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Youth Problems
People say
that youth is the most wonderful period in a person's life.
Others are sure that young people face too many problems
nowadays.
Many people are convinced that youth and happiness are
synonyms. But an Arabian proverb says: "Youth is a kind of
illness cured only by the passing years".
I have always wondered why many people believe that youth is the
most wonderful period in a person's life. From the psychological
angle, youth is a very complicated period when young people are
undergoing the painful transition from childhood to
independence. They are facing psychological problems that may
cause aggression and lead to the rejection of adult values and
experience. Socially, many young people suffer from such
problems as poverty, unemployment, low incomes, or breakdown of
the family. So alcohol and drugs may become a kind of
psychological or emotional escape for young people.
However, it would be wrong to say that youth is the most awful
period in a person's life. It is the time of parties, dates and
entertainment. What is more, youth is the period of many happy
moments, thrilling experiences and wonderful discoveries. Young
people don't usually have as many responsibilities and duties as
adults do. They don't have to work and they can spend their time
on studies, hobbies and entertainment. Youth is the time to make
friends and to fall in love. Besides, young people are usually
active, enthusiastic and know what they want.
All in all, youth is a period which may be very complicated and
happy at the same time. It is impossible to protect young people
from all problems and difficulties that they have to overcome.
However, it is necessary to support them and to help them use
this period fruitfully.
Generation gap
has always been a topical problem. Some people believe that
parents and their children will never learn to understand each
other. Others are convinced that generation gap can disappear.
There have always been great differences between people of a
younger generation and their elders because of their different
experiences, opinions, habits and behavior. Nowadays differences
between the two generations grew significantly, particularly
with respect to such matters as musical tastes, fashion, drug
use, culture and politics.
In my opinion, you will hardly find a teenager satisfied with
his or her parents. Neither will you find parents not grumbling
over "younger generation" of their children. Pop music,
ultra-modern clothes, noisy parties and children's wish to have
more freedom become a stumbling-block on the way of mutual
understanding between adults and teenagers. So it seems that in
most families parents don't understand their children and
children don't understand their parents.
On the other hand, the situation is not as bad as it seems to
be. There are a lot of families where parents love and
understand their children and help them cope with all
difficulties. Many adults and teenagers have respect for each
other's point of view. So it is possible to bridge the gap
between parents and their children. To my mind, communication is
the best way to solve the problem. The more time adults and
teenagers spend together, the better they understand each other.
Parents and children should talk and discuss different things.
Besides, it is very important for both adults and teenagers to
be selfless, patient and sincere.
To conclude, the generation gap can disappear. If we are a
little wiser, we will find a key to the heart of our parents.
Many teenagers
enjoy being in a collective and are united in different
subcultures. Some youngsters, however, think that subcultures
are for nothing.
Most teenagers are sensitive to what their friends think of
them and they are ready to do everything to be like their peers.
So many youngsters experiment with minor delinquency,
inappropriate behavior and rebellion.
Sometimes young people express their protest forming different
groups and clubs. They join these clubs according to their
interests: music, style of clothes, racial views and so on. For
example, the Skinheads are known for their intolerance to
immigrants. They can be very dangerous as they attack and kill
people of other nationalities. Adolescents often join a juvenile
delinquent group to improve their status and to raise their
self-esteem. There are various groups and subcultures in which
deviant behaviour and violence play an important role and
increase a youth's status. To my mind, the existence of
subcultures leads to the increase in criminality. I strongly
feel that if you want to protest, you must do it peacefully
without doing harm to other people and to yourself.
On the other hand, the situation is not as bad as it may seem to
be. There are many teenagers who don't belong to any
subcultures. They are not involved in violent or criminal
behavior and they spend much time and effort on their studies
and part-time work. Such youngsters know what they want and feel
that they are responsible for their future.
To sum up, young people's lives and happiness depend on our
society: on the political and social situation in the country,
on our culture and morality. I think that if adults pay more
attention to teenagers' upbringing and education, there will be
fewer subcultures and consequently fewer crimes.
Some people
say that the main reason for juvenile delinquency is the family.
Others believe that there are many other factors that negatively
influence young people's development.
Nowadays the problem of juvenile delinquency is becoming
more complicated and universal. In many countries rates of youth
crime have dramatically risen. But why are more and more
youngsters involved in criminal and violent behaviour?
There are a lot of reasons for juvenile delinquency. I think
that first and foremost, the family is to blame. Many children
and adolescents are neglected by their parents and some of them
suffer humiliation, abuse and violence at home. The number of
mothers and fathers deprived of their parental rights is
increasing every year. Children who do not receive adequate
parental supervision are more likely to engage in criminal
activities, to truant from school and to have delinquent
friends. Wishing to prove their maturity and independence some
young people commit various offences, run away from home and use
violence against their peers.
Other reasons for juvenile delinquency include poverty,
unemployment, low incomes among the young, ineffective
educational systems and so on. Many of the crimes committed by
young people are related to excessive alcohol use and drug
abuse. Besides, young people's behaviour is greatly influenced
by their friends, neighbourhood and adults as well as by the
social, economic, political and cultural conditions prevailing
in a country.
To sum up, there are quite a lot of factors that may have a
negative influence on youngsters' behaviour. I strongly feel
that the prevention of juvenile delinquency is very important.
More attention should be paid to leisure and youth development
activities that prevent young people from committing crimes.
Some young
people believe that while at school they should concentrate on
studying; others think that working part-time has many
advantages.
To work or not to work? That is the question which many
young people ask themselves. What advantages and disadvantages
do part-time jobs have?
Nowadays a lot of young people are happy to get some job, for
the money or the experience. They work after classes, on
weekends, or during vacations. To my mind, even part-time jobs
can help them pick up new skills, which they can develop.
Working as babysitters, waiters, cashiers or shop-assistants
young people learn to be industrious, persistent, communicative
and to value time and money. What is more, part-time jobs help
develop such values as initiative, self-discipline, punctuality,
practicality and many others. Besides, a lot of young people
prefer earning money to asking their parents for some.
However, some teenagers and their parents are sure that work
will interfere with their studies and may lead to falling
grades. Besides, some young people think that it is too early
for them to work. All they need is to enjoy their carefree
lives. In some families young people don't work because their
parents are rich enough and they do not need extra money they
can earn. But I still believe that work is a valuable experience
for teenagers.
To conclude, it's up to you to decide whether to work part-time
or to concentrate on studying. Anyway, I think that work
experience can help young people develop the skills which
employers look for and realize their own abilities.
Из учебного пособия
"Открывая
мир с английским языком. 150 эссе для ЕГЭ. Готовимся к ЕГЭ" Юнёва С.А. 2011г.
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