(From the Second Edition of Peace: The Other Side of Anger)
On previous posts, I mentioned adolescents were asked to complete surveys on gun violence, social media and the pandemic. The goal of having their input on these subjects is to provide some idea of their thinking and help you better understand the impact these realities have on their lives. With this knowledge, you may more fully comprehend their behavior, and develop ways of assisting them in managing the influence these areas have on them. The following questions were part of these surveys:
Gun Violence: 1. When you say or hear the words gun violence what thought comes to mind?
2. What goes through your mind whenthere is a lockdown or shelter in place?
The answers to these questions may assist you in providing means of dealing with issues of safety and security.
Social Media: 1. Which social media sites do you visit most often?
2. How can adults in your life help you deal with harmful thing happening to you on social media?
Teen responses may enable you to understand what they are spending time viewing and the impact this form of media has on them.
Pandemic: 1. How do you think the pandemic affected your family?
2. Who helped you cope with the pandemic?
3. How did they help you cope?
Many of the effects of the pandemic still exist. Answers to these questions may furnish some indications of what these were.