Framing Youths

In Framing Youth, an article written by Lesly Bogad, it discusses about the life of adolescents. There are many assumptions concerning youths that could change the way youths see themselves and the way others may preceive them. There are few points Bogad mentioned which attracted my attention. She mentioned that “the common sense of our culture is a powerful construct.  Even those of us who are attentive to it sometimes get lured by its instinctive nature...” (3). I feel that many adults often assume that because they were once adolescent means they know adolescences well. Because of that, they misunderstand and misinterpret youths. Each person has its own characteristics and way of doing things. They assume that because youths are young, they do not have the ability to think and behave like adults. When in reality, there are many youths out in the world who stand out of the “norms” what a youth is in a positive way.   

In addition to that, youths grow and their ways of thinking as well as their behavior change for each generation. As generations come and go, it is important to understand that youths’ nature would not be the same as the previous generations. Therefore stereotyping youths based on few individuals and past history would be dangerous to the young people who might want to lead.

  The fact they adults were once adolescent, they are often carried away by their past life of being an adolescent, but fail to realize that each person is different despite their race, gender, or ethnicity.

Additional, the assumptions that are placed on teenagers can be damaging. Especially for those who are still trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in society. Leaders need to be aware that whatever way they frame youth, they will be most likely to follow that trail and may affect them in the future. I am a prime example of that. At some point in my life, I accepted what was said to me. It became a part of me until I came across people who saw the best in me and led me in the right trail I needed to be in. Because of that, I can build my future on the positive words and use the negative assumptions to help strengthen me. We most know that the future of this world depends on the youths. So the way we think of them might make or break them and the society.