{"id":5233,"date":"2019-02-10T13:53:40","date_gmt":"2019-02-10T21:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=5233"},"modified":"2020-09-02T11:03:52","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T18:03:52","slug":"state-of-the-youth-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/state-of-the-youth-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"State of the Youth 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i>A review and opinion\u00a0<\/i><i>by William Krestow, age 16<\/i><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5235\" src=\"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/image_soty2019_ymp.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"631\" height=\"897\" srcset=\"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/image_soty2019_ymp.png 631w, http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/image_soty2019_ymp-211x300.png 211w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 631px) 100vw, 631px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On February 6, 2019 in the John Muir High School Library, youth activists gathered for a meeting on annual accomplishments. With a single exception, it was a typical yearly progress meeting. There were few adults directly participating in the discussion; the purpose of the gathering is for adults to hear youth feedback. The 2019 State of the Youth was attended in majority by teens, with most participating as part of an organization (such as Teen Advisory Board, Day One, Youth Council, Youth Ambassadors,\u00a0 and Youth MOVE). Split among six priority areas, the attendees discussed major issues facing youth in Pasadena, such as Life Readiness and Transportation. However, this event\u2014while about youth, was not merely for youth; there was also attendance of police officers, program coordinators, and public officials such as the mayor.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the two-hour program, the discussion remained thoughtful, nuanced, and organized. While clear leaders of the gathering emerged, not one was an adult, and for the most part fueled the discussion admirably. Even those infrequently contributing had a veritable wealth of personal stories, anecdotes, and statistics at hand. Knowledge of the Pasadena\u2019s municipal functions was prevalent everywhere, from the discussion of school health policies to the debate over the Metro tap card system, attendees had a working awareness of Pasadena\u2019s practices. Yet there were also the inherent flaws present in all youth activism. The at-risk youth section of the homeless population was left unmentioned, harmful curriculum such as D.A.R.E. untouched on, and overall, Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) schools were the overwhelming center of discussion.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, the Life Readiness group presented excellent opinions on graduation, college, and life skills. The Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco group successfully dodged the base, hard-line anti-drug rhetoric in favor of a more nuanced conversation. United Youth Support group successfully engaged the younger members into a complex discussion of social and mental health. Access to Healthy Food Environments group admirably discussed school nutrition standards and cafeteria. The Feeling Free to Be Me group addressed the pressing problems of inflating social media usage as well as skyrocketing teen depression, anxiety, and stress rates. Most notably, the Transportation group integrated their ideas regarding schools within the larger context of Pasadena\u2019s struggles with municipal services such as the metro and buses. All the while, these issues were being observed not only by the program\u2019s adult coordinators, but also by public figures and police officers. As one police officer said, \u201cWe are very interested because we know you guys are where we\u2019re going, and so if we can get closer to you and fill the gaps [in a youth\u2019s support structure]. Especially on the law enforcement side, if we can fill the gaps now, then we don\u2019t have to worry about doing it later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Agreeing with the importance of youth activism was Pasadena\u2019s Mayor Terry Tornek who eloquently stated, \u201cI think it is important for our youth to speak up and to get engaged. And the problem frankly, from the city\u2019s point of view, is that there\u2019s constant turnover and so its hard as kids grow up and move through the system, sometimes there\u2019s not much continuity\u2026 But if you can take the longer view and realize that [the] people who come after you will benefit form that\u2026 I think these young people are learning some important lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To finish off the two-hour conference, youth members from each of the six groups presented on the conclusions of their group\u2019s discussions. The presentations were excellent. Each presenter had a clear working knowledge of their topic, clearly had a personal involvement or attachment in it, and decent ideas. The presenter referenced current programs which they\u2019d like to keep or alter, explored multifaceted viewpoints, and tailored their ideas specifically to those public officials in attendance. That being said, specific procedural ideas were uncommon, and precise figures were absent.<\/p>\n<p>It was here that the public officials attending proved their mettle. Each one in attendance payed undivided attention to each of the presenters, with some taking notes on their subject matter. Many were present during and after the discussions to urge public input to municipal processes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"jetpack-slideshow-noscript robots-nocontent\">This slideshow requires JavaScript.<\/p><div id=\"gallery-5233-1-slideshow\" class=\"jetpack-slideshow-window jetpack-slideshow jetpack-slideshow-black\" data-trans=\"fade\" data-autostart=\"1\" data-gallery=\"[{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/pasadena-library.net\\\/teens\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/18\\\/files\\\/sites\\\/18\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/StateOfTheYouth2019-5.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;5237&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;StateOfTheYouth2019 (5)&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Pasadena Public Library Teen Advisory Board members Carolyn, Taleen, Faith, and Sophie.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/pasadena-library.net\\\/teens\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/18\\\/files\\\/sites\\\/18\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/StateOfTheYouth2019-4.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;5236&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;StateOfTheYouth2019 (4)&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Students and youth advocates gathering at State of the Youth 2019.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/pasadena-library.net\\\/teens\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/18\\\/files\\\/sites\\\/18\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/StateOfTheYouth2019-3.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;5238&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;StateOfTheYouth2019 (3)&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Muir High students opening State of the Youth 2019.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}]\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>State of the Youth is organized by the Pasadena Youth Network and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pasadenapcyf.org\/what-we-do\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Partnership for Children Youth and Families<\/a>. Youth Network meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 4pm at Pasadena Central Library during the school year.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos by Jane Gov<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A review and opinion\u00a0by William Krestow, age 16 On February 6, 2019 in the John Muir High School Library, youth activists gathered for a meeting on annual accomplishments. With a single exception, it was a typical yearly progress meeting. There were few adults directly participating in the discussion; the purpose [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[48,148],"class_list":["post-5233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","tag-teen-advisory-board","tag-youth-network"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-1mp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5291,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/teen-advisory-board-october-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":5233,"position":0},"title":"Teen Advisory Board &#8212; October 2019","author":"Jane Gov","date":"October 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Pasadena Public Library - Teen Advisory Board, 10\/12\/19 Present:\u00a0 Genevieve, Sophie, Taleen, Liam, Angel, and guest Christopher C (MLIS student) Focus of October meeting: murder mystery, bullying prevention month, State of the Youth Assignment: murder mystery assignments Handouts: more murder mystery flyers Materials: murder mystery supplies \u00a0 Agenda \u00a0 Welcome\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Agendas &amp; News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Agendas &amp; News","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/agendas-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/tab_2019-10.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/tab_2019-10.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/tab_2019-10.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/tab_2019-10.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/tab_2019-10.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/10\/tab_2019-10.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4580,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/teen-advisory-board-february-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":5233,"position":1},"title":"Teen Advisory Board &#8212; February 2018","author":"Jane Gov","date":"February 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Pasadena Public Library - Teen Advisory Board Pasadena Health Department - Youth MOVE NationalJoint Meeting 2\/26\/2018, 6pm\u00a0Present: Armand, Brittany, Chris, Denisse, Enrique, Faith, Jane L, John, Jonathan G, Jonathan H, Laure, Liliana, Luke, Maya, Penelope, Sofia, Sophie, Taleen, Thomas, Isabella, & Youth MOVE National\u00a0Focus of February meeting: Mental Health\u00a0Agenda\u00a0Introductions (15\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Agendas &amp; News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Agendas &amp; News","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/agendas-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3777,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2017\/teen-advisory-board-february-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":5233,"position":2},"title":"Teen Advisory Board &#8212; February 2017","author":"Jane Gov","date":"February 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Teen Advisory Board 2\/6\/2017 Present: \u00a0Angel (Meep), Brittany, Genevieve, Hadley, Haneen, Jane L, KC, Liliana, Lucy, Madison, Maya, Mckenna, Sophie Below are brief notes from our meeting. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Debrief - Let\u2019s Talk Politics WriteGirl Poetry Workshop Volunteer training \u00a0 Changes - Volunteer sign-in procedures Friends book sale volunteers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Agendas &amp; News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Agendas &amp; News","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/agendas-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/tab_stateofyouth.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/tab_stateofyouth.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/tab_stateofyouth.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3781,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2017\/teen-advisory-board-march-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":5233,"position":3},"title":"Teen Advisory Board &#8212; March 2017","author":"Jane Gov","date":"March 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Teen Advisory Board 3\/13\/2017 Present: \u00a0Angel (Meep), Haneen, Bella, Jane L, Lauren, Liliana, Lucy, Madison, Maya, Mckenna, Nina, Sophie Below are brief notes from our meeting. Pre-meeting assignment Research the following topic: \u00a0Why are libraries essential to teens? Go through this research, and highlight parts that speak directly to you.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Agendas &amp; News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Agendas &amp; News","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/agendas-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/TAB_2017-03.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/TAB_2017-03.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/TAB_2017-03.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/TAB_2017-03.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/TAB_2017-03.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/TAB_2017-03.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4940,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/teen-advisory-board-january-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":5233,"position":4},"title":"Teen Advisory Board &#8212; January 2019","author":"Jane Gov","date":"January 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Pasadena Public Library - Teen Advisory Board, 1\/14\/19 Present: \u00a0Carolyn, Chris, Emilie, Faith, Liam, Liliana, Lauren, Luke, Sophie, Taleen Focus of January meeting: spring event, SRC prizes & graphics Assignment: SRC prize research: To prep for our next meeting, please do a bit of research on what you would like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Agendas &amp; News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Agendas &amp; News","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/agendas-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/01\/SocialMedia_-stateof-theyouth2019.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/01\/SocialMedia_-stateof-theyouth2019.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/01\/SocialMedia_-stateof-theyouth2019.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/01\/SocialMedia_-stateof-theyouth2019.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4984,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/teen-advisory-board-february-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":5233,"position":5},"title":"Teen Advisory Board &#8212; February 2019","author":"Jane Gov","date":"February 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Pasadena Public Library - Teen Advisory Board, 2\/11\/19 Present: \u00a0Aminda, Carolyn, Chris, Emilie, Genevieve, Haile, Liam, John, Jonathan G, Mckenna, Sophie Focus of February meeting: advocacy Assignment: \u00a0I\u2019m in the process of updating our online library guides and it would help me out tremendously if you can let me know\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Agendas &amp; News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Agendas &amp; News","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/agendas-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/02\/Photo-Feb-11-7-31-55-PM-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/02\/Photo-Feb-11-7-31-55-PM-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/02\/Photo-Feb-11-7-31-55-PM-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/02\/Photo-Feb-11-7-31-55-PM-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/02\/Photo-Feb-11-7-31-55-PM-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/02\/Photo-Feb-11-7-31-55-PM-2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5233"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6034,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5233\/revisions\/6034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}