Current Event – Do school programs work for teens?
Two recent tragic events involving teens have again highlighted the news. Alcohol, improper seatbelt use, and unsafe driving practices were contributing factors. It is well known that schools consistently try to educate students in these and other areas in hopes of preventing such tragedies. Do these programs work? If not, why? Is it the design of the program? Do teens see themselves as bullet proof or have the mind set that it won’t happen to me? Is it the responsibility of schools to educate teens or should a different agency take on the challenge? Would the messages these programs carry have more impact if they are held away from a school environment? Tragic events will always occur because of human error but if you were responsible to design an education program what would it look like?
Let the discusssion begin.
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I think most teens have that “it wont happen to me” idea in their heads. I think the programs work for some people but for others it is uneffective. I think the school should have the responsibility to educate teens but other agencies should also be involved and in some cases they are. I think the impact on teens if the messages were held away from school would be different. If i could design a program, I would show what happens after people make certain decisions, like most programs already display.
I agree with Alyssa. Most teens do have the “it won’t happen to me” idea. Although the programs work for some teens, all of it is not up to the school or any other companies. Part of it is up to the parents. They need to put out a good example for us. Like, putting their seatbelt on when driving, even a short distance. Taking a taxi. Driving the speed limit or the safest speed for the conditions. They should always offer to come and pick their child up from a party, or where ever they are, any time of day. It all comes down to the persons decision. I am glad that the school gets people and has presentations on these situations. It shows us that our decisions may not be that great and the consequences that could arise from them. Our society as a whole can also have a part in it. They should be strict about these things. People may argue that it is unfair, but when it saves your life you will be thankful.
Alex and Alyssa have good points about the programs. It is also true also about the attitude. The school programs are good, but then again there are quite a few people out there that let their judgement be clouded by the stereotypical attitude and decide not to listen. We must start at the attitude and eliminate it before we start on the actions. Fix the cause, not the symptoms.
I think that teen programs don’t work because there aren’t enough of them available. Here we have occasional presentations about drugs, alcohol, and driving. I don’t think that these presentations have a very big impact on our choices. They either convince teens that have already made the choice to be safe that they are making the right decision or it goes in one ear and out the other. I think that programs such as youth groups are much more successful because they give teens something else to do in place of substance abuse and unsafe driving. I agree with Alex, Alyssa, and Maura about the attitude that “It’s not going to happen to me.” Teens will not change this attitude by listening to presentations. Teens don’t realize what could happen until it happens to them or someone they know. I think that schools play a big role in educating teens but our society has to back that up as well. Parents should take more action to make sure that their teens are making safe decisions. Like Alex was saying parents should always offer to come and pick up their child from where ever they are.
Most teens these days believe that nothing bad will happen to them. They see all the tragydies on the TV, and in school presentations. But what if the school got more into the whole presentations, what if they showed an actual victom of driving, drinking, drug abuse, ect. In actaul recovering mode, and i dont mean 2 years after i mean like a 6 months after. A victom that has something to show means more and if the person is our age then we can relate to the actual happening of it. if i was in charge of the whole presentation i would make sure that it got across to everyone. Even know we can not control the fate of our life, we can still try to make a difference. Everything that happens, happens for a easy, let people show you there is a different way. Matters what your parents are always there, They will offer to come and pick there child up if you really need it. As well you always have those people that are always there for you matters what. Threw all and all, there is always i safe way out of everything.
Just Be Safe
I think to make these work you would have to make them a lot scarier. By this i mean real videos with real people getting killed. I think this would hammer things into peoples heads very well. Like if you see a brain splattering on impact of the windshield you wouldn’t say “cool”. I think if they did produce these videos it would finally get some of the people to say no to all this and say yes to the right thing.
i agree with alyssa because most teens always say “it wont happen to me ” but that is how it starts not one wears there set belts and end up killed but if people just say no to all this and say yes to the right things like no to drung no to drinking and driving and much more
yeah i do agree with alyssa as well; many teens even myself say” it won’t happen to me, don’t worry”, but yet if i don’t wear my seatbelt even just pulling out of the drive way i am at risk as well as everypne in my car. If one doens’t wear there seat belt, well then everyone is at risk, they could fly all around the car knocking into people which could injure them more than they already are. Drinking is also another huge issue, if someone is drinking than drives home well thats juts liek death waiting for you, why owuld osmoenm put so many people in danger! It is scary to think that now i am hearing about things like this, people i know, people who are important to others killed just becuase someone was dirnking and thought it could never happen to them if they drank and drove home.