ADDRESSING THE ISSUES AND CONCERNS OF ADOLESCENTS [Topic - 1, 2, 3, 4|] | Englishthroughreading | RapidEng-LearnSpokenEnglish

•  ADDRESSING THE ISSUES AND CONCERNS OF ADOLESCENTS

Here, we focus on the four major concerns of adolescents (promoted by social scientists and other well-wishers) and provide some guidelines regarding the possible ways of addressing them.

• Addressing the Issues and Concerns of Adolescents (All for Topics are here)

1. Adjustments for Health Concerns related to the Process of Growing Up
2. Adjustments for Vocational/Professional Concerns
3. Adjustments for Gender Discrimination
4. Adjustments for Peer Pressure and Building Relationships

Topic - 1

•  Adjustments for Health Concerns related to the Process of Growing Up

The first and the foremost concern pertains to the health issues of adolescents and young people. These issues pertain to the process of growing up.

A. Adjustments to be made for Issues arising from the Process of Growing Up

All adolescents must

i.                    Appreciate the changes and developments taking place in their bodies during adolescence,

ii.                  Eat wisely to have good nutrition,

iii.                Maintain good personal hygiene,

iv.                Postpone early marriage and pregnancy to maintain personal health and to produce and raise healthy children,

v.                  Have children by choice, and not by chance, thus, know about methods of conception and contraception and prevent unwanted pregnancy, practice methods of family planning, etc.

vi.                Adopt safe, informed sexual behavior, and

vii.              Address sexual harassment and violence appropriately so that the culprit is taken to

task and others learn to think twice before they take the law into their hands.

Adolescents: Meaning of the terms

Þ    Adolescents: 10-19-year-olds (early adolescence 10-14 and late adolescence 15-19)

Þ    Youth: 15-24-year-olds

Þ    Young People: 10-24-year-olds

Source: State of World Population 2005 UNFPA

 

B. Adjustments to be made to avoid HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Transmitted Infections (RTIs) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

All adolescents must

i)          follow the rules for preventing HIV infection, especially. They should remember that there is no known     'cure' for this deadly virus and prevention is the only defense.

ii)         practice good genital hygiene for prevention of RTIS.

iii)        follow rules for the prevention of STIs, HIV/AIDS, i.e., follow the ABC rule:

A-abstinence from 'sexual act'.

B-be faithful to one partner, and

C-use condom.

iv)        remember that the cure for STIs is simple, provided the problem is detected early and treated, but there is NO cure for HIV/AIDS.

v)         take care of and support the people living with HIV/AIDS. It is very important that they should lead a normal life, have good nutrition, and avoid any infection.

What are HIV and AIDS?

·         HIV means Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

·         AIDS means Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

·         HIV is a virus that causes AIDS.

·         HIV attacks lymphocytes (white blood corpuscles). As a result, the body has difficulty

fighting off certain bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes.

·         AIDS is a state in which a person's immunity to fight against diseases is completely destroyed and he/she is affected by severe infections.

Of the 15-24-year-old young people living with HIV, 63 percent live in sub-Saharan Africa and 21 percent live in Asia-Pacific.

C. Adjustments to be made to avoid/prevent substance abuse

Substance abuse is the use of illicit drugs or the abuse of prescription drugs for purposes other than what they are indicated for. These can cause addiction and health problems. Hence do not abuse them, i.e. do not use them for a purpose they are not meant for.

Alcohol, smoking, and tobacco chewing (gutkha), all three are addictive and have a harmful effect on health. Adolescents should avoid these, at all costs.

Topic - 2

• Adjustments for Vocational/Professional Concerns

Planning and training for the right vocation/profession is also a very important concern that adolescents and young people have. In this age of competition, they are bound to be worried about the choice of their possible careers, whether they would ever get admission in a training program of their choice, whether they would do well when under training, whether they

Would get the right job at the end of the training and so on. Providing them vocational guidance or introducing them to sources where they can get related information is their immediate need. Also, tell them that the solution to the problems lies in finding out their own strengths and weaknesses and working on them and not in fretting and worrying about what will happen.

All adolescents must

i. be able to list their own strengths and weaknesses,

ii. be able to plan and set goals regarding the thought of future vocation, and

iii. practice the various coping skills to deal with anxiety and stress.

Topic - 3

•  Adjustments for Gender Discrimination

Very often adolescent girls may have a problem as they face discrimination at home. Generally, adolescents accept the prescribed gender roles which shape their understanding of the man-woman relationships and thus influence their attitude and behavior towards the opposite sex. These attitudes are difficult to change and hence should be addressed early in one's life. It is important to instill in them the need for an equal relationship between man and woman. You, as a tutor/coordinator/academic facilitator at a study center, would need to pay attention to this issue. The impact of gender discrimination is clearly visible in the skewed sex ratio, poor health of women, and domestic violence that we see around us in our country today.

All adolescents must

i. appreciate that gender-based violence is not an acceptable form of behavior, and

ii. be able to report such violence and seek help for the victims.

Topic - 4

•  Adjustments for Peer Pressure and Building Relationships

Adolescents generally want to be in the company of their age mates because they feel that they are better understood there. This is also an expression of their desire to break away from adults and establish an identity of their own. Although this is a natural outcome of the process of growing up, adolescents often have to face adult wrath for such actions and consequently, they grow tense and rebel.

Further, adolescents go for experimentation and take risks. In the company of peers, they try out things, which can land them into trouble. Saying 'no' to such activities is difficult and a reason to be tense. More so, because they are learning to build relationships with people

Outside their homes and they do not want to spoil such relationships at any cost. What they need is to build their negotiation skills and use them to understand the appropriate limits of the physical and emotional boundaries within such relationships and say ‘NO’ wherever and whenever needed. They also need to learn to influence people to get them involved in constructive and positive behaviors.

All adolescents must

i. be equipped to deal with (resist) negative peer pressure, and

ii. develop the ability to say 'no' when required,

Example: Ask the learners to have a debate on any one of the following themes. It will help them to understand the gender issue better when they share their understanding/views and concerns with each other Guide/ask them to reach a healthy conclusion.

‘Boys should be served food before girls'

‘Girls have to learn to do household chores not boys'

‘Women cook food and men sit and read the newspaper’

Regards,

Vivek Sharma