NOTE:
If you would like to receive a print copy of the Working Partners document, please request one using the online information request form or write to Kathy Meinzer at km39+@andrew.cmu.edu.
WORKING PARTNERS
An Urban Youth Report
On Risk, Stress, and Respect
The Community Literacy Center and Carnegie Mellon University
When was the last time you had an open, serious talk with an urban teen? Teenagers like Tony, Shirley, and Mark bring a critical perspective to issues in our community. For these teens and others like them, problems in the news and on the street are not just statistics and stories but reality. Teen pregnancy, drug use, harassment by the police, conflict within schools, racism, gangs, abuse: all create a context of risk and stress which they--like we--long to change.
Tony (13) describes being drawn into a fight in which all of his options looked bad. Analyzing his own choices, he sees how the violence that erupts between neighborhood groups and gangs is often rooted in deep needs for respect-and the absence of productive ways to find it.
Shirley (15) describes the stress of everyday existence in her inner-city neighborhood. The inadequate advice given by adults who "haven't been there" moves her to issue a "wake up call to adults" that pleads for a new sense of community that embraces all its youth.
Mark (15) describes how conflicts between teenagers and adults-including parents, teachers, and police-can arise from the dynamics of risk and respect. And he sketches a decision strategy that can open up better options for police and teens.
What do community problems look like from a teenager's perspective?
This report invites you to enter a COMMUNITY PROBLEM-SOLVING DIALOGUE in which urban teenagers join the process of building a better community as working partners. And it shows you how to begin a dialogue of your own in your neighborhood, workplace, or school.
Teenagers bring a unique and needed expertise to the analysis of urban problems. At Pittsburgh's Community Literacy Center, they also learn problem-solving and writing skills for shaping and evaluating better solutions.
COMMUNITY PROBLEM-SOLVING DIALOGUES build new working relationships that weave alternative perspectives into a community-constructed plan for action.
Are you ready for a breakthrough?
[ People |
Inform |
Hands On |
Partners |
Mentors |
Resources |
Main Page ]