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Friday 26 August 2011

Pro-active local outreach programs and the teens

Most Pro-Active Local Outreach Programs are created and become suitable venues for teenagers who want to help their communities. Selected communities throughout the country where the programs are held had extended their gratitude and wish to become beneficiaries again. The teens want to join these programs and their parents are always there to encourage them. What makes these programs attractive to teens? What are the benefits it could give to these teenagers? Most outreach programs consist of various components such as supervised community service; classroom discussion and evaluation of outreach program related experiences, as well as discussions involving social and development issues involving the adolescences The supervised community service is the foremost reason why the teenagers are attracted to the program. Various activities involving community building are held in different communities. It is not surprising to see buses full of teenagers with streamers gaily put announcing that the activity is an outreach program. Community service include tree planting, gathering trash along the seashore, environmental awareness, participating in light construction jobs in poor stricken areas as well as educational programs such as teen tutoring and others. These are being conducted in cooperation with the host local government unit and numerous sponsoring agencies. This phase gives the teens the opportunity to work on volunteer basis and share their part in nation building, meeting new friends, and develop values such as nationalism, team work and discipline. Classroom discussion revolves around the experiences of the participants while they participate in those community building activities. The discussions are focused in assessing what the participants feel, how they see themselves as community builders, how these activities change their outlook and how can they contribute more for the progress and development of their communities. On the other hand, the last component are focused on key social issues involving the teens themselves and related topics such as how to avoid drugs, teen pregnancy, alcoholism among the young people, all aimed to guide the teens towards becoming law-abiding and fruitful citizens of the country. Activities in the pro-active local outreach programs for teens are managed by experts from various fields. In regular activities, there is always a facilitator or mentor that facilitates the discussion on values, human growth and development. While developing some skills, the teens have also assimilated instructions about leadership qualities and the use of proper communication. You see, these teen local outreach programs are trainings, personality development and many others encapsulated into one simple yet highly commendable activity. Reports show that the program is really successful in its aims. There is evidence to show that teen pregnancy rate among the participants had been reduced, there is less suspension in schools as well as reduced risk of course failure. These successes could be attributed to the holistic approach towards guiding, counseling and helping the students. If one of the discussions involved families, it is therefore necessary for the parents to have active participation in the program. The parents are in a better position to initiate a free discussion with their children on matters involving the whole family. This way, the outreach programs could be more successful because the participants have already learned these issues at home. What makes these local outreach programs attractive to teenagers? The teens want to get involved in the community, to contribute to its progress, to earn personal growth and all of these are found in these programs.

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