Education Summit Addresses Concerns Of At-Risk Youth
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Are kids today really more difficult and more alienated than previous generations? What responsibilities do all adults share in making sure all children grow up happy, healthy, secure and well-adjusted?
Dr. Dennis Bumgarner, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical therapist from central Indiana who specializes in working with at-risk children, addressed these concerns and more at the eighth annual Education Summit Tuesday at 2517 Restaurant, Warsaw.
Many adults today believe young people are "fundamentally and distinctly" different from earlier generations, Bumgarner said, and after the events at Columbine High School, some people see kids as dangerous.
Bumgarner disagreed that kids are different or "worse" than their parents or grandparents were. "Young people today are the same as they have ever been," he said. It's the world that has changed.
Children and teen-agers learn who they are and learn life skills from adults in their lives, he said. Disconnected kids are "cut adrift from people and institutions that connect them to the community," he said.
Those children have limited human contact and limited positive human interactions, rarely connect with other generations and have little to do with causes larger than themselves.
Kids with no meaningful contact with adults of all kinds - extended family, neighbors - "are trying to find their way in a world for which they were not prepared, and there are no adults to help them through it," he said.
Besides their lack of adult role models and support, kids also are spending more time alone, which, he said, is leading to an attitude of resignation and defeat.
The lack of a connection with adults and institutions, and the time spent alone, is hurting kids' ability to develop their own identities, he said.
"Identity cannot be achieved in isolation - it derives from adults who help them find their place in society," Bumgarner said.
When adults aren't available, he said, kids "seek connection and acceptance where they can find it," creating their own culture that is distinguished by language, dress, music and even body piercings.
"So that culture alienates adults at a time when their involvement is most crucial," he said.
Bumgarner's suggestions for improving the plight of at-risk children are simple, can be implemented by any adult and cost nothing. But they could make a big difference in the life of a disconnected child.
"Provide positive human contact and meaningful interaction," he said. Simply greeting kids by name, finding out about their interests and listening to them instead of lecturing can make a huge difference in the life of a child, he said.
"Don't be put off by the presentation of young people," he said, such as odd clothing, different hair styles and multiple piercings.
He recommended that adults focus on the kids' resources and capabilities instead of what those young people are doing wrong, and recognize their strengths and positive qualities.
"Keep in mind any adult is a connection," he said. "The kid and the adult may not recognize the importance of the contact, but it may help inside the kid."
Bumgarner's speech complemented an earlier talk by Kosciusko County Foundation Executive Director Suzie Light, who spoke about the community's growing emphasis on 40 Developmental Assets.
Forty Developmental Assets is the term for building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up to be healthy, caring and well-adjusted. They include external assets, such as family support, safety, adult role models and the religious community, and internal assets, such as responsibility, honesty, sense of purpose and interpersonal competence.
"It is important that our community understand the importance of building these assets in our kids," she said, and a Foundation-sponsored committee is working on increasing the visibility of the 40 Developmental Assets in the community.
More than 150 people attended the Education Summit, including representatives of business, education and community services, students and parents. [[In-content Ad]]
Are kids today really more difficult and more alienated than previous generations? What responsibilities do all adults share in making sure all children grow up happy, healthy, secure and well-adjusted?
Dr. Dennis Bumgarner, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical therapist from central Indiana who specializes in working with at-risk children, addressed these concerns and more at the eighth annual Education Summit Tuesday at 2517 Restaurant, Warsaw.
Many adults today believe young people are "fundamentally and distinctly" different from earlier generations, Bumgarner said, and after the events at Columbine High School, some people see kids as dangerous.
Bumgarner disagreed that kids are different or "worse" than their parents or grandparents were. "Young people today are the same as they have ever been," he said. It's the world that has changed.
Children and teen-agers learn who they are and learn life skills from adults in their lives, he said. Disconnected kids are "cut adrift from people and institutions that connect them to the community," he said.
Those children have limited human contact and limited positive human interactions, rarely connect with other generations and have little to do with causes larger than themselves.
Kids with no meaningful contact with adults of all kinds - extended family, neighbors - "are trying to find their way in a world for which they were not prepared, and there are no adults to help them through it," he said.
Besides their lack of adult role models and support, kids also are spending more time alone, which, he said, is leading to an attitude of resignation and defeat.
The lack of a connection with adults and institutions, and the time spent alone, is hurting kids' ability to develop their own identities, he said.
"Identity cannot be achieved in isolation - it derives from adults who help them find their place in society," Bumgarner said.
When adults aren't available, he said, kids "seek connection and acceptance where they can find it," creating their own culture that is distinguished by language, dress, music and even body piercings.
"So that culture alienates adults at a time when their involvement is most crucial," he said.
Bumgarner's suggestions for improving the plight of at-risk children are simple, can be implemented by any adult and cost nothing. But they could make a big difference in the life of a disconnected child.
"Provide positive human contact and meaningful interaction," he said. Simply greeting kids by name, finding out about their interests and listening to them instead of lecturing can make a huge difference in the life of a child, he said.
"Don't be put off by the presentation of young people," he said, such as odd clothing, different hair styles and multiple piercings.
He recommended that adults focus on the kids' resources and capabilities instead of what those young people are doing wrong, and recognize their strengths and positive qualities.
"Keep in mind any adult is a connection," he said. "The kid and the adult may not recognize the importance of the contact, but it may help inside the kid."
Bumgarner's speech complemented an earlier talk by Kosciusko County Foundation Executive Director Suzie Light, who spoke about the community's growing emphasis on 40 Developmental Assets.
Forty Developmental Assets is the term for building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up to be healthy, caring and well-adjusted. They include external assets, such as family support, safety, adult role models and the religious community, and internal assets, such as responsibility, honesty, sense of purpose and interpersonal competence.
"It is important that our community understand the importance of building these assets in our kids," she said, and a Foundation-sponsored committee is working on increasing the visibility of the 40 Developmental Assets in the community.
More than 150 people attended the Education Summit, including representatives of business, education and community services, students and parents. [[In-content Ad]]