TEENS ARE often looked at as the culprits of our age. We always hear about the bad things kids do, but what about the good? How are teens helping society? What do they have to say? Should they ‘rc this program together,’ is « ‘a. “teea + fr H Photo submitted TEENS FROM around the Lower Maintand gathered recently for a life management seminar where “they discussed shared experiences and common probiems, as well as talking about the directions » they wanted their lives to take. iS THERE such a thing as é life management program?” Well, there’ - now and,: let me tell you, it?ll blow you to oblivion. When I was first.told about, it, I must admit, I was quite surpris- ed to hear of such a thing really existing. The next thing’ to really surprise me was that this serninar was, put together by -other teenagers for teenagers. A teen board of advisers — consisting of five teens from all “cludes over the Lower Mainland — in- North — Shore Angela. Colacone, ‘Christopher :. Gibson, Ana. Carrazon, and «Stephanie Jackson. along with: Dorian Leslie from White Rock. ‘They meet every Saturday. and ° discuss ‘teen. problems ; and the - status of the organizing company, -as well as throwing around ideas to prepare for the next seminar. , ‘Greg Gerrie, the man ‘who: put former “teacher who has worked at about 50 schools between: Toronto and Vancouver and has ‘seen what the needs of today’ $s youth are, The seminar I went to'was held atthe’ Hotel “Vancouver, some- - where on the second‘ floor. Upon : "reaching the. second": floor, “all £ had to do to find the’ room was to. follow the saunds , of music: and ; teens talking. : And there it was —.a roomful’ _ of, teens from ali over the Van- alike’. Sentinel, wild bunch, we were. Afi couver area. People .from schools Carson Graham, ' " Burnaby, North, West Van High, *" Brittania, “Nanaimo, © Prince -of Wales, Hamber, Semiahmoo, and ‘ Sutherland..". We seem,:.to have found a place | where ‘we gather ‘and talk, * There were 17 of us, and what a we in . troduced ourselves,’ ive got. sight down’: to; business. 4 for some » reason, found - it'.very interesting that. ‘these kids had the courage to. actually talk about their problems‘ with’ people they hardly knew.‘ ‘Butl do find “it easier talking residents |: 1x about my‘problems.to someone | barely know rather ‘than talking to ‘ someone I know inside and out. I feel you take a big chance in talk- ing*to someone you know very well, ! And | just feel ‘uncomfortable’ in that kind of situation. But then .. -Gerrig mentioned some unearthly. statistics. He told/us that when teens “nave a major problem in their lives, 8% go to their mothers, 2% to their fathers, and only 1% to their school counsellors. ; Where do. the other | 89% of teens go? To, their friends, of ‘course, Scary isn’t it? Some parents spend thousands of dollars on material possessions but little onthe development of their children and families. Parents continue to do'the same. : over and over and expect different’ results, and they. think’ that the school will take care of the social and psychological Problems. But do they? Teachers struggle daily to .make ‘students work and handle . discipiine problems. “Y -know- it. is “possible ‘for-a “Tamily to fully exist as ‘a place of “tnist:"and communication.” Also schools cam be the samme. We are putting too snuch emphasis on ac- ademics and ‘not. enough on de- veloping : ‘motivated young . people who are (xcited about the rest of , their life,”* said S Serrie. The part.1 liked most about the? seminar .was when we were. all seated in one huge circle and some of us:then shared some of our dislikes about. the facts of fife. It seemed that a: high percentage of teens are troubled in one-way or another. The teen board of advisers ‘has identified several , problems that face today’s youth: a schoul violence such as gangs,. assault, harassment, and individu-;, "al fighting (This would make some - youths afraid to come to school); ~.. ® drugsand alcohol; . @ family problems like. single- parent homes, alcoholism, abuse (physical, sexual, and mental). These problems can really make ‘a kid’s life.seem. low and unwor- thy. Gerrie, in this seminar, tries - to. change: all this. He tries to change your attitude about life. Some of the topics ‘covered in- clude: @ Self esteem — how teens feel about themselves and their capa. bilities. - @ Family —- how teens can get their families to accept them for the way they are. @ School — how to succeed in school, without losing individu- © ality. uo : @ Friendship — how to just have areally good time with friends? : ® Life skills — what teens really need to be successful? © @ Goal setting how to set’ goals and how to ‘reach them.in a stress-free way with no ‘strings’ at- tached? fp ee “This is how intense this seminar is. It’s not just a sit down and listen seminar, but a fully involved the idea that. you can be the best at. whatever you. want*to be and that you should live out this idea _ and enjoy life to its fullest degree. The ‘next teen seminars will be’: held Feb. 13 anid 14. For more in- - formation, ‘contact Gerrie::at: Vi- sion “Training Technologies, 739- ‘interactive one. You get hooked to - have the. right to themselves? RECENTLY, WE have all heard in the news that Israel “expelled 400. Palestinians ter-' the occupied ritories, for what © it called their «terrorist volvement..° | Yet many from has in- Isracli | officials ° themselves are saying that infact it.is possible that many, even all, of the Palestinians who have been . expelled are not guilty of. any sort, - of political involvement. Furthermore, Israel: has admit- ted that’ {0 of these Palestinians were expelled by mistake. *~ What worries me is that not on- ly have the - Israelis themselves created’ significant doubt as to whether. or not, the Palestinians had done anything wrong, , but ‘also the fact that they have. barred .the Red Cross and other. interna- tional organizations from going to see’ these people who have been brutally thrown out of their homes. In a time when Canada is re- emphasizing». its . help these people? Why have. we not jumped at the chance to make the lives of these few. oppressed people better? a! It is time that we as Canadians “said “no” to such a violation of | _ international law. and to this gross ‘ mistreatment of a group of peo-,, ple. The Palestinians have long’ been thwarted in their’ quest homeland and we in: the. West have sat! around and done nothing about it... When Saddam Hussein and. Iraq invaded Kuwait, there was inter-.:. national ‘outcry ‘and a’ war. te. restore the. authoritarian govern- ment of Kuwait, because the in- ternational community felt ‘that it was not right for these people tu lose their homes. | What. makes fighting for the right to. have. a home for over 30. years, when the’ Israelis took their land from them, . The United Nations (UN) has resolutions in place against these occupations, yet nothing is done “about them. After the war in the Gult when Iraq was accused of terrorizing the _ Kurds and’ Shiites, no-fly. zones Last time we asked if: you had any. Christmas wishes. - my tf Thad one wish, 1 would wish. that, the kids, the teenagers of. North Vancouver and ail over the world could ‘ walk the streets knowing that it’ was safe. I wish that teen vio- lence would end and that? kids ‘ could be happy together again. « What ever happened to foolish litte kid pranks and stuff: like that, — not going out:and kili- ing someone. One of my wishes sion ° because | that’s never going to happen.” be peace on Earth, My wish .wouldn’t;be the end ef teen violence because 7 don’t. care. You know, there isn’t any. - “peality here. I'm thinking.what. | _ Kwant ; my biggest wish | for ; Christmas would be — 2 wisi I + had parents, I was adopted and ‘ I. don’t like it very much. E.; he wish I had real Parents." : ot ' fad one ‘wist,, Va. wish . role as a “:peacekeeper and a peacemaker, - - why have we not done anything to _as other nations. Why i ‘put | fora: ithe: Middle ‘East are the Palestinians | ‘any. different? They” have ‘been express were sponsored by: the vu. S. and . ‘accepted. by’\the UN. Now ° the scenario is the same... , Israel is showing great and’ un- checked aggression’ against . the. Palestinians (in' fact,” according . to. CNN, it took’ all, of nine minutes : into, the .new year, for, the” first.. Palestinian to, be” killed by, an Israeli)": : Why is [srael always’ aiven pref erential treatment? - The: UN. quick to, crack down’ on: all ‘ scits : of ‘nations’ for different matters, . _but_over time it has clearly shown, mainly because of “ strong | U.S.-Israeli ties. —* that Israel is not subject to the same. treatment S this ‘the : case? | We must’ draw -the proverbial’ line in the sand, We mast -put-a‘ Stop to this aggression the way we acstap to sthe trouble . Somatia and in Iraq... a : “The West is’ all too ‘concerned with Islamic fundamentalism; . the. West feelsthat this is Wrong. If. the leaders-of the. U.S.,' Canada’ and other First: World countries” are-net careful, ‘they will'soon‘tose | the Palestinians: toa heightened