Giving Youth a "Voice"

Our youth are at times maligned and/or misunderstood by their actions.

Youth as the name suggests, is a period of exploration of identity and association with peers and the opposite sex. In so doing, peer pressure and group norms comes into play and there is not always a full consideration of the outcomes to their actions, since at times their is an assumed 'safety in numbers'.

Youth, moreover, cannot always find the words to express their feelings in keeping with their emotions or experiences. This has largely to do with them living in the minute and lacking context in relation to the circumstances in which they find themselves.

There is a lot for youth to process on the home, school and societal fronts, all the while determining their place in the adult and commercial world with growing measures of independence.

Most youth navigate this 'maze' with guidance from peers, adults and educators relatively unscathed.

However, since COVID and growing uncertainty in relation to housing, employment and cost of living pressures, youth and young adults are presenting with less hope and concerns about their future. Negative world events portrayed in the media are also taking their toll on a generation that spend many hours a week on electronic mediums such as mobiles, tablets and PC's. Research demonstrates a downward trend in the mental health and creative thought for youth so engaged.

For youth that lack strong familial connection/s or live in poverty, the world is even less a certain place in which to grow, thrive and develop measures of independence due to inequity of access to education opportunities and basic matters such as nutrition, the stability of accommodation (having a roof over their head), and availability of transport, and at times, appropriate adult role models.

It is against these widely varying circumstances in a world of uncertainty that we need to seek to understand and guide our youth.  We need to do so non-judgementally and with an inquisitive mind, seeking to understand the outlook of youth from a standpoiint of interest. Seeking out areas of potential interest in discussion with youth from a genuine stance has been shown from research to greatly enhance the engagement of youth.

Youth behaviour tends to be the collective sum of past experience (good, bad / otherwise), self-expectations and what they have been told about themselves by others. Understandably, these can be a distorted view of themselves depending on how nurturing or limiting their early experiences as a young adult have been.  Matters such as learning disabilities or discrimination on the grounds of race or appearance can also act to hold youth back from developing their optimum capacities and a positive sense of self.

In summary, when working with youth we need to ask open questions, take a genuine interest in what they have to say and be open to appreciating the influences that have shaped their behaviour and outlook to their situation and hopes for the future.

In therapy, I work with youth and family to identify areas and options for furthering relationships and development in keeping with the goals of youth.  That can include strengthening peer and familial relationships, providing vocational guidance, or therapy to build self-confidence and a better social construction of themselves.  Regardless, to do this successfully usually requires that I actively listen to the backgrounds of youth and appreciate their hopes and aspirations for the future, whilst developing trust and rapport over a number of sessions.