 years of age During this stage of development called “late adolescence” where cognitive maturity takes place, with the ability to make critical sexual decisions Marriage age was around 18 or 19 years old Only two or three years before marriage

Age of first period has decreased Youth Alive Training10 Today, first period is around 12.8 years Early adolescence, there is no cognitive maturity Girls enter middle adolescence - risk taking behaviors Have little concept of cause and effect

Changes in marriage age Today young women get married on or around 23rd or 24th birthday After struggling with sexual urges through periods of development when not thinking of consequences of their acts, or the impact on future life Youth Alive Training 11

Physical activities & diet Young women who are physically active …have their first menstrual periods later than average Vegetarian girls have menarche later Youth Alive Training12

Contributing factors to changes in today’s youth Women & Men Youth Alive Training13

Working parents Both parents work Children having fewer hours a day spent with a parent Children rely more on their peers in decision making Youth Alive Training14

Home environment Some kids come from awful home situations Some kids come from awful home situations Impossible for teachers to make up for poor parenting Impossible for teachers to make up for poor parenting Youth Alive Training15

Single working parent Struggling to generate sufficient income Struggling to generate sufficient income Children are often unattended after school Children are often unattended after school (high risk time) (high risk time) Youth Alive Training16

Typical American home Average TV watching is 7 hours and 13 minutes per day One-third of Americans talk to their children about sex TV talks about sex constantly (14,000 times per year) By 18 years, youth have watched 22,000 hours of TV (spent a total of 12,000 hours in high school) TV is the primary sex educator of the youth Youth Alive Training17

Impact of school changes (less physical education) Less exertion Less exertion Youth not kept busy Youth not kept busy Less exposure to adult authority and supervision Less exposure to adult authority and supervision In gymnastics after regular school hours In gymnastics after regular school hours Students have more time to be home alone before parents get off work Students have more time to be home alone before parents get off work Youth Alive Training18

Latchkey kids This refers to students who go to an empty home after school This refers to students who go to an empty home after school Resulting in more adolescents getting pregnant between 3:00pm and 6:00 pm in their own home Resulting in more adolescents getting pregnant between 3:00pm and 6:00 pm in their own home Youth Alive Training19

Review of contributing factors to changes in today’s youth Working parents Home environment Single parent struggling to generate sufficient income TV influence School changes Youth Alive Training20

Research findings on low level physical activity in high school students is associated with: Cigarette smoking Marijuana use Lower fruit & vegetable consumption Greater TV-watching Failure to wear seat belt Lower academic performance (compared to highly active students) Youth Alive Training21

Reason for using/trading drugs People wake up feeling depressed, defeated, in need of some substance to make them feel good People wake up feeling depressed, defeated, in need of some substance to make them feel good As transportation improved, drugs were on the move As transportation improved, drugs were on the move Passion for money, associated with drug trading Passion for money, associated with drug trading Youth Alive Training22

Impact of drugs Alcohol and other drugs (AOD) are major contributors to: Rising medical costs Transmission of AIDS virus Violence in school and home Child abuse Automobile fatalities Sexually transmitted infections Unemployment Reduced work productivity Antisocial behavior Youth Alive Training23

Focus of drug prevention Law enforcement to get drugs off the streets is not successful Efforts to stop drug distribution should be terminated Focus of drug prevention should be on the underlying cause of drug use Youth Alive Training24

Promising information in preventing dangerous behaviors The global society and educators implementing programs to inform the danger of drug usage is not effective! The global society and educators implementing programs to inform the danger of drug usage is not effective! Recent drug research revealed that prevention programs need the values component Recent drug research revealed that prevention programs need the values component Students who had a religious affiliation and who embraced spiritual values were much less likely to use drugs Students who had a religious affiliation and who embraced spiritual values were much less likely to use drugs Youth Alive Training25

Underlying causes of drug use Hopelessness Depression Worthlessness Feeling of separation Youth Alive Training26

Coming into the arms of the Lord and promoting Christian values are great places to start! Youth Alive Training27