1. Sandra Cash<br />ENG210-101<br />April 22, 2010<br />Unit 28 Assignment<br />Who influence young people in today’s world.<br /> Parents have wondered for a long time who influences the young people of today’s world. There have been many debates on who or what influences young people the most. There is not a specific group that has the most influence on young people today. Young people are influenced by friends, peers, societal rules etc... Each of these influences young people in different ways, and in some ways you did not think they possible. <br /> Family influence on young people is different than friends and peers. Family influence is huge on young people, but again it is different than friends, and peers. When young people don't have family that is active in their life they are quot;
lostquot;
and try to get attention from family. A recent event that has come to the public’s attention is the terrible case with Phoebe Prince in Massachusetts. It truly is a very sad story. To think she ended her live because of she was being bullied by her peers. The students, teachers and the administrators are the ones that get’s the blame. The parents are not to be blamed, when it’s their kids that hounded Phoebe to death. And yet the parents know nothing, and at that the are suppose to know nothing what so ever. It is the teachers, principal and everyone’s else’s fault. It’s never the parents! Young people are doing extreme things like this to get their parent’s attention. Parents and family influence young people more then most people think. Sadly most parents are busy with work, and when they come home are too tired to do things with their kids. The kids want this attention, but don’t know how to get it. This is because when they ask their parents to do something with them the usual answer the parents gives is “I’m too busy” or “I’m too tired how bout another time.” The “How about another time?” does not happen very often because they are still too busy and too tired, so the young person has to find a way to make their parents suddenly pay attention to them. Whether it is doing drugs, drinking etc... As long as it is something they know will get their parents attention, because it is what their parents do not want them to do. <br />When young people have family that is active in their life they are more prepared for the real world and are better off. “Parents do continue to shape teens' behaviors and choices as they face the challenges inherent in the years between childhood and adulthood” (Filipic). Parents actually influence their kids more than they know. Kids with supportive parents have higher levels of self-esteem, higher grades in school, and greater academic success, as well as lower levels of withdrawal, depression, fighting, drinking, smoking and engaging in other risky behaviors. Finally parents who are healthy and involved with their kids, are more than like to have their kids who will copy their parent’s healthy actions. Parent’s don’t know how much they influence their kids, right now your kids might not thank you, but later on your kids will thank you. <br /> Another thing that influences young people is friends and peers. They influence on young people differently than societal rules. When young people have bad friends and bad experience with their peers they influence young people in bad ways. Many parents are worried that their kid is hanging around the “bad crowd.” They are very right to worry about this, after all this can really hurt their child. As this one Darlene Sagata can attest to. She has had horrible experiences while being a teenager. One time she had a fight with her mom and then ran away and was trying to find a way back home. Darlene’s friend told her that her guy friend would take her home. She had a bad feeling about the guy and knew she should not go with him. She told her friend how she felt about the guy, but her friend insisted that he was okay. She went against her judgment and later paid for it. “That ride became my nightmare. I was raped that night. I never fully recovered from that traumatic event but I thanked God that at least I was alive” (Zagata). Sadly Darlene did not have a good friend, but this does not mean all friends are like this. <br />When young people have good friends and good experiences with their peers they influence young people in good ways. Good friends and good experiences with young people’s peers can influence young people in many ways. Having peers and friends who are committed to doing well in school or to doing their best in a sport can influence you to be more goal-oriented. “Peers who are kind and loyal influence you to build these qualities in yourself. Even peers you've never met can be role models! For example, watching someone your age compete in the Olympics, give a piano concert, or spearhead a community project might inspire you to go after a dream of your own” (Teens Health from Nemours). <br /> Societal rules influence on young people differently than family, friends and peers. Some times societal rules influence young people in the wrong ways. Like rebelling by drinking, doing drugs etc... We all have a side of us that wants to rebel, if we did not have this side there would be no America. But when we rebel it ways that will hurt your self’s this is not a good thing what so ever. “Many adolescents start to drink at very young ages. In 2003, the average age of first use of alcohol was about 14, .…People who reported starting to drink before the age of 15 were four times more likely to also report meeting the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives (9). In fact, new research shows that the serious drinking problems (including what is called alcoholism) typically associated with middle age actually begin to appear much earlier, during young adulthood and even adolescence” (National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism) Do you want to know what’s even scarier about how societal rules influence young people.<br />“Other research shows that the younger children and adolescents are when they start to drink, the more likely they will be to engage in behaviors that harm themselves and others. For example, frequent binge drinkers (nearly 1 million high school students nationwide) are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including using other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, having sex with six or more partners, and earning grades that are mostly Ds and Fs in school (10). (National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism)”<br />Some times societal rules influence young people in an amazing ways like in the blind side and stand and deliver. Jaime Escalante gave hope to young people that were troubled students in a rundown school known for violence and drugs. “While some had dismissed the students as quot;
unteachable,quot;
Escalante strove to reach his students and to get them to live up to their potential” (Biography.com). These students he thought later went on to great things they never thought they could achieve. Erika Camacho was one of his students and because he got her to live up to her potential she is now a Ph.D. and math professor at Arizona State University. In the blind side Michael Oher had plenty of tutors who helped him. His tutor Sue Mitchell started working with him and he gained so much knowledge. They worked together for hours on end every day, as soon as he came home from school. Most times they would work past 11:30 p.m. and even into early morning. Now look where he is today, he’s a playing NFL football! All because some teachers and tutors decided to work with him one on one no matter how long it took just to make sure he reached his dreams! <br /> This is not to scare you out of your whit ends or to make parents worry even more. This is just to show that a lot of people and things influence young people. Sometimes they influence young people in good ways and sometimes in bad ways, but you can not say one thing influences more then any of the rest. They all have their different ways they influence young people. <br />Works Cited BIBLIOGRAPHY Bates, Karen Grigsby. npr.com. 9 March 2010. 22 April 2010 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124491340>.Biography.com. 2010. 22 April 2010 <http://www.biography.com/articles/Jaime-Escalante-189368>.Blackstone, John. ABC News. 4 March 2010. 22 Apriil 2010 <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/04/eveningnews/main6267789.shtml>.Cohen, Richard. The Washington Post. 6 April 2010. 22 April 2010 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/05/AR2010040503549.html?hpid=opinionsbox1>.Filipic, Martha. Ohio State University Extension. 8 August 2006. 22 April 2010 <http://www.ohio4h.org/~news/story.php?id=3743>.National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism. January 2006. 22 April 2010 <http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa67/aa67.htm>.Pressure, Peer. Teens Health from Nemours. March 2009. 22 April 2010 <http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/friends/peer_pressure.html#>.SCHNEE, ROB WALLACE and STEVE. abc News. 23 December 2009. 22 April 2010 <http://abcnews.go.com/2020/BlindSide/blind-side-michael-oher-story/story?id=9390739&page=1>.Zagata, Darlene. Associated Content. 31 March 2008. 22 April 2010 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/682121/tips_for_teens_and_parents_when_kids_pg2.html?cat=25>.<br />