Introduction
Various organizations exist that provide help to young people and adults. They aim to furnish such services that would enable individuals to transition from the violent setting and surrounding to a harmonious one. That is to say, these organizations serve as mediators and they ensure not only the psychological help but also assistance in overcoming the existing barriers.
Overall Idea
It is worth noting that to change the situation, one person with leadership traits will be enough to initiate activities and lead people towards achieving a mutual goal. A group of people, in turn, will be able to make a significant contribution due to a consistent strategy for resolving or preventing an issue. From youth violence, a group of individuals can have great potential since by influencing the situation at the local level (for instance, at the scale of their neighborhood), it will be possible to raise leaders who will continue this work and will promote the initiative further.
The idea, which I would like to propose, is the social support of the younger generation at the level of community and educational institutions that are engaged in teaching the children of this neighborhood (Sundaram 17). In particular, the essence of the idea lies in the primary prevention of violence through an understanding of mechanisms of youth violence evolvement. Consequently, the main activity of the group will be to carry out preventive work to avert such social phenomena.
It is crucial that people with any basic education who are willing to help the younger generation can engage in such activities. Their main task will be to prevent youth violence through the formation of a specific informational and cultural space for the life of minors (Sundaram 17). Notably, the cooperation with families and schools is essential for success.
Justification
It is important to mention that prevention should be a priority social task for society. Resolving the existing problem of violence requires intervention from a wide variety of specialists while preventive measures are available for everyone and anyone can contribute. Prevention is a capacious concept that encompasses all aspects of social life, and its successful application will contribute to the restructuring of consciousness and the psychology of young people (Sundaram 22).
It will increase their internal culture and improve their interpersonal relationships and situation in the family as well as in communication with peers. In general, primary preventive measures will influence the value attitude of young people and form in them responsibility for their behavior and will help to establish anti-violent attitudes, which will radically change the life of society instead of trying to cure it. Consequently, the primary intervention will put the young person’s personality at the center of all activities and influence the main spheres of life and social environment.
Based on these principles, the work will be aimed at conveying information about forms of behavior and opportunities for development. Besides, the younger generation will understand the alternatives that are available to them because they will be able to realize their internal motives and needs (Harvey 13). Moreover, it will form in them the sustainable notions about opportunities for development and support of youth and ways of receiving help in the case of difficult life situations.
Purpose
The purpose of organizing people into an active group is to prevent the impact of negative internal and external factors on young people. It is important to stress that almost every child runs the risk of being engaged in violent activities either directly or indirectly. This socially conditioned phenomenon is formed by several factors; therefore, the work of the group will be aimed at their simultaneous prevention.
Internal factors that influence the occurrence of violence among young people include such aspects as self-esteem, hyperactivity, and aggressiveness, lack of new interests or desire to acquire new knowledge. Also, the inability to make decisions in difficult situations or to understand feelings and emotions leads a person to aggression. Moreover, poorly developed communication skills also contribute to the emergence of violent intentions. Also, external factors are directly related to the socio-cultural, physical, and family environment of a person (Sundaram 27). The pressure to which a minor is subjected, the lack of satisfaction with studies, poor relationships with relatives or peers, a sense of loneliness in solving problems, and the cruelty that a minor observes inevitably leads to psychological instability.
The purpose of uniting people into a group of activists is to influence the problem field multilaterally and provide individuals with such help and support that can help in their cases. Consequently, the group’s activities will address all factors leading to the use of violence and induce minors to stop tolerating harassment against themselves and other people. It will be achieved by encouraging them to form a strong social personality and develop an attitude to confront risk factors with the help and support of adults.
To organize the work of the community group, it is essential to attract everyone ready to exhibit active social position and contribute to improving the lives of the younger generation. It is essential to involve residents of the neighborhood since they know the current issues in their area and can specify what difficulties or limitations the younger generation experiences. Besides, it is crucial to engage families of youth violence victims and those committing it to ensure a more comprehensive approach to resolving the situation.
Apart from that, it would be helpful to collaborate with the staff of schools located in the neighborhood since the participation of specialists in the field of child education will allow employing the best instructional and methodological techniques to establish successful communication and bonding with the participants (Sundaram 17). Importantly, almost any safe location in the local area is suitable. For instance, the housing of the leader can serve as a starting point for organizing meetings and, as the number of participants grows, it will be possible to resort to the resources of the community center and consult school’s headmaster whether any meeting with teachers and families could be organized at school’s premises.
It terms of the required resources, at the implementation stage, only basic resources are needed such as paper and markers to make copies to attract people to join the group. Notably, no expensive handout materials will be created since they can be gathered for free at rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and other institutions. The purpose is not to produce educational materials but to help families and children interpret them, become health literate, and self-aware.
The possible results of the group’s activities will be the increased awareness of both families and children of the roots of violence and understanding of the alternatives that exist and are available to them. Also, joint performance will assist in forming closer relations among community and family members. However, more importantly, the participants will be able to understand their moods and attitudes, reassess their behavior, and influence others to become responsible for their actions.
Concluding Points
To make this idea happen, I can initiate the work of the group by functioning as its leader and inspiring others to join. Notably, this idea is, in fact, implementable because the issue of youth violence is indeed characteristic of the neighborhood and people need a leader to start working on the issue jointly. Since the residents are people with various backgrounds, it will be possible to make use of their experience and expertise for the benefit of the group.
To initiate action, it will be necessary to communicate with the residents to figure out who is ready to become a member of the group and who is willing to join in perspective to specify which factors could attract them. After it is clear who is ready to become active participants in the change process, it will be essential to contact local schools and centers to determine which help could be provided from their side. During the first group meeting, it is crucial to inform individuals about the findings to inspire them and prove that, all together, people can truly make a difference using the local resources that are available to them (Sundaram 17).
Thus, it can be concluded that I can do quite a lot to make this idea happen. My role will be to take the initiative and attract people to join me in the effort of improving the life of underage children, which is their main interest as well. Therefore, a change could start with one or several persons who will inspire others and raise initiative in them as well.
Work Cited
Harvey, Miles. How Long Will I Cry: Voices of Youth Violence? Big Shoulders Books, 2013.
Sundaram, Vanita. Preventing Youth Violence. Springer, 2014.