The Churches Need to Reach Out To Young People

922 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What are the effects of media on young people

We live in a society today that paints a very negative image of the youth of our nation, this is in part as an imagined truth and one that the media seeks to embellish but it is also, as with any stereotype, based on truth in a lot of areas. One only has to look as the national statistics online database1 to realise that figures - such as the consumption of alcohol is at its highest in young people since 1990 - are common place. These figures are the first things that the majority of the countries population see when they look at young people today. The media delights in grasping these stereotypes and elaborating them to further paint a misshapen picture, such articles can be seen every day in newspapers and in fact even a search for “young people” on the Daily Mails website brings up headlines such as ‘ASBOs become 'self-fulfilling prophecy for young people'2 and ‘Binge drinking and drug misuse is leading to 'preventable' deaths of thousands of young people, says top doctor’3 in the top results.

What we are seeing here is a broken nation - a nation where young people are struggling to find an identity only to be shunned by the majority and forced to find satisfaction elsewhere. In this culture of instant fixes they are finding satisfaction and excitement in different areas and are putting their trust in these instead of far greater things. This attitude then leads on to an increase in things like alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancies and the crime rate among young people. Unless we as a population strive to help these young people instead of demonising them they will continue in their current ways and we will see a drastic change in the way our country is made up.

Youth work is struggling to adapt to this changing wo...

... middle of paper ...

...eople have to offer from their culture that can and will enhance the church but the church as a whole is not. I feel the church needs to increase its programs directed towards young people in need to do this and also to get over its prejudices - when this is achieved maybe we will start to see young people coming back to church but not until then.

Works Cited
1 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CHILDREN/2 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-500949/ASBOs-self-fulfilling-prophecy-young-people.html3 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1212832/Binge-drinking-drug-misuse-leading-preventable-deaths-thousands-young-people-says-doctor.html4 http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=83611 5 Churchgoing in the UK, Jacinta Ashworth, Research Matters & Ian Farthing, Tearfund 20076 http://www.soulsurvivor.com/uk/blog/7 http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=83611

Show More
Related

  • James Bulger's Murder

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    The relationship between ‘Youths’ and crime is the mainstay of media coverage but, does the media truly reflect what is happening in

    Read More

  • Teen Drinking

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although this article does show the magnitude of the problem of teenage drinking, it doers not touch many people or clarify what we can do about it and the lack of clarity is an important factor that limits its impact.

    Read More

  • Arguments for and against Lowering the Drinking Age

    1916 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Young People's Drinking." International Center for Alcohol Policies Meetings & News Press Releases Welcome to ICAP. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .

    Read More

  • Societies and Moral Panic

    3409 Words  | 7 Pages

    Since the war in Britain the most recurrent types of moral panic has been associated with the emergence of various form of youth (originally almost exclusively working class, but often recently middle class or student based) whose behaviour is deviant or delinquent. To a greater or lesser degree, these cultures have been associated with violence. The Teddy Boys, the Mods and Rockers, the Hells Angels, the skinheads and the hippies have all been phenomena of this kind (Cohen, 2002). Youth appeared as an emergent category in post-war Britain, on one of the most striking and visible manifestations of social changes in the period. Youth...

    Read More

  • Underage Drinking Research Paper

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    A lot of the time, teens think it is ‘cool’ to drink because everyone else does it. Almost every television show that young people watch have some underage substance abuse, leading adolescents to believe that it can’t be that bad. While society plays a big part in this huge problem, both teens and parents need to learn that there can be severe consequences from as little as one drink. Allowing them to think this kind of behavior is acceptable will haunt them for the rest of their lives, even if they are not alcohol related. Believing that such behavior is acceptable now will lead them to bad decision-making skills in the future when faced with an ethical decision. Teens need to know the major effects can come from underage drinking before going to that party or when being pressured into something they may not be willing to participate in. It is obvious that the long and short-term effects of alcohol abuse can be easily avoided by getting educated and thinking before engaging in any self-destructive

    Read More

  • Lower the Drinking Age To 18

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unbelievably, the United States citizens trust their sixteen-year-old children to drive three thousand pound vehicles. We require our working young to pay taxes. We trust the decision-making abilities of eighteen year olds in public elections, with the right to smoke, and with the choice of marriage without parental consent. Our young adults are encouraged to join the army and fight for their country. We however believe that until the age of twenty-one our young adults can not handle alcohol.

    Read More

  • The Law On Underage Drinking

    4126 Words  | 9 Pages

    The law on drinking in the UK has always been very clear. “If you’re under 18, it is against the law: for someone to sell you alcohol, to buy or try to buy alcohol, for an adult to buy or try to buy alcohol for you and to drink alcohol in licensed premises.” Breaking these laws can have serious consequences such as fines and imprisonment, however like with most laws people break them, ignoring the consequences of their actions. The drinking law is a regular law which is broken. A lot of people forget that it is illegal and can have major impacts on your life. Teenage alcoholism in today’s society is an extremely serious problem that needs to be addressed more. Alcohol, as many forget, is a drug that has a powerful addiction and can cause extreme consequences that could lead to death. This therefore is a major topic of discussion in the present day and everyone has their own opinions on this regardless of the law. I have decided to write my Extended Project on underage drinking because I think that it is a really interesting topic and almost everyone can relate to it. Furthermore it is constantly in the news and people are always talking about it and therefore it is an extremely important debate. Moreover, I did part of my English Language coursework on trying to persuade teenagers to not drink. This will help me with my essay as they both like, hence why I can use some sources and ideas for both. In this essay I’m going to discuss whether underage drinking in the UK is going to happen in the future and that there is no stopping it or if it may stop in the future. For part of my project I will carry out research. I will carry out a range of research methods which will include reading books, news articles, internet pages and watchin...

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Alcoholism

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over many years a higher proportion of women who drink in Ireland is higher than any other European country, 77% compared to 68%. Men drink more often than women, 45% of men drink 2-3 times more than the average female in Ireland. In the memoir it shows drinking at the age of 16, alcohol is the world’s leading risk factor for death among males aged 15-59, according to the World Health Organization ( Alcohol Action). Men are advised to drink no more than 21 standard beers a week, that is equal to 10 pints of normal beer. In Ireland the price of Alcohol is 50% more affordable than it was in 1996, which makes it easier to for the Irish people to consume alcohol. The average age of first alcohol use for children born in 1990 was 14, ten years before in 1980 it was 16. A specific survey of drinking among European 15 and 16 year olds more Irish girls, (44%) than boys (42%) reported binge-drinking has become a problem to young teens (Alcohol

    Read More

  • Underage Alcohol Abuse

    2827 Words  | 6 Pages

    In conclusion, underage drinking should never be something that is praised but, it should be looked down upon and should be avoided at all cost. Parents and guardians need to step in to help put a stop to underage drinking. Listen to what their child has to say be there for them when they need someone. The media needs to be more careful of what they put out. Young people need to be more aware of the effects of drinking to help save their lives. More consequences need to be se into place to help get into young peoples minds that underage drinking isn’t ok and it never will be. Alcohol should never be something to turn to for comfort it can ruin lives especially at a young age.

    Read More

  • Alcohol Advertising: The Cause of Underage Drinking?

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    The opinions of these four authors prove that alcohol advertising is an extremely controversial topic. When questioning American’s youth, you will get varied responses, similar to the conflicting opinions of the authors. Some homes side with Dina Berta and Jon Kate, while others agree more with Robyn Suriano and George Hacker. Alcohol industries see eye to eye with Berta and Kate. Berta feels advertising is fine and that drinking is a normal part of American culture. Kate feels that there is a problem with underage drinking but that advertisements are not the cause. Robyn Suriano and George Hacker feel underage drinking is a big problem and action needs to take place in order to reduce underage drinking. Hacker blames advertisements while Suriano feels the problem stems from both advertisements and the family. As shown, the topic is very debatable, depending largely on personal upbringing and experiences. Hence, the question still remains, “Are alcohol advertisements the cause of underage drinking?”

    Read More

  • The Transition of Youth into Adulthood.

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    Youth of today are taking longer to complete the transition into adulthood compared to youth of twenty-five years ago. Changes in education and the benefit system may be responsible for the altered state of transition in current youth (Keep, 2011) which is an assumption that will be explored. In regards to this; this essay will cover youth transition and will look at how the restructuring of polices and legislations have affected youths transition in to adulthood. Furthermore the manner in which political ideologies and perspectives have altered factors such as education, employment, housing and benefits will be examined. Once a full explanation has been provided; the fundamental question that needs to be answered is; are the teenagers of today embattled or empowered?

    Read More

  • The Transition of Youth into Adulthood.

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Understanding Youth: Perspectives, Identities & Practices: Perspectives, Identities and Practices (Published in association with The Open University)"(Paperback)by Mary Jane Kehily page 3 sage publications, London

    Read More

  • Causes and Effects of Social Problems among Teenagers

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nowadays there are so many news regarding social problem involving youngster. In fact it has become a norm to read articles about teenagers’ issue. We should realize that problem involving young generations is actually a huge problem to the nation as they will become our leader. Early prevention is better than cure, thus we need to identify the reason why this problem is happening and what are the consequences from this teenager social problem.

    Read More

  • Church Reflection Paper

    1721 Words  | 4 Pages

    The church is not meant to be a country club exclusive for specific members. I believe the church is open to all of humanity, regardless of who they are. The church should be in mission to the outside world, both locally and globally. The church should be seeking to find ways to minister to all humans and to simply be the shining light for Jesus Christ.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: We All Should Support Mandatory Drug Testing in Schools

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    Statistics shown from a U.K. testing shows the decrease of young adults who’ve done alcohol and drugs...

    Read More

More about The Churches Need to Reach Out To Young People

Open Document