After recent teen-related violence, North Shore adults are trying to find ways to stop teens from hanging out, hassling people, or threatening people. Do you think there is a problem? What do you NATIONWIDE, THIRTY per cent of students attend- ing secondary schools drop out before graduation. People may categorize dropouts as irresponsible, even though this may not be the case. Research suggests that there are three main teasons why students drop out of school: personal, work-related or school-related problems. i think that one of the most common personal reasons that students drop out of school is low self-esteern — feeling bad about themselves and thinking that no- body cares. You feel alienated. You feel that you are not part of the group. ‘“Why do you need other people to make you feel better?” asked one of my friends. ‘If you work your brains out, and no one helps you, and you get a good mark, then you can reaily feel good about yourself. All that hard werk pays off. Who cares what otaer peopte think!’" “Of course you can be hapr; about what you have done,” } an- swered, “‘but you need to feel tat other people are behind you. This helps the way you see yourself. It is important for your own self- esteem.”’ Family problems — not getting TM SURE GOING TO GET YELLED AT For GETTING {Youth NEWS 006 ® ha ao enough support from your Parents, family financial problems, or not having parents at all — also may lead to a student’s dropping out. For example, if you are forced to leave home, you would have to find a place to live. You would, therefore, have to get a full-time job to pay rent. There goes school! Pregnancy is another reason that students drop out of school. Can you imagine having a baby and going to school at the same time — diapers, homework, bot- tles, teachers and babysitters. That’s a lot to handle for anyone, let alone somecne who is 17. There are work-related reasons that cause students to drop out of school. Some experis point out that students who work more than 18 hours per week tend to have problems concentrating on school. Work not only cuts into your time for school responsibilities but also cuts into your leisure time. Everyone needs a_ certain amount of time to relax. You end . up spreading yourself too thin and that simply leads to exhaustion and frustration. Other reasons why students drop out are school-related. Stu- dents whe are not doing well! in school may just give up, thinking that they are never going to make it. The more you think that way, the less work you do because you think that it’s simply not worth it. Giving up is the worst way to solve your problems. Some students say ‘‘school is boring,’’ but is it really? How is it that some teenagers enjoy certain schoo! activities and others just can% stand the thought that they could actually have fun in school? Maybe you feel that you just simply don’t fit in. If you don’t fit in, you don’t want to be there. Having friends to hang around with, even just walking by some- one and saying ‘“‘Hi,’’ knowing that you are a part of the school THAT WOULD BE coor! iT WOULD BE WE SOME ¢ ERE ee think should be done about it? "Phat 0 Wi ka Janousek STUDENTS WHO realize that they have to work to feel good about school and themseives will succeed. Avoid iow self-esteem that often leads to dropping out by getting involved with your school work and your classmates. can make a difference. School in itself may not be interesting enough to make,you do the work. Most teenagers think about what’s important to them now, and most of the time it’s their friends,not their future. Some of the students 1 spoke with saw their teachers as the problem. | think that every one of us has had teachers who they just cannot stand and would do any- thing to roast them in class. The best way to do that is to do what they say and get all your work done. Show them that you are better than they thought. Wher you drop out of school, you imiss out on a lot of things. You definitely miss out on all the fun that comes with graduation. You miss out on being a part of high school as a part of growing HOPNALE SHOT LATE-S#nr7) os up and that’s one of the mosi im- portant things in anybody’s life. Many of the students who I in- terviewed regretted dropping out. One student said, “‘If I could change the past, I would definitely change my sociai behavior. I would think about what I do and who I get involved with before making a really big mistake that would not only change my school years, but my whole life.’’ “I would change my _ atten- dance, come to school every day, do all my homework, and listen to Last week we asked what you think of the idea of kids having to do 75 to 100 hours of com- munity service work in order to graduate. ff kids need to do a fot of hours to graduate, then that’s what they've got to do. It’s like, if you've got s cheeseburger and you're not going to finish it, might as well not throw it away, might as well give it to somebody. That’s what happens in our community and community hours is a good way of servic- ing it. T think it would be of great value to the community, but 75 to 100 hours, that’s a bit far- fetched. 1 could see 10 to 15 or even 20 to 25, but 75 to 100 — I don’t think so. It would help get all those little projects done around the community. Peopie could paint buildings and go over. spray-painted walis and pick up garbage and clean parks and plaot flowers and help old people. I think it would be a great value to the community. it is really dumb that you have to do the 100 community heurs. What if you have a job or something? Then there’s no possible way you can do these community hours. That means if you don’t de them you can't graduate? I think that’s really dumb, if you have a good job. It’s kind of hard to choose be- the teacher. Skipping was one of -the main reasons that I dropped cut. I just missed too much and fell behind,’’ another said. It is clear that mest teenagers have problems, but the majority don’: let it get to them and they stay in school. They know that dropping out is no way out. Youth Views is written coopera- tively by the students of Sutherland secondary school’s video production career prepara- tion course. Monika Janousek is one the class’ four students. tween graduation or your job. T think it’s dumb, and I don’t think it should stay ia effect. E definitely think it’s a good idea because I do service hours for gym at schoo! and it’s definitely a good idea because you get to go cut into the community and experience cer- tain job situations and stuff. I think it’s a neate mosquito idea and it makes them work for what they need — their graduation. It’s good that they have to work but I think the hours are kind of steep — 75 to 100, that’s quite a bit. So more like 20, then I'd probably go for it. Sut I stitl think it’s a good idea. I think community service of 100 hours is 2 good idea if it means that you can graduate by doing that. It helps the commuzity and it’s a good way to help you to graduate so I am for that.