David Strehlow Resources

To discover what teens are feeling pressure from in their culture and how they relieve this pressure.

OVERVIEW

LEADER PREPARATION

• Contact 10-20 students to be interviewed in a group setting.
• Set up arrangements to use the classroom and arrange the room.
• Prepare video equipment—camera, tripod, light, etc.
• Prepare refreshments for students.
• Prepare any kind of discussion starter media—music, videos, etc.
• Arrange meeting time to talk with students.

GROUP BUILDING

Provide a few refreshments and time to talk and relax. Activities may include serendipity games, trust walks, trust falls, and ultimate frisbee games. Prepare the group for the interview by using media as discussion starters to include:

• Segments from popular music videos.
• Segments from current movies.
• Magazines and let the students made a collage.

DISCUSSION

The following are suggested questions to ask during the group interview:

• What specific pressures do you feel inside the classroom?
• How do classmates put pressure on you inside the classroom?
• Should you confront someone if you know that they are cheating in school, using steroids, etc.?
• If someone said to you "I am pregnant," what would you say or do? Would you support that person?
• If someone said that they are tired of the pressure and have been doing drugs to relax, what would you say or do for this person?
• Is it hard for you to cry when you are feeling down and depressed?
• What kind of pressure do you feel from teachers, parents, and coaches if you had an older brother or sister already go through the school?
• Do you receive pressure from your parents to be successful in sports, music, dance, drama, etc.? If so, what kind of pressure do they give?
• What kind of pressure do your coach and teammates put upon you?
• Is there peer pressure for you to conform to the way they act? What are those ways?
• Is it difficult to resist someone who is offering you drugs or alcohol? Explain your answer.
• What kind of music do you listen to when you are down, frustrated, happy, etc.?
• What is your favorite rock group?
• What is your favorite song?

WRAP-UP

The youth worker can offer these suggestions for the kids participating in the group interview discussion (talk about these issues after videotaping):

• It would be good to ask for help from your parents on small "issues." If you ask for advice, you are making yourself vulnerable.
• Do not try to win on every front with your parents; let them win on issues that are not high on your priority list.
• It is beneficial to have a group of people or an individual to rely on or lean upon.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

It is important to recognize the sources of pressure and learn how to release these built-up frustrations in constructive ways—for example, physical conditioning, music, athletics, reading, talking with friends. It will also be beneficial to set up small group discussions to talk about parents, school, sports, peer pressure, and how we can help you to help yourselves.

IMPLICATIONS

• It is important to understand the teens of today. They rely on youth workers in special ways as they say, "Adults should be open and don’t always assume that they are always right. Be willing to listen to me. I am a person also." Allow kids to learn from their own experiences and suffer the natural consequences.
• Show interest in the youth culture. "Significant other" adults can help many frustrated youth to cope with high pressure situations.
• By hearing the needs of the youth, youth workers help to relieve the pressure on the family.