THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 1, 1996 TAG: 9512290008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
``Teens are looking for an antidote to boredom'' (Another View, Dec. 19) really opened my eyes to the problem of boredom faced by today's teens. As adults, we in Hampton Roads should respond to this serious situation by creating stimulating outlets for these underprivileged young people. Below I offer some modest steps toward this end. Some of the recommendations could involve the expenditure of large sums of public and private money, but solutions to truly serious problems do not always come cheaply:
1. Construct large buildings in every local city and fill them with books, videos and other materials. Furthermore, arrange for these materials to be borrowed by teens at no charge.
2. Build gymnasiums at every school and staff them with professional coaches and trainers. Offer dozens of choices of individual and team sports in which teens can have fun, build healthy bodies and compete for college scholarships.
3. Create large international organizations - one for girls and one for boys - that offer teens the opportunity to camp, explore the great outdoors and build life skills such as self-reliance and leadership while learning to respect the environment.
4. Create volunteer positions at local hospitals, retirement homes and animal shelters where teens can learn valuable lessons about life and possibly prepare for a career in the fields of medicine or veterinary care.
5. Ensure that the public schools offer after-school activities in every conceivable area. Some ideas might include school newspaper, yearbook staff, language clubs, chess, computer club, FHA, oceanography club, etc.
I know these ideas may at first seem novel (and perhaps even crazy), but they could go a long way toward solving the boredom crisis. After creating these opportunities, one can only hope that teens will have the good sense to take advantage of them.
MARTIN ROPER
Virginia Beach, Dec. 20, 1995 by CNB