OVERVIEW

Youth workers need to fulfill their social obligation to help kids process the media (specifically television) and its effects on them.

LEADER PREPARATION

• Conduct a survey on at least 20 kids ages 13-19. Ask any of the following questions:
  • What are your five favorite TV shows?
  • Do you think TV influences people’s value systems?
  • Have you ever seen a friend do or want to do something they saw on TV?
• Process the data you obtain and prepare to share it in a concise manner.
• Start taping a few popular shows on a regular basis to be used for a group discussion.
• Select a short scene of a popular show as it depicts questionable values.

GROUP BUILDING

Open the meeting with a game or by asking fun questions from The Book of Questions.

GROUP PRESENTATION

• Share the results of the survey.
• Show the clip from the TV show.

GROUP DISCUSSION

Ask any of the following questions to generation conversation:

• What values are communicated in the TV clip?
• Are you surprised by the results of the survey?
• Do you think you might become desensitized certain questionable values because of TV?
• Who are positive TV role models?
• Where else besides the media do you learn values?

Since adolescents watch 2-4 hours of TV a day, their values are bound to be influenced positively and negatively.

FOLLOW-UP

For the next week, ask students to pay closer attention to the values depicted on their favorite television programs and jot down anything interesting that they notice. Discuss their observations and thoughts at the next meeting.

Beth Crimmins cCYS