Support Youth

The mindless violence that affects young adults in the greater Chicago Area is but a symptom of the larger problem our youth face today. In a fast-paced and competitive educational system, violence, stress, and destructive methods to release negative emotions have become the norm rather than the exception.

Students in high schools across America are facing the highest levels of stress that they have ever faced. Hundreds of American schools now require students to pass through metal detectors before entering the school premises. Students in every high school face the challenges of dealing with peer pressure, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, depression, and substance abuse.

'Normal Stress'

According to the National Sleep Foundation, most adolescents were likely to say they worried about things too much (58%) and/or felt stressed out/anxious (56%), and only 15% an adequate amount of sleep needed for their age group. Even so-called ‘regular’ stresses, such as the pressure to obtain good grades and test scores, and to succeed in competitive educational systems, take a toll on student mental and physical health.

bullying in school

How many street and school shootings, depressed and suicidal students, teenagers with eating disorders, young people turning to drugs and alcohol, sexual abuse and assault, and incidents of gang violence will it take for us to realize that something must change? Ensuring that our youth grow into responsible, healthy and productive members of society should be a priority for every community.

Is this a priority for us?

Did You Know?

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers.
1,921 young people aged 10-19 committed suicide in the United States in the year 2000 alone.
For every teen arrested, at least 10 were engaged in violence that could have seriously injured or killed another person.
About 1 in 3 high school students say they have been in a physical fight in the past year.
About 1 in 8 of those students required medical attention for their injuries.

"In 2005–06, 78 percent of schools experienced one or more violent incidents of crime, 17 percent experienced one or more serious violent incidents, 46 percent experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced another type of crime."

www.safeyouth.org