People have so many ideas about what has caused the looting and crimes that have been committed in London and the other cities affected... Poverty, hopelessness, boredom, etc... I'm not interested in excuses. There can be no excuse for causing such damage, for hurting other people, for destroying your own and other people's community.
And now to be 'the devil's advocate'... What exactly is the situation these young people find themselves in today ??? They are allowed to finish school at sixteen, but not allowed to vote. They are not allowed to buy cigarettes or alcohol. They can work but are not even paid minimum wage. In fact, they won't be eligible for minimum wage until they are twenty-one !! They cannot drive, their hours - if they work - are severely restricted. Perhaps they have finished school but don't want to attend university... Are there any apprenticeships in the field they'd like to work in: plumbing, joinery, decorating, electrician, mechanics ???
My husband and I will do our best to raise our boys to have a good work ethic, to have respect for others, to be responsible members of their society... But is there any place like that for these young people who might not be being taught that at home: a place to learn that they matter, that they can have a positive impact on their community, that they can be respected and looked up to by the next generation ???
How much are we willing to do to ensure our young people have a future that WE wouldn't mind having ??? What can I do to not only instill in my two boys that they are loved, cared for, important, that how they feel and what they think and say and do matter but also for other young people in my area ???
In a way, I am almost thankful for the chaos that has happened in the past few days because it's woken me up to the fact that maybe THERE is something I can do... Now, to check out the YMCA :)
No comments:
Post a Comment