Youth Problems

I would like to address the problem of youth crime and drugs in Highland Crest and how we can help our youth join events and clubs to keep them out of trouble and learn hard work, gain self-esteem and strive to have a goal. The problem of youths abusing drugs, joining gangs, and committing crimes in our area has been increasing in an alarming way. Now a day's not many people are trying to do anything to help our youth. The kids that are committing these crimes and abusing drugs are affecting not only our community but also themselves; this is why we need to change this situation to help them

These kids are breaking into other peoples homes and stealing anything they can get their hands on. They are shooting and killing each other over the color of their clothes. They walk the streets, smoke weed and you will even see them late at night all drugged up and tweaked out of their minds on meth. More teens are getting more involved in hard drugs, not just marijuana. Gangs are getting more populated and growing in this area. It is tearing this community and families apart. The area is getting worse, there use to be 3 parks, a basketball court, a bowling alley, a skating rink, a pool hall, and a restaurant but they all went out of business or gone; this is part of the reason why these kids are getting into so much trouble. There is nothing for them to do no more here. Other parents and older couples that have been here for years are moving out because they do not want their property destroyed anymore or do not want to see their youngest kids get into gangs and drugs like their eldest child. We have to put a stop to this and help these kids before they end up in jail or dead, and so no more home burglaries, car jacking's, kids hooked on drugs and killings keep happening in our area. We need to make this neighborhood safe again for our kids and for all the families here. Like it or not, these kids are the future of our economy. We can set back and watch or do something about it before it spirals out of control even more.

Here is look at the youth crime statistics in Kansas City, Ks. Murders 5, Rape 8, Robbery 23, Aggravated battery 19, Burglary 71, Theft 262, Motor Vehicle Theft 12, Arson 7, Kidnapping 1, and Simple battery 144. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) compiled the following 2012 statistical crime report based on the data submitted by local and state law enforcement agencies prior to 4/30/2013.

There are many things that we can do as parents and as a community to help our youth from committing crimes and being in gangs and to help them succeed. What is most important is to increase the opportunities for after-school activities, and summer employment for teens, which not only provides and helps them with constructive activity, but also teaches them money management skills. We need to set up sports programs, which can be held at the turner community center and at turner pool. We need to introduce evening basketball, volleyball, dodge ball, weightlifting, and swimming. Turner recreation has kid's sports all year around, from 4-16 years of age. We can train and hire some of the youths to referee and umpire the games along side professional referees and umpires.

This is how we can train, prepare, and hire the youths to become a certified referee and umpire. We can host a one day, eight hour weekend course; this course will be held before the beginning of every seasonal sport. During the course, they will be given a rule book, and we will go over the rule book with them. The rule book will be over the basic rules, such as fouls, the point systems, policies regarding penalties, substitutions, and change in possessions. We can also have professional referees and umpires to help them with any questions they have. Once we have gone over the rule book and all their questions have been answered, we will provide them with an exam. This test will contain no more than 50 multiple choice questions and all answers will be located in the rule book. Upon successful completion of the test, they will be awarded a certificate of completion and became an official youth referee and umpire. Then, they are provided a schedule with times and locations of each game they will be working. We will also provide them with the necessary equipment they need for each game. This is how we can help these kids get a job and become a certified official referee and umpire. It will help them gain responsibility, work ethic, and how to interact with others, and provide them with steady employment.

All these events will help keep kids active and keep them off the streets and out of trouble. We as parents, faculty, and as a community we can volunteer are time to help these kids and maybe become a role model. As a result, these youths are going to realize how much fun they are having and meet other youths just like them selves going through the same troubles. Some of them can also earn money doing it. We need to be there for them, not just lock them up, and forget about them. In addition, we need to have parents become more emotionally and spiritually involved in their teen's lives. Therefore, the parents need to educate and show their kids the risk of joining gangs and how having a criminal record can affect the rest of their lives. Teens need to know their loved by their parents and that their parents are someone they can trust and look up to and count on. We as parents and a community could do a lot to solve these problems.

The main reason after school activities, such as sports, should be offered frequently to our youth is because you would get huge turnouts. The gym and pool our free and we can have plenty of volunteers to help go around and talk to these kids and get them into the gym, pool, and playing sports. Most of the kids would love it. They are dying inside for a self belonging, and they have no where in the community to go. This will give them a place to turn to, to get away from that lifestyle. This gives them a way to build a their self-esteem, by teaching them how to set goals, work hard, accomplish tasks, understand their body, and learn from failure. Introducing youth kids to sports is just one of the ways they can build these skills. A research has demonstrated that afterschool programs can reduce juvenile crime and violence and other risky behaviors by providing alternative environments and activities from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the prime time for violent juvenile crime (Hall, Israel, & Shortt)

Another reason after school activities favor the benefits for troubled youths are because when a young person plays an organized sport, they quickly learn that they are working for the good of themselves as well as their team. There is something quite illuminating about doing something that benefits your friends, your teammates, and your community when participating on