Athma Pure Buddies: Mentor Teens and Their Parents on PNN

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Athma Pure Buddies: Mentor Teens and Their Parents

Posted by athma Posted on: 12/07/08

Athma Pure Buddies: Mentor Teens and Their Parents

Teens are the pillars of any community and the foundation of any country. We need to mentor them and their parents toward well-being in the community where they live. The competition is high among the job seekers in this global economy. Our challenges are new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence. So we need to educate or prepare our teens for success in their life and to keep this planet green and safe. Based on my knowledge of mentoring the teens in the community, I would like to bring some real challenges that teens face in this information age. So mentors or youth advocates can focus on this area. Some teens feel that they don’t have a love and acceptance from the family and the community. Some teens feel that they have lots of distractions in their state of minds and physical body due to the media, entertainment, eating habits and lack of sleep. They don't have a good time management either. Teens and parents admit these kinds of issues that teens face. But they don't know how to resolve it. The parents, teachers, community activists, mentors and youth advocates need more help from the community. One person can not fix everything. That is why, I brought this one for the good health of our country. Indeed, some teens feel that they don’t have good parents to guide them. They believe in their friends mostly than anyone else. Because their friends do care, love more and accept their views. Some teens ended up with friends to prosper; some teens ended up with friends who were engaged in gang related activities. These teens finally get depressed in their personal life. But they have good hearts; I feel I am sorry for them. Because they don’t have proper guidance and direction. So the professionals, especially teachers and parents, in the local community take an initiatives to mentor them using the athma-pure logics to become a well-being in the community. Please act, not just watch like bystanders. Make a change and get involved. Please don't say, I don't have time. Make your time. You will be proud by doing this volunteer job in your community.

Teen Depression is not a weakness but a serious illness with biological, psychological, and social aspects to its cause, symptoms, and treatment.

Symptoms of major depression or manic depression

Persistently sad, anxious, angry, irritable, or "empty" mood Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex, Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or over sleeping, Decreased appetite and/or weight loss, or overeating and/or weight gain, Fatigue, decreased energy, being "slowed down", Crying spells, Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts, Restlessness, irritability, Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions, Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and/or chronic pain.

Canadian novelist Douglas Coupland first coined "Generation X" to describe his own generation, which has been shaped by the following American family trends: They were born during one of the most blatantly anti-child phases in history. They were born into an era where their parents had the highest divorce rate in our history, the highest abortion rate, the highest dual income, and the most permissive parenting habits.
They were viewed as intrusive obstacles to their parents' self-exploration. There was terror on their streets. They were the most unsupervised generation in our history.

(Gen X-ers)
Born during the period 1961 - 1981
They are reactive

(Gen Y-ers)
Born after 1982
They are civic

Over the course of their lives, the career trends of Gen X-ers show that they will have 10 to 12 jobs during their lives, spend an average of three years in each job, and have three to four different careers. X-ers created 70 percent of the start-up companies in the 90s.
When Gen X-ers leave a job, it is for one or more of the following reasons: limited career growth, lack of promotion, lack of regular feedback on work performance, low pay, poor treatment from managers, lack of recognition, and stress— especially stress caused by understaffing.

In the workplace, Gen X-ers demonstrate the following differences and attributes compared with previous generations:

More collaborative and independent
Less hierarchical
More altruistic
Good at dealing with change
More comfortable with women bosses
More skilled in management
More tech-savvy (the first real information-age generation)
Financially savvy
Candid in communication
Self-reliant
Rule-shy
Not intimidated by authority
Creative
Strive for real balance between work and private life
Desire workplaces that feel like communities.

Managers have these common complaints about Gen-Xers and Y-ers:

They ask why.
They are unwilling to "pay their dues."
They are unwilling to "go the extra mile."
They are cynical and have a dim view of the world.
They are not committed.
They don't respect authority.
They are far more interested in things other than their jobs.
They want things now.

The following factors and characteristics would create the worst work environment for X-ers and Y-ers (and perhaps for many others):

Fear-based environment
Poor time management
Micromanagement
Politically based culture
Indirect communication
Opinions and ideas ignored
Prevalence of lip service, not action
Failure to give feedback and regular performance reviews
Meaningless raises
Insincere, gratuitous "thank you's"
People thrown into jobs without training
Disorganized, cluttered, or dirty workplace
Not telling the "why's"
"Because I said so" or similar attitudes
Unacceptable staff behavior overlooked.

Conversely, the best environment for X-ers and Y-ers would have offer the following:

Team-based management
Diversity
Exploration
Experimentation
The idea is the power, not the person
Team and individual credit
"Resume building" opportunities.
X-ers' and Y-ers’ requests are typically along these lines:
Appreciate us. Show you care.
Be flexible. Let us have a life beyond work.
Create a team. Give us the family we never had.
Develop us. Help us to increase our skills.
Involve us. Ask our opinions.
Lighten up. Remember, it's not brain surgery.
Walk your talk. Practice what you preach.

If X-ers and Y-ers have a common communication credo, it would be:

We believe in mutual respect, open communication, and the willingness to listen to each other.
We support the principle that we can respectfully disagree and still meet our goals.
We are willing to take responsibility for the quality and depth of our communication.
We do not assume to know the intentions behind each other's words or actions until we ask.
We avoid using blame to deflect our responsibility for direct communication.
When we have a disagreement with another team member, we will go immediately to that person to clear the air. When we communicate, we will focus on issues, situations, and tasks, not on persons; observable behaviors and events; the here and the now; and specifics rather than generalities.

If we cannot resolve a conflict ourselves, we will schedule time to meet with our manager or another appropriate third party to help us work through our issues.
We are willing to forgive one another when our imperfect communication results in misunderstandings or hurt feelings.
We will hold one another accountable for the above principles and guidelines.

To better understand working with people of Generation X and Y, explore these metrics and their implications in our evolving workplace:

Values
Motivation
Change
Philosophical
Political
Leadership/Management
Financial
Future
Diversity
Contribution
Work
Career
Focus
Loyalty

Please keep in mind, all these above logics will keep you reminded to act socially on teens behavior through guidance. I believe your actions will definitely work to improve the teens behavior and change their attitudes. Remember, teens are the pillars of the community and the foundation of the country.