The spirit of giving is alive among teenagers - American Thought - Statistical Data Included

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 2002 by Scott Poland

ASHLEIGH CROWE of Suffield, Conn., organized a volunteer group called Ashleigh's Army to help improve living conditions and education in a small Dominican Republic village. Francesca Tenconi of Walnut Creek, Calif., founded the Children's Skin Disease Foundation and raised more than $100,000 to support research and start a summer camp for children with skin diseases. William Dunckelman of Houma, La., started a national program that brings fine arts programs to senior citizens via audio cassettes, videos, and literary collections.

These teenagers are among America's top 10 youth volunteers of the year, named national honorees in 2002's Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, which pays tribute to youngsters in the fifth to 12th grades for exemplary community service. The deeds of teens like Crowe, who is 16, or Tenconi, 17, do not get the same kind of media attention as the acts of those who terrorize the nation's schools and violate Americans' sense of security. While it is impossible to ignore the shooting tragedies in schools across the country in recent years, it is imperative to recognize that today's youths too easily fall prey to false characterizations based upon the actions of just a handful.

Volunteering has become a trend amongst teens, and I have noticed in the aftermath of staggering tragedies how important it is for them to get involved to make the world a better place. I am proud to be on the board of Mothers Against Violence Everywhere, an organization that sponsors chapters of Students Against Violence Everywhere in schools in every state, and I am very impressed with the commitment these young people have to prevent violence by and against children. Young people are improving their communities with peer counseling and tutoring, coaching sports, participating in school governments, creating programs for the needy, spearheading fights against threatening diseases, and teaching seniors to use computers. Many were out in force long before the horrific events of Sept. 11 reminded us that there is an even-greater need to help others. The rate of teen volunteerism has been steadily on the rise ever since Pres. Bush issued a Call to Service for all Americans to commit at least 4,000 hours over their lifetime to volunteerism.

Today's teenagers behave better than they did even a decade ago, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Rates of murder, school violence, drug abuse, criminal arrest, violent death, and gun fatality have declined over the last 15 years. Compared to their counterparts in the 1970s, teenagers in the late 1990s showed a 25% lower per-person rate of gun deaths, a slightly lower rate of suicide, a 30% lower rate of murder arrests, a 50% lower rate of criminal arrests, and an 80% lower rate of deaths from drag abuse.

National surveys show 90% of today's teens are happy and feel good about who they are; 80% get along with parents and other adults; and more youngsters volunteer for charities and services than ever. The Carnegie Foundation has outlined that, for success, it is important that teens:

* Have significant adults involved in their lives in addition to their parents

* Have a sense of belonging at home, in their neighborhood, and at schools

* Perform three or more hours of organized activities each week

* Participate in volunteer activities to learn to focus on the needs of others.

Adults must set examples to motivate youths and steer them in good directions. To put an end to teen violence and copycat incidents, schools should develop curriculum prevention programs and end the "conspiracy of silence." Schools do not need to wait for a tragedy to implement initiatives that include managing anger, violence prevention, and learning to get along with others regardless of race or ethnicity. Equally important, school administrators must find a way to intervene before a student carries out violence. In many cases, students who have committed murders have voiced homicidal or suicidal thoughts. We need find safer ways to intervene constructively.

Volunteering is embedded in the American culture, and this ideal should continuously be handed down to young people. Youths volunteer because they want to have an impact. The Prudential Spirit of Community Youth Survey says kids also do so because it makes them feel good about themselves. Volunteering teaches them to collaborate, learn new skills, and find fulfillment in nonmaterial ways. Now in its seventh year, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, cosponsored by Prudential and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, receives applications from more than 35,000 public and private middle and high schools, as well as Girl Scout Councils and 4H groups. A record 28,000 youngsters participated this year, an increase of 22% from 2001. The program recognizes 104 state honorees--two individuals in each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Honorees receive $1,000, a silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.