*Role Models
"Parents are models for their children, even when they are not trying to be. Children often act and speak like their parents. Parents can use this strong influence to help their children avoid alcohol and drug use." Tiffany Hackett, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas
"The child's parents should take responsibility for their actions because the best inheritance a father can leave his child is a good example." Anne Purfield, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois
"Responsible parents almost always lead to responsible kids." Joey L. Morrison, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania
"Children view others as role models.They might even try to mimic their parent's actions. For example, if a parent is truthful in a situation like being overpaid at a grocery store, a child will [learn] and will try to also be truthful. Discussing decisions and actions with children enables them to see why something is right or wrong." Mandi Countryman, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas
"The best we can do to prevent more children from becoming juvenile trouble makers, is to be the best role models and parents we can be, now and in the future." Jessica Wagner, Kensington High, Kensington, Kansas
"Kids follow by example; therefore we must show how to take responsibility and not just spout our ideals. Otherwise, we won't be taking responsibility ourselves!" Jenna Freeman, Freeman High School, Rockford, Washington
"Parents and teachers must try to provide alternatives to alcohol and drugs, and also must be good role models for today's youth." Kristen Pazdera, New Providence High School, New Providence, New Jersey
*Chris (below) takes the role model concept beyond parents and teachers:
"In my opinion, young people need positive role models outside the family to view and gain proper attitudes, aspirations, and personal characteristics. If values are instilled when the child is younger, the child can aspire to be something more than just average. To inspire these values, I believe in having a mentor program between younger kids and teenagers. In this program, teenagers actually become the child's friend and role model. They can read books, play games, and listen and talk to each other which help the teenager and the young child. For the younger child, it gives them someone to look up to, someone to imitate, and someone to aspire to. These children may not have a father/mother figure role in their life, and by having a mentor can fulfill this vital role in a child's development. For the teenager, this mentor, father/mother figure role can ultimately change his or her life. By setting an example for these young kids, the teenagers are learning the complete meaning of responsibility. These teenagers must always be in a position to be leaders, always giving kids good personal values and manners. And by giving these teens such an awesome responsibility, a real meaning is being created in their lives simultaneously. To enhance my idea, I believe that schools, community centers, and businesses must all contribute to the education of both the young kids and the teens by setting up scholarships, job training, and more corporate involvement. I believe that with all this community involvement, a program like this can really be successful, and it can teach kids a real meaning of responsibility." Chris Newcomb, Armwood High School, Seffner, Florida
"Optimism is a very good thing. Just the other day our school paid for a [motivational] speaker to come give a presentation to our student body. It was very strong and influential. Even the kids that never listen to anything listened that day. The guest speaker was a man by the name of Bob Weiland. He lost both his legs in Vietnam but has never looked at this as a disadvantage. He was a man who was helping making this world a happy place to live. At our school we also have a student-run Aids Task Force. They are a group of students that work to make good things happen, in our school. They work to keep our community aware and alert about Aids." B. Prosch, DeForest High School, DeForest Wisconsin
"I think that big business taking responsibility will make others realize that everyone has responsibility." Jeremy Lattimore, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota
*We were impressed by the thought that some students gave to their analysis of role models. Many are persuasive in arguing that role models are important and really make an impact:
"Most of us, at some point, have looked up to someone or wished that we were someone else. These people were our role models. We didn't pick them simply because we knew of them, but because they touched us somehow. We can't always wait for people to help and guide us. Once in a while, I think that we need to take a step back from whatever it is that we are involved with and evaluate where we stand. We need to realize that we are all role models and we are responsible for the way we act because what we do affects so many others." Hao Duong, Antietam High School, Reading, Pennsylvania
"Not enough people in our society today care enough about themselves to try to be an example. People need to learn that no matter what they do somebody is always watching them, we always have an admirer of some sort."Jenni Williams, Freeman High School, Rockford, Washington
"If we do not...take responsibility as we should, it will be our own society that destroys this nation." Brian Wallace, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
Alternatives To Gangs
"If I were to make up a personal contribution, I think that I would set up some kind of place where the young gang members could come and do fun things that they like to do. They could play sports, read, watch television, or anything they wanted to just as long as they weren't on the streets." Marshall Best, Lincoln County High School, Eureka, Montana
"First we need to publicize the possibilities of anti-gang involvement. One program that can be used is guns for jobs. Many gang members support this. Gang members will have the chance to turn in their guns and get a job. Many people or places in different cities need helpers. At first they can be hired at minimum wage. Many can do this while in school, or receive training while in school." Dennis Kregar, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas
"The living standards...could be dramatically increased by placing a greater (emphasis) on education in economically deprived areas. This should include...incentives for teachers." Chris Brown, Kinsley High, Kinsley, Kansas
*On page 136 you will read about Jimmy T., a young gang member who took his own life. He was one of the many children without hope. Erik's solution (below) is nothing but hope--"the hope of having a wonderful family." We included his excerpt here hoping it would spur readers to figure out how to make his solution work:
"Bring the hope of having a wonderful family back, and in return that sense of hopelessness that we see in our children will vanish." Erik Russell, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon
*Todd, Andy and others have some ideas:
"The gang members need to be counseled and show them that there are better things in life such as a good education. The need to be con- vinced that the only place they will end up is in jail or dead." Todd Gordon, Pioneer High School, San Jose, California
"If more businesses would concentrate more on hiring teenagers this would also help keep kids off the street." Andy Rapstine, Falls City High School, Falls City, Texas
An unidentified student had an impressive proposal worked out:
"Ending violence in our society must begin with our children. Children need positive role models, but often don't have opportunity to get to know anyone. Many students in our high school enjoy hobbies. I would like to start a program where high school students organize a club room after school, each older student being assigned his own room. In this room, the high schooler would share his hobby with any interested elementary student, while at the same time, share positive values and ideas. From contact in these individual groups, the high school student could possibly identify any troubled or lonely signs from the elementary students and initiate one-on-one activities with that young student." Jason Tenhonen, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho
"Another way to hopefully curb the crime situation world be to have more anti-crime seminars at elementary schools. We have to teach kids at a young age. ...Another solution may be to stiffen the penalties for youthful repeat offenders. ...But even that won't solve all of the problem. But, I feel that it will probably help more than a state-wide, unconstitutional and, not to mention, very expensive curfew." Aaron Bradley, Armwood High School, Seffner, Florida
"Crime control is complicated, frustrating, and very expensive. People want something to be done now. It does not help to tell them that the roots of the problem are other problems such as joblessness, family disintegration, or drugs; [problems attributable to the] irresponsibil- ity of Americans in the past. Now the solution that they are looking towards is more prisons and tougher penalties for offenders." Kara Krauskopf, Crockett High School, Austin, Texas
"My contribution toward the fight against crime [centers] around volunteer work. Helping educate children, communicating with criminals, and using safety precautions are just a few of the different areas of volunteering I could do to help this nation in the future." Donita Straka, Iowa-Grant HS Livingston, Wisconsin
"Imagine our country without crime. It seems impossible, but it's not. We first have to want a nation without crime and believe that we can achieve one. The next step is to set up stricter laws against people who commit crimes. This will help people think about the consequences before they act. We need to start educating our children about how bad crime is and how to take responsibility for their actions." Kari Mills, Freeman High School, Rockford, Washington
"We need to stress the values of hard work, self-reliance, and responsibility to family. If we teach these values other problems, such as racism, could be drastically reduced since children will be viewing each other in terms of merit and not on the basis of their skin color. ...If we simply teach students about hard work and content of character, children are not going to be prejudiced." Michael J. Pyle, Niantic-Harristown High School, Niantic, Illinois
"Many would contend a child living in a neighborhood where drugs and death are seen everyday cannot lead a life outside of that. With strong parental support, involvement in the child's school, and general concern for the child's well being, a child can be shown that he or she can be or do anything. Kids who are instilled with morals and values early in life many times take an active part in their community, not because they are forced to by their parents, but because they believe in what they are doing. I see many teenagers who are success- ful, dedicated to their schoolwork, sports, and music, and who care about those in their community who are not as fortunate as others." Kelly Shehi, Seaman High School, Topeka, Kansas
*Offering encouragement and nurturing tolerance for differences is one preventive measure we heard frequently:
"Children who don't learn about love or sharing at home need to learn [about] them at school. We need to show children that, even though their parents may be unmarried or divorced or abusive or absent, that doesn't mean that they must grow up to be the same way. Even though no one in their family may have finished high school or college, they still can." Dee Hazelrigg, Danville High School, Danville, Kentucky
"We are all different, and young people need to know that it's all right to have a sense of individuality. People with uniqueness will have more confidence and this will enable them to express how they truly feel without feeling as if they are outcasts in society. If we have diversity among our thoughts and opinions, conflicts will have more creative resolutions...individualism will help decrease irrespons- ibility and people will be less likely to follow the lead of others in the wrong." Shanna Mabie, Freeman High School, Rockford Washington
"There seems to be a growing need for personal character improvement...Why is it that something can seem so blatantly wrong to one person but another person would not even notice it? That is a question solved by each individual in [in his/her own life]. We are a country with many differences to offer each other. What I am saying is that we need to be more accepting of these and learn from each other. That is when we will find a solution."
Meralee Jones, Kiona-Benton High School, Benton City, Washin