adolecents and youth

Adolescent and Youth Development Home

Talking Points

  • School social workers seek to ensure equitable education opportunities; ensure that students are mentally, physically, and emotionally present in the classroom; and promote respect and dignity for all students. 
  • Home, school and community collaboration is key to helping students achieve academic success.
  • Young people are positively or negatively shaped by their environments and the adults they encounter. 
  • Peers affect each other significantly in adolescence and help shape identity.
  • Youth who are bullied by their peers, LGBT teenagers, youth in gangs, and students who have special education needs are at greater risk for psychological and social problems and poor academic performance than their peers.
  • Youth gangs are no longer an inner-city problem; gangs are reported in every state and their memberships have increased in suburban areas, small towns, and rural areas.
  • Students who are struggling to obtain educational goals benefit when parents, teachers, and school social workers adopt a team approach to address problem areas and find solutions.
  • Depression is a debilitating illness that can adversely affect a teenager's social and academic life, and an increasing number of adolescents are diagnosed with depression at younger ages. 
  • Children have the right to equal access to education, to have opportunities for quality learning experiences, and to feel safe at school and in their communities.
  • Investing today in positive and nurturing environments for young people increases the number of productive and contributing citizens tomorrow.

http://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/swMonth/2012/toolkit/adolecentyouth/talkingpoints.asp
10/7/2013
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