Wednesday, July 24, 1991 North Shore News

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“HEWS photo Stuart Davis

WEST VANCOUVER Mayor Mark Sager recently welcomed 33 French exchange students from
Nice to West Vancouver, presenting them with a West Van flag and pins. The students, who are
being hosted by Sentinel Secondary, in turn gave the mayor a banner from their home town.
Sentinel students will visit their newfound friends in Nice during the next spring vacation. The
exchange, which was originally to occur last sprins. was postponed due to the Gulf War.

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| Are you having

a good summer?
Yes or No?

980-KIDS

Origins of the
boredom Crisis

HAVE YOU ever felt as if the
world had suddenly turned as grey
as the smogey clouds above iv? Hf
you have, vou'’re not alone.

By Rod Solar
Contributing Writer

ft is what fuels the frustrations
of teens today: the crisis of
boredom.

Why is it that so many of us
have gradually slipped into limbo?
Siting on the couch flipping
through channels in a futile search
for entertainment that can only be
momentarily satisfied by the
Nintendo trap. The capacity
human beings have to bore one
another seem greater than any
other animal.

Recently. plans were made to
open a teen drop-in facility in the
Blueridge area of North Van-
couver — it was most commoniy
labelled a piace *‘to hang out.”
I've been to one of these centres,
namely Myrtle Park by Sevcove
School. The following are the
details of my experience.

It was noon on a very hot day
in June when a friend and [
decided ta walk down to Myrtle
Park to see a band practice. One
of the members had invited us,
and as z90n as { heard that the
practice would be held at the
drop-in centre, my interest perked.

1 was interested to see what
hind of place this was. and,
knowing that it was funded by
some government agency, | felt a
sort of obligation to check the
place out.

The centre consists of three
rooms housing some couches, a
miniature pool table, and = of
course, the inevitable TV with
VCR (donated by the businesses
of Deep Cove).

tam not a particularly picky
person or a neurotic neat freak,
but the place looked like a cyclone
hit it, Magazines and teen health
pamphlets had been irreverently
discarded all over the floors.

The couches appeared as if they
were home to one or more ra
families. Seraps of chips and
bread haplessly thrown behind the
furniture had attracted an insect
population that no doubt out

Last week’s question:

numbered the ieens that had
quented this place in the
month.

With its black painted walls and
two uny windows near the ceiling,
this place looked more like
Frankenstein's temb than a place
where teens could ‘hang out.’* |
left. the place gasping for some
clean air and sunlight that the
centre had not admitted within irs
sickly domain.

But J left with more than just a
stomach ache. | insistently asked
my friend why anvone would want
to come voiuntarily to this place
and iecave their weil-lit, clean and
comfortable home.

His response struck me as I was
quickly reminded of my ignorance
of those | wished most to under-
stand: “‘Kids get bored of being
alone, so they come here to get
away.’”

{ asked him why these kids
would want to get away from
people if they were bored of being
alone in their homes, something
that until then had aot made any
sense to me.

He retorted with a simple ex-
planation that made me feel sad
and angry, and maybe a litle
hopeless: *‘They want ta get away
from people who don't want to
listen. (They want to be with}
those who do, people who are in
the same boat they are. There's
nothing more boring than some-
one who talks so much about
himself that you can’t talk about
yourself."’

Then [ realized the significance
of this place. Sure, it was ugly,
dark, musty, ane dirty, but it was
theirs.

At first 1 tried to blame the
government for its inadequacy in
creating a more livable teen
getaway. But then | thought of
where the problem had begun: at
home. with the inability to com-
municate between parent and
child.

Perhaps this lite episode’ can
serve as a message of what teens
really want. The comfortable en-
vironment of lifestyle. shared with
ove or two parents who just don’t
listen. does not add up to a hill of
beans when compared to a place
where people will.

Are people careful at canyon?

“Yes, | think people are being
more sare at the canyon.”
Secondary.

Craig, Argyle

“EE don't think peapie are berg
moce caretul at Lyn Canven Path.
Thay dot know enoueh about
whub oar heppen ait they ce some.
thing thas siumd. i peonie were
more rtatmed about the dangers
of cht uriping iden tthink there
wold be the ameunt oF problems
there aco. There should be more
SHEDS. THere’ Ss very few sins
discouraging people trom «tnt

sue |

Taleeb Noor Mohamed,

George’s School.

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