| We all have a role to play | January 20, 1999 |
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Community solutions must be found for teen troubles Ward 6 Councillor Carol D'Amelio was quoted recently saying, "These kids have to be found and held responsible for this," with regards to the act of vandalism that resulted in damage to the donated bridge behind Tansley Woods (in Burlington Ontario). The news media reports that "the suspects are teenagers who have been seen drinking and hanging around the bridge just behind the new Tansley centre." Last week we heard from Monarch Construction in the Millcroft community about the level of vandalism that had been levied against a phone booth. Many people have expressed frustration related to youth loitering and begging for cigarettes and money. This past year two portables were torched. There has been a concern expressed about the levels of assaults and break and enters occurring in the area. The list of concerns goes on. All of this happens against a backdrop. If we look more closely at the Tansley Wood issue, what we are really seeing is a symptom of a problem and a snapshot of the larger society. So if a burnt bridge is not a problem then what is? The Addiction Research Foundation Ontario Student Drug Use Survey from 1997 showed the following results: | |
Drug Use According to Grade
| Gr. 7% | Gr. 9% | Gr. ll% | Gr. l3% | |
| Alcohol | 31.9 | 55.3 | 30.6 | 78.7 |
| Tobacco | 10.2 | 26.0 | 43A | 30.9 |
| Cannabis | 3.4 | 23.9 | 42.0 | 31.9 |
| Glue | 3.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Solvents | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.9 |
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These statistics apply to every city, with only minute differences. Drug abuse for youth is now a way of life that ultimately we, the adults, must take ownership for. There is a better than 50 per cent chance that our children will ultimately decide to use drugs, acknowledging that alcohol is the number one drug of choice amongst young people. No longer can we delude ourselves by believing that drug prevention programs are drug-proofing our kids. It should also be pointed out that not all young people are able to support their drug habits and therefore, in many cases, rely on criminal behaviour and/or adults to support their habits. Don't be fooled by crime statistics. They only refer to reported and recorded crimes, not the incidents that people chose not to report. With drug abuse we see other related problems such as physical assaults, date rape, sexual assault, and in some cases, death. We don't disagree with D'Amelio that we need to hold the perpetrators responsible but in the same breath we do not agree that increasing police patrols will solve what is a very complex problem. If we are going to hold youth responsible then we must also hold adults responsible, and not just the parents of the kids that get caught. You can hold kids responsible for the 'act' but adults should take responsibility for the community they create. We all are responsible for the current levels of alcohol abuse, the accessibility of tobacco to young people and the availability of drugs such as cannabis. Already we can hear the outcry. 'I didn't sell them that stuff". How many of us abuse the very same drugs we have told our children not to abuse? We make the laws. We have opportunity to get involved in our children's day to day activities. We can attend school council meetings and put the issue of drug abuse on the agenda. We can insist on an increase in children services and that dollars go directly to meaningful and clinically proven prevention programs. We have the ability to say that recreation should be free to all children just as all children should have access to adequate food and shelter. We can be givers in the community as demonstrated by our volunteer work. "I don't have time" does not solve the problem or help our children. What's the cost? Significantly less than the human cost: hospitalization, policing costs, involvement with the judicial system, and probation and/or incarceration. There is a stereotype that exists about the parents whose children commit offences. Part of the stereotype is that kids' parents don't care about them and don't parent. At Parent Watch we have worked with hundreds of parents who did not abuse their children who were out of control at home and in the community, but instead did not believe that they had the skills, the authority or the right to parent. The media may promote violence, aggression and commercialism, but our communities need not follow. So instead of looking at the police for a solution, let's try to look for solutions that involve more of the adults and youth of our community.  Back to the articles menu
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