EQUIPPING

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WELCOME
EQUIPPING RESOURCING
for BIG VISION
TEEN ISSUES   Saturday 6th NOVEMBER 2004  
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TEENAGE ISSUES

• EMOTIONAL ISSUES loneliness, anxiety,
  depression, suicide thought, anger etc..
• RELATIONAL ISSUES Love, dating, handling peer
  pressure, rejection,
• FAMILIAL ISSUES - overprotective parents,
  parental divorce, sibling rivalry, living in a
  single-parented family
• SEXAUL ISSUES Pornography, homosexuality,
  premarital sex, abortion,

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• ABUSE Nonsexual abuse, rape, ritual abuse
• ADDICTIONS alcohol, drugs, gambling
• DISORDERS Anorexia, bulimia, obesity, attention
  deficit disorder
• EDUCATIONAL ISSUES dropping out, underachieving
• PHYSICAL ISSUES living with a deformity or
  disability, coping with long term illness
• VOCATIONAL ISSUES knowing Gods will, choosing
  a carrier

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PEER PRESSURE

• 22 of young people claimed they tried drugs
  because of peer pressure.
• 80 of black students claimed they didn't do well
  in school because of peer pressure.
• 80 of parents believed their children would not
  suffer from peer pressure if they wore school
  uniform to school.

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PEER PRESSURE

• Which line is the longest?

A
B
C
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Effects of Peer Pressure

• Depression these teens will often feel lonely,
  hopeless helpless and will often say things
  like, I wish I was dead, please not that
  sometimes young people can put on a hard exterior
  which in most cases does not portray how they are
  really feeing.
• Social Isolation Teens will often isolate them
  selves and look to superficial attachments to
  compensate for true needed affection, this is
  often seen in idolization of TV stars being seen
  as the ideal mates, friends ETC.
• Gang Affiliation many teens that join various
  gangs to so for personal security, belonging, and
  a sense of family. As these needs would have
  failed to be met in normal, healthier process of
  relating to peers.

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Effects of Peer Pressure

• Drug Use - Many teens will choose drug use as a
  way of coping with painful emotions that result
  from negative peer pressure and rejection.
• Sexual Activity The fact that young people
  would engage in sexual relationships is a strong
  indication of the power behind peer pressure that
  is paid for at such a high cost. The thought
  often is, we are all doing it, whats wrong with
  you?
• Stress - this will normally build up through the
  neglect and the pain of not having peers to whom
  they can share there challenges with.

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How do I meet their need?

• LISTEN You need to find time to sit and listen,
  do not minimize their pain but give them a chance
  to express them selves without the fear of
  reproach on either their friends or themselves.
  Do not ask too many questions, do not judge show
  love and individual interest.
• Empathize young people like all of us need to
  know that you generally care about their pain.
  They do not expect you to know what its like, so
  do not lie that you do, but acknowledge that you
  have some sense about what they are going through
  but you need their help to fully understand.
• AFFIRM Make sure that you affirm their value
  and worth which has been damaged. They might not
  receive your affirmation at first but it is
  crucial that it continues, they need to see your
  willingness to protect their worth as you offer
  unconditional relationship.
• DIRECT This will be at the point when you have
  gained the trust of the young person and a
  relatively good relationship is formed.

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How do I meet their need?

• Encourage them to turn to God in prayer
• Guide the young person to open expression of
  their fears, anger and be prepared to deal with
  the heart and call on to God for inner healing.
• Try to avoid dealing with their peers unless
  absolutely crucial, instead concentrate on them
  and build them up so that together you can
  strategies and not you telling them what they
  should do.
• ENLIST Help them to discover the causes, but
  also lead them to find healthy ways of meeting
  their needs. They will not be able to resist
  destructive influences unless they have healthy
  alternatives.
• REFER You may not be the best person to help
  them, always have the option to refer them to
  someone else. This is especially so when drugs,
  gangs or unwanted pregnancies. If you need to
  refer them, follow them up and still affirm them
  so that they are aware that you have not rejected
  them also.