Monday, March 11, 2019

The Importance Of Helping The Youth Of Chicago

By Amy Meyer


There used to be a time when communities were close. People cared for each other and everyone was expected to take part in community affairs and activities. Those days are gone, unfortunately and people now seem to care only about themselves. So many people live lonely lives amid crowds of people and it is especially young people that suffer from the lack of a true community spirit. Thankfully, there are organizations that offer programs aiming at helping the youth of Chicago.

The family unit, which is the cornerstone of a healthy society, has always played a vital role in helping young people to remain on course and to grow up as responsible adults that can take their place in society. Unfortunately, so many families are dysfunctional. The divorce rate keeps rising and busy parents have no time to spend with their children. As a result, young people look for acceptance and direction elsewhere.

Unemployment is at an all time high and this has a profound effect upon young people. Many of them drop out of school prematurely because they have no hope of ever finding work. Thus they render themselves unemployable because they have no skills to offer to potential employers. There are many organizations that have seen this need and that offer skills training to youngsters.

When youngsters become disillusioned in society they are in grave danger of developing psychological and behavioral problems. They lose their self respect, feel as if they are worthless and they often develop depression and experience high levels of anxiety. Thankfully, many churches and other organizations offer counseling to such young people, creating a place where they feel care for, loved, respected and accepted as worthwhile individuals.

Substance abuse among young people has become a major problem. Youngsters take drugs or alcohol to forget about their problems and to have a good time. They almost always fall into the truly horrible trap of addiction. Some helper organizations offer programs that will assist addicted young people, but it is unfortunately very difficult to convince them that they need such help and successes are few.

Vast numbers of young people survive on the streets. To help alleviate this problem some organizations have set up places of safety where these youngsters can sleep safely and where they can get a proper meal. These places are also ideal for other organizations that need to reach out to young people in trouble. Without a place to stay it is almost impossible for a youngster to enter a program or to progress in life.

The sad fact is that very few young people in desperate need can be reached and helped. There are just too few resources. Too few people volunteer their services, offer donations or become involved. Many organizations trying to help young people are continually short of everything. This means that only a fraction of those in desperate need can be reached and assisted.

Young people will determine the future and if society fails its youngsters in need, the future itself is at stake. One can only hope that every single person and every authority will do more to help those organizations dedicated to young people. It is, in fact, the duty of society to care.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment