I SIT HERE at my desk, looking through the window wondering how to articulate what is on my heart. There is so much to say and so many topics to touch on as it relates to our youth, but I can’t seem to choose. I have been in this situation before and experience has taught me to just write; so here goes.
It is my strong belief that youth are the pulse of their nations, the heartbeat of the earth and hold the future of the world in their minds. As a result, I believe society as a whole has a responsibility to make sure our youth are raised in safe, structured environments that meet their essential needs, that they have access to education and health care, are taught the principles of morality, rules, civility and responsibility; and finally, have role models they can emulate, the first being their parents or guardians.
I am privileged to be able to speak to you as a parent, a former private and public secondary school teacher, and an international youth leader. Over the years, I have worked with and observed young people and have found that the home environment and parenting style were critical factors that contributed to a young person’s success or failure.
We have a serious crisis facing our country as it relates to our young people and to say otherwise is to be denying the truth. If we are unable to work together to remedy this situation, the future of this country is in jeopardy. There isn’t one solution to the crisis, nor is there one group of persons to blame for our current state. That being said, the problem began with us as individuals, which means the solutions lie with us.
Parenting is made up of many components and is defined a few ways. If I were to use one word to capture everything parenting is, it would have to be “selflessness”. Many of the youth are playing second, third and fourth fiddle to our careers, social media groups, the gym and favourite sitcoms and series and as a result, our future is being eroded and underdeveloped because we parents haven’t realized and accepted that “it’s not about us anymore”.
We are so committed, passionate and focused on achieving what the world deems as necessary, that we neglect the most valuable thing in our lives – our children. Materialism, prosperity, wealth, fame, position and qualifications are of greater importance now than our children. We spend no valuable time in the mornings with them because we want to beat traffic and get to work on time. From Monday to Friday, we give our best eight hours, energy and creativity to our bosses and careers, then when we get home, are so tired that we have nothing left for our children. We leave home at 7 a.m. and return at 6 p.m. with just enough time to eat, look over homework (if the children are lucky), prepare for the next day and sleep. Saturdays come and it is lessons, extracurricular activities, the supermarket and housework. By evening time, we are burnt out again with no time for our children.
Our children need someone to talk to, play with, laugh with and cry with. They need love and care more than electronics and brand name clothes. They need experiences that they would remember for a lifetime, someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to advise them, support their dreams, motivate and lead them. They need someone to watch movies with who can explain the challenges of life and growing up, someone to talk to about relationships and the opposite sex, someone to take them to church. Sadly, they aren’t getting it from us parents because we are too busy with ourselves and our careers, so they look elsewhere for it.
Youth will copy what they see. The examples we as adults set inform their behaviour. If you listen to the radio programmes or browse social media, you will hear adults condemning and criticising the behaviour of our youth. “Dem too slack, too womanish, always cussing, have no manners or respect, always ready to fight, like too much partying and gambling”, and the list goes on. I am also one who condemns their behaviour, but I have realised that our young people are just the fruit of the garden called society that we have developed.
We dream of and are quickly developing a secular society, yet we complain when our dream becomes reality.
Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth youth ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development. Email coreyworrell@gmail.com.
