“When I hear the phrase “Youth Culture” I feel like it’s the manner in which teens spend their life. Their hobbies, their fashion sense, the terminology they use, their mentalities, and also the things they enjoy doing like music, dance, athletics, intimate/platonic relationships. It is the idea that adolescence is a different subculture with different values, beliefs and norms that are different from past youth or older generations.”
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Right to College Program Associate Krystal Diaz sat down with Adrianne Bien-Aime, a 17 year old high school senior at Bushwick Educational Campus and current youth leader for the Right to College program, to hear Adrianne’s thoughts on youth culture today, what it encapsulates, and what it can mean for this generation and generations to follow. Gaining insight from being in both predominantly white and diverse school settings, she elaborated on the real struggles of young people today, the primary struggle being youth mental health. Adrianne emphasized the importance of youth-facing adults actually listening to and hearing what young people are saying to them about their lives, and of leading with an empathetic lens in order to help discover solutions.
What kinds of issues are prominent in youth today in your opinion?
Mental health is a really big one today, anxiety and depression have become huge and serious mental stressors among a lot of American teenagers. Teen pregnancy, bullying, alcohol and drugs, gangs and all those things are very prominent issues. Media platforms have also changed drastically over the years and that’s where issues are also rooted.
I don’t really put myself into those categories, but I have been around a lot of people who go through these things. I ask ‘Hey are you okay’ or even offer a simple smile, these kids go through a lot of things and you don’t know what that can be, bullying, stress from school, familial struggles, they’re all very prevalent. Going away for college has been a struggle for students, students who have to support their families and work jobs while attending school. Finding a solution is tough – to do so not by invalidating their home situations, but finding solutions that they can achieve from within it.
How do you think youth-facing institutions (Schools, after-school programs, community centers, etc) cater to youth? What areas are they lacking in?
They really do try to provide programs for abuse, domestic violence, and what-not for the youth to show that they can be there for them and provide resources if they need someone to talk to. If they have a mental health issue they provide therapists, etc. I feel like the only area they’re lacking in sometimes is providing empathy along with the services being provided. Teachers don’t really know how to express their emotions towards what they are saying to students, it seems like they’re really listening to you to offer ‘big people’ advice instead of leveling with that student to really understand what they’re going through.
Where do you see youth finding safe spaces?
In school there’s an area for students to talk to social workers. These social workers can be pretty young, in their early 20s, so they’re part of this generation. Because of that it feels like they have more to say to touch students and make them feel motivated to continue speaking since what they’re saying is being understood and the solutions apply to their lives.