The Problems of American Youth Essay -- Youth Young Adolescent Essays

The Problems of American Youth 1. Introduction This report briefly presents the problems of American youth. It consists of six parts. The first one deals with the general understanding of the teenagers in general. The second part conveys some facts about historic events and socio – historical context. The third one describes youths and their families and briefly shows the problems. The fourth part describes students and their schools. It conveys some details of educational system. The fifth part shows in what kind of activities can youths participate. The sixth part explain what problems do the youths face at. Finally the conclusions sum up all the parts and tries to show some looks to the future. 2. The Teenagers At 18 years of age, young people in the United States of America can take on most of the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. However, before that the young man is understood as a teenager. A young person between the ages of 13 and 19 has to deal with the problems of adolescence. Most people experience conflict during this period of their lives. At this time the young people are changing rapidly, both physically and emotionally. Moreover, they are searching for self-identity, which cause some difficulties. As the young people are growing, they are developing their own values of life that often differ from the ones of their parents. It must be said that teenagers are influenced by the values expressed by their friends, newspapers, television, magazines and teachers. It is good if these expreesed values are suitable for young people and affect them in the right way. During this period of life, young people begin to participate in social activities. They begin to do more things in the company of members of the opposite sex and fewer things in the company of their families. All youths face a certain problems. Some young people have difficulties in their relationship with their parents. Some of them have problems at school, which may lead to use of alcohol or drugs or even grow to refusal to go school or running away from home. Some teenagers even can turn to crime. However, some teenagers, who face such problems, are making positive and important contributions to their communities, schools and society. Many teenagers are studying for college entrance exams or working at part-time jobs after school. Others are volunteering a... ...ancies. Some programs rely on strong counseling against premarital sex and others provide contraceptive counseling. About one million young people run away from home each year. Most return after a few weeks, but others turn to crime. New programs are created to help troubled youths. Young people can go after school and talk with counselors, receive academic tutoring or take part in social activities. 8. Conclusions Most American youths look forward to their future with hope and optimism. American youth now focus on their education and career. They admit that hard work lies ahead and claim they are willing to make the sacrifices needed to reach their goals. Many young people are headed toward four – year colleges and universities. Many other look forward to getting job after high school. Others plan on getting married. Other young people intend to join the armed forces or volunteer organizations. American youth are concerned about problems confronting both their own communities and the world around them. They faced such important issues as drug abuse, AIDS and environment problems. The youth are concerned with global issues such as nuclear war and world hunger.

Civil Rights/Secret Life of Bees

Bridget Baker Mrs. McQuade Period 2 4/10/12 Racial Discrimination and Segregation In 1619 the very first African Americans arrived in America, coming over for the purpose of forced slavery. It’s been nearly four hundred years since then and African Americans are still not treated completely equal. But throughout the years major steps towards equality have been made and as a whole the United States is close to reaching this goal. The first key action taken was abolishing slavery in 1865, but African Americans didn’t start gaining equal rights until 1955 during the Civil Rights Movement.The African American Civil Rights Movement aimed to eliminate all racial discrimination and segregation in America and demonstrated throughout Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of the Bees. In America, African Americans were not only treated unequal, but looked down upon to the majority of whites. The Civil Rights Movement was from 1955 all through 1968 and was carried out through bot h violent and non-violent acts with the support of leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. MLK Jr. tood on the side of non-violence, believing that by getting the public’s attention to how blacks were being treated there would be a sense of sympathy and change of heart towards African Americans. During one of the non-violent protests, March of Washington, MLK Jr. gave the famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech to 200,000 civil rights supporters who were gathered at the front of the Lincoln Memorial, stretched past the reflecting pool. In this speech he said, â€Å"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. † These were some of the most powerful words during the Civil Rights Movement and exposed to the people the true hurt blacks felt. MLK Jr. s approach was very successful in the gaining freedom from oppression by white Americans, but Malcolm X also contributed to the movement. Malcolm X believed more in black supremacy and not as strongly about white and black integration.Though some views were different than MLK Jr. ’s, the overall idea was the same, which was shown in his famous â€Å"The Ballot or the Bullet† speech saying, â€Å"Human rights are something you were born with. Human rights are your God-given rights. Human rights are the rights that are recognized by all nations of this earth. Malcolm X talks about the human rights, which includes all races. With the help of leaders like MLK Jr. and Malcolm X, the nation focused on civil rights for African Americans, and slowly began to improve. With each year more rights, such as voting, were given to all blacks and the amount of segregation rapidly decreased. Some racial discrimination still exists, but has reduced majorly since the African American Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement is such a significant part of America’s history that it has been an influence in books, movies, and much more.For example, in the novel The Secret Life of the Bees by Sue Monk Kidd black racial discrimination and segregation are exposed. The story is about a young white girl, Lily, who is raised mostly by her nanny and housekeeper, Rosaleen, who is African American. The first obstacle of racism that is shown is when Rosaleen is finally given the opportunity to vote after new law changes, but is taunted by white men on her way and is thrown in jail when she retaliates. Next, Lily finds herself in the house of three African American sist ers, seeking a place to live her.While contemplating lettering her stay, one of the sisters stress, â€Å"But she’s white†¦ â€Å" (Kidd 87). Though it seems as if it’s the white girl being discriminated against, but in reality blacks know the trouble that this gives themselves and how much trouble they could get in for this. The integration of blacks and whites was not only rare because it was looked down upon, but also because consequences would be given. Lily grows more than a friendship with a young African American and regardless of their feelings it’s nearly impossible for them to become anything more because of the fear of him getting in trouble for it.He explains this to her as, â€Å"Lily, I like you better than any girl I’ve ever known, but you have to understand, there are people who would kill boys like me for even looking at girls like you,† (135). Even those whites willing to integrate could not do it by themselves and during t he Civil Rights Movement it brought everyone together willing to desegregate races. It was not immediate, but racial discrimination and segregation have extremely lessoned. From the beginning of America an ongoing battle with African American discrimination has occurred.In the Declaration of Independence written in 1776 it states, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. † The fight for equality of blacks still is present, even though they are citizens of the United States of America. The Civil Rights Movement was a fight for African Americans to receive the rights and equality they should have been given since day one. Racial discrimination and segregation are what America claims to be against, and it was the Civil Rights Movement that slowly gave the equality to African Americans, as they deserve along with all Americans.

Whats the Difference Between a Zoo and a Sanctuary

Animal rights advocates oppose keeping animals in zoos, but support sanctuaries. They  oppose keeping animals in zoos because imprisoning the animals for our entertainment violates their right to live free of human exploitation. Even if the animals are of an endangered species, keeping them in a zoo for the sake of the species violates their rights because the good of the species cannot be put above the rights of the individual. On the other hand, sanctuaries rescue animals who cannot live in the wild and can survive only in captivity. How Zoos and Sanctuaries Are Similar Both zoos and sanctuaries confine wild animals in pens, tanks, and cages. Many are operated by non-profit organizations, display animals to the public and educate the public about animals. Some charge admission or request a donation from visitors. How Theyre Different The main difference between zoos and sanctuaries is how they acquire their animals. A zoo might buy, sell, breed, or trade animals, or even capture animals from the wild. The rights of the individual are not considered. Animals are often overbred because zookeepers like  having a constant supply of baby animals to attract the public. Zoo patrons expect to see lively, active animals, not old, tired animals. But the overbreeding leads to overcrowding. Excess animals are sold to other zoos, circuses, or even canned hunting.  The animals are acquired to satisfy the interests of the zoo. A sanctuary does not breed, buy, sell or trade animals. A sanctuary also does not capture animals from the wild  but  acquires only animals who can no longer survive in the wild. These might include injured wildlife, confiscated illegal exotic pets,  exotic pets who are surrendered by their owners, and animals from zoos, circuses, breeders, and laboratories that close down. A Florida animal sanctuary, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, intentionally keeps some animals out of sight so the animals dont interact with the public. These animals have a chance of being released back into the wild if they recover from their injury or illness. The animals that will never have a chance at release, such as orphaned baby black bears who were raised in captivity and dont know how to survive in the wild; Florida Panthers who were once pets so their claws and some teeth have been removed; and snakes who have been hit with shovels and blinded or otherwise impaired, allowed to be seen by the public. While a zoo may argue that they serve an educational purpose, this argument does not justify the imprisonment of the individual animals. They may also argue that spending time with the animals inspires people to protect them, but their idea of protecting the animals consists of taking them out of the wild to confine them in cages and  pens.  Furthermore, animal advocates would argue that the main lesson taught by the zoo is that we have the right to imprison animals for humans to gawk at. Zoos love to use the old, tired argument that when children see an animal, they will have an affinity for it and want to protect it. But heres the thing, every kid on earth loves dinosaurs but not one kid has ever seen a dinosaur. Accredited Zoos Some animal welfare advocates distinguish between accredited zoos and roadside zoos. In the United States, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) grants accreditation to zoos and aquariums that meet their standards, including procedures for animal health, safety, guest services,  and recordkeeping.  The term roadside zoo is often used to mean a zoo that is unaccredited, and generally is smaller, with fewer animals and inferior facilities. While the animals at roadside zoos may suffer more than animals at larger zoos, the animal rights position opposes all zoos, regardless of how big the cages or pens are. Endangered Species Endangered species are those that are in danger of becoming extinct in a significant portion of their range.  Many zoos participate in breeding programs for endangered species, and may someday be the only places where some species exist. But imprisoning a small number of individuals for the sake of the species violates the rights of the individual. A  species does not have rights because it is not sentient. Species is a scientific category designated by people, not a sentient being capable of suffering. The best way to save endangered species is by protecting their habitat. This is an effort everyone has to get behind because we are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction, and we are losing animals at a terribly rapid rate. It may seem confusing to people when they see animal rights advocates boycotting zoos while supporting sanctuaries. The same might be true when animal advocates oppose keeping pets but have rescued cats and dogs from shelters. The important factor to consider is whether we are exploiting the animals or rescuing them. Shelters and sanctuaries rescue animals, while pet shops and zoos exploit them. Its really very simple.