Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to a news feature on the RTE News on Monday 16th June in relation to anti-social behaviour. I am writing to express my disappointment in the medias continuous portrayal of young people in such negative manner.

In the featured article it highlighted the 'wonderful' advantages of having the use of CCTV to combat anti-social behaviour, not to mention the extravagant costs of installing such monitoring equipment. Continuously throughout the feature it showed images of young people in play areas, parks, wooded areas and lane ways engaging in anti-social behaviour. Other negative portrayals include the use of images of vandalism, joyriding and underage drinking by young people. My concern with such media portrayal is that it stereotypes all young people with the same brush, provokes communities into knee-jerk reactions and glosses over the bigger issues.

The issue of anti-social behaviour and the other fore mentioned issues are indeed concerns that must be dealt with in a manner which has longer lasting affect in our communities. Does CCTV answer the question? I think not! What it does is to add fuel to the fire and causes our elected representatives bring in legislation that attempts to control and dictate to young people. What would happen if we as adults stopped, listened and engaged with young people?

Why do young people engage in such behaviours? pressure at home, peer-pressure, relationships, school, boredom, exams, depression are some of a list we could compile but finding solutions to the acted-out behaviours appears to be more important than dealing with the issues that cause them.

Young people need support, positive role models, examples and guidance in how to adjust and adapt to life. Life today is harder which puts more demands on young people to conform and succeed. As a youth worker I would love to see the media report in a more balanced way and promote what young people do achieve. I think it is time for our elected representatives to begin to campaign for the real needs of young people, listen to them and be creative in providing viable solutions that might actually deal with the 'reported' youth anti-social behaviours.

With the summer months upon us surely the time to engage and listen is now. Let's begin to challenge ourselves to seek and provide outlets for young people that might help to encourage, support and bring about a new way of thinking that demonstrates the young people are part of the solution.

Marty Clare
Community Youth Worker
Youth Work Ireland – Galway – Westside
C/o Westside Resource Centre
Seamus Quirke Road
Westside
Galway

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