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CWLA President/CEO Attends White House Conference on Teenagers
About 200 teens, parents, policymakers, and child welfare professionals gathered at the White House May 2, 2000, as the President and First Lady hosted the first White House Conference on Teenagers, "Raising Responsible and Resourceful Youth." CWLA President/CEO Shay Bilchik was among the diverse group of attendees, and participated in panel discussions on various issues impacting the lives of the nation's adolescents.
"The main theme reflected during the day was the need for adults to stay connected with kids as they work their way through adolescence," Bilchik said. "There is a separation that is natural-teenagers are pushing parents away as they assert their independence. But we need to be careful as parents not to avoid this difficult developmental stage by detaching ourselves from their lives."
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton stressed the importance for parents to maintain a connection to their teens in her opening remarks. "Sometimes even modest efforts to reach out to your teenager can make a tremendous difference. I believe one of the biggest casualties of modern life of fast food, TV, and more stressful days at work for parents, has been family time…when parents and children can check in on each other." She recounted times of frustration when dealing with daughter Chelsea during her adolescent years. "But studies are showing that for all their protest and swagger, teenagers need-and want-the everyday love, involvement, and discipline of their parents."
Bilchik noted, additionally, that children who may not have a strong and stable adult influence-children growing up in residential care, out-of-home care, or unstable homes-may have an even greater need for that connection, "and we need to come up with more creative approaches of reaching out to them."
While a great deal of emphasis was placed on teenagers' connection with adults, discussion also centered on the importance of teens' involvement in their communities. "Teenagers should have meaningful roles in their communities, and have a powerful voice in the decision-making process on issues that impact them," Bilchik said. "They need to be engaging in community discussions, and serving on boards of community programs or advisory panels. We need to listen to their views and ideas, and not just have a youth representative because it's in vogue."
Gabriella Contreras, a 14-year-old activist from Tuscon, Arizona, agreed. "I challenge adults to include us, encourage us, have faith in youth of all ages," she told MSNBC. "Volunteer with us to make a difference in our community, to enable us to have a voice."
New research on children's brain development also was presented at the conference. This research, by the National Institute of Mental Health, shows a growth spurt in adolescent brains that is key to later development. The findings also indicate that the preteen years-just as the first three years-are crucial in setting patterns for adulthood. "This means we can still reach many of the youth who in recent years have been written off as unreachable," Bilchik said. "New research provides a wake-up call to those who have been ready to give up on a whole segment of the current generation of young people."
Also released at the conference:
- The President's Council of Economic Advisers released a new study, Teens and Their Parents in the 21st Century: An Examination of Trends in Teen Behavior and the Role of Parental Involvement. Findings included rising education levels across ethnic groups, and increased school-based teen participation in community service. You can download the report in PDF format from the White House web site, www.whitehouse.gov.
- Talking with Teens: The YMCA Parent and Teen Survey Report was released. Key findings said that 78% of teens turn to their parents in times of need; 21%, however, say "not having enough time" with their parents is their biggest issue of concern. For additional information, contact Kristin Hurdle at 202/835-9043 or E-mail kristin.hurdle@ymca.net.
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