Youth & Digital Access, Week 5, Blog#2

Before reading the article and film, accessibility to digital media/internet was something I didn't think too much about. Digital divide is something that is prevalent in less developed and developing countries. Access to digital media such as devices that can access the internet is something we take for granted in the United States and more highly developed countries. 

The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard both to their opportunities to access information and communications technologies (ICT's) and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activies (Bargh, 2004).  Socio-economic levels that consist of poverty deprives many students of technology at home as well as school. The deprivation of access to technology translates into limited job skills for children in the future. 

The focus to addressing the issues of youth, digital access and digital divide is an important to the economic development and survival of less developed and developing countries. 

Technology has the potential to greatly contribute to the prosperity of developing areas. By bridging the digital divide, it is possible for poverty-stricken regions to enhance communication with other countries, therefore offering economic, social, and political opportunities (Bargh, 2004). Accessibility to mobile phones and internet services will ultimately contribute to economic success by way of expanding the knowledge base for children and expand small businesses scope of communication and increase the number of transactions made. 

References:

Bargh, John A.; McKenna, Katelyn Y.A. (2004), "The Internet and Social Life", Annual Review of Psychology 55 (1): 573-90.

van Dijk, J.A.M. (2006). Digital divide research, achievements and shortcomings. Poetics, 34(4-5), 221-235.

Youth and Tensions in Education-Fostering Digital Innovation or Digital Narcissism?, Week 5, Blog #1

This issue in recent years of superiority of youth over the older generation because of advanced knowledge of media devices such as Ipods, laptops, cell phones, tablets and other devices has come into question by some researchers. The primary issue and question to examine is to see whether the advancement in technology in just last couple of decades has made the current generation of students better in school by performing and receiving higher grades on homework and tests and if they have a more advanced knowledge of curriculum than in past generations. 

The research identified in the articles and videos such as the article, "The Dumbest Generation," suggest that contrary to the beliefs of older generations, the ability to understand and use mobile, multi-media devices in fact does not equal a higher level of education and intelligence do the the accessibility of information from the internet on these particular devices. I think that the common belief is that students are utilizing all of this information provided on the internet to increase the awareness and education level in all areas of academics but research suggests that actually most of their time is consumed on social networking sites. 

Author Mark Bauerlein in his interview cites a recent survey that found that 55% of high school students spend less than one hour a week for on the internet reading and studying for class but nearly nine hours a week is spent on social networking cites. The article "The dumbest generation," suggests that the "under-thirty generation" that even as technology gives young people greater access to knowledge, information, and enrichment than any previous generation, it has become their means of sealing themselves off from those very things (The Dumbest Generation, 2009). 

I do agree that much of our younger youth are too deeply entrenched and spend too much time on social networking cites. I also believe that predominately most of the education and learning that young people receive is in the classroom. This could obviously be followed up with more aggressive "self-teaching" due to the fact that we as students have the accessibility of the internet and devices that can access information nearly at anytime. I believe to do this, more resources and persistence could be given to students by teachers and instructors to spend more time on educational sites to achieve a higher degree of understanding and awareness of course material they are taking.

References:

Gee, J. P. (2008). Getting over the slump: Innovation strategies to promote children's learning. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center. 


O'Connor, E. (2009). The dumbest generation: How the digital age stupefies young Americans and jeopardizes our future (or, don't trust anyone under 30), by Mark Bauerlein. New your: Jeremy P. Tarcher/penguin, 2008. 24.95 hardbound.

Family and Community Violence: Gang Intervention Efforts, Week 4, Blog #5

My opinion after viewing the film, "Glen Mills Gang: Arrested Without Locks and Bars," was that it was a valuable alternative to juvenile prisons. I thought that the recognition, acceptance, and encouragement was a useful way to promote a positive change in behavior and possibly instill a different way of thinking and believing in themselves they may have never been accustom to at home or in a traditional school. 

Something I thought was  interesting and what some for-profit companies have got away from, was the way the director of the Glen Mills School  compensated his staff with homes, insurance, and additional comprehensive employment benefits for his employees. 

In addition to the compensation to his staff, the ratio of staff to students allows the school to increase funding for student programs, educational equipment, and scholarships awarded to students after their time in Glen Mills. I believe that by utilizing other students to play an important leadership role to others, it allows for this lower ratio of staff to students. 


References:

Glen Mills Gang: Arrested Without Locks and Bars: Films Media Group, 2000. Films On Demand.

Family and Community Violence: Globalization and International Gangs, Week 4, Blog #4

The concern over gang membership and consequently gang violence has become more a global than a local concern in the United States and abroad. This is because in recent years, a substantial number of gangs have come from and have been established in all other areas of the world. Unprecedented worldwide urbanization has created fertile conditions for the growth of gangs, particularly in Latin America, Asia, and Africa (Hagedorn, 2005). 

Social disorganization, including poverty and residential mobility are risk factors that contribute to the recruitment into gang involvement. Research suggests that these risk factors are attributed to the increase in gang activity in those less developed countries identified. In developing nations, slum dwellers make up 43% of the total population compared with 6% in developed countries (Hagedorn, 2005). 

The terms used in the United States like "gang members" and "at-risk youth" are not generally used in other areas of the world. The World Bank and other organizations identify gangs as "street children, "child soldiers," and "children in organized arm violence" (Hagedorn, 2005).  The article defines a gang as "unsupervised youth developing organization through conflict with other groups and authorities".  However we identify these groups, they are organizations of the socially excluded that participate in the underground economy.

Gangs are prevalent in most all large and small cities across the country. Prisons both receive and create gangs that spread back to their communities, as in South Africa, California, and Rio de Janiero (Hagedorn, 2005). This creating and involvement of gangs inside the prison system was depicted in the film, "Nuestra Familia, Our Family."

The study of gangs, identifying risk factors in youth, increase in law enforcement and identifying current/active gang members are all ways of limiting and reducing violent offenses committed by gangs. Understanding the factors underlying the institutionalization of gangs and the persistence of violence are among the most pressuring reasons for studying gangs (Hagedorn, 2005).


References:

Hadedorn, M. John (2005). The global impact of gangs. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(2), 153-169.

Family and Community Violence: Generational Gang Membership, Week 4, Post #3

The influence of family over youth is very significant. When this influence is to participate in gang and drug activity it can pose severe consequences for the entire family and the community. The film, "Nuestra Familia," looked at the generational impact that's passed down from older family members to younger more vulnerable and impressionable youth. It also documented the increasing number of incidents of gang violence in the small California city of Salinas. 

In the film, they interviewed and documented past and present gang members to find the reasons they considered a gang lifestyle. The answers given were a lot of the same risk factors identified in previous films and articles. A primary reason given was that growing up as young men they wanted to earn the respect and acceptance from their older peers and that were already participating in gang activity. 

As I watched this film, it seemed to me that the end result for most (if not all) is the old cliche' that gang violence only leads to prison or death. In addition, it seems that once gang members are sent to prison, there is that sense of regret and quite possibly betrayal from the gang that they vowed their loyalty to carry out violent offenses in order to be recognized and accepted. 

As suggested in the film, the increased efforts by law enforcement is only a "band aid" to finding a solution to reduction and hopefully the elimination of gangs in the United States. More has to be done for the prevention and identifying risk factors of youth that are susceptible to joining gangs. After school programs, more involvement of parent(s) in their children's education and extra curricular activities, sports, Boys and Girls Club, etc., are all things that can be associated to the reduction of risk factors and keeping children out of gang memberships. 

References:

Nuestra Familia, Our Family-Educator's Edition. Films Media Group, 2006. Films on Demand.

Family and Community Violence: Youth and Gang Violence-U.S. Perspectives, Week 4, Blog #2

The violence that is perpetrated by juvenile gang members has had a lot of attention and focus for the elimination of gang involvement over the last couple of decades. Gang activity is something that is motivated in the media as an attractive and lucrative career by way of selling drugs and having the support of such criminal activity by members alike. But as we seen in the film," Why Do Crack Dealers Still Live With Their Moms?" being  a drug dealer hardly guarantees a lucrative income and the mortality rate for those that participate in the drug dealing gang business, isn't very high. 

The lifestyle often portrayed by older drug dealing gang members are often misrepresented. The fancy cars are often leased vehicles, gold plated jeweler passed off as the real thing and the money given to the younger "foot soldiers" of gangs are tactics to get them to become indebted to the higher gang members for their own personal gain later.  

Three things that the the article and films attempt to identify and conclude are why juveniles join street gangs and what are the risk factors that are making youth prone to get involved in this type of activity.  

I believe that the media has had a large influence on gang activity. This not only includes television shows and movies, but I believe "gansta rap" has a huge impact on glamorizing this lifestyle. Recruitment by active members I believe is the most prominent and common way someone becomes involved in gang activity. Whether it be a friend, brother, sister, neighbor, etc., these people influence younger more vulnerable and impressionable youth into joining and becoming  part of a "family." 

The risk factors for youth gang membership can be extensive. An individual may have only a few identified risk factors or have a lot that makes that more likely to become a gang member and play a more active role in illegal activity. 

The risk factors come from a variety of sources such as the community, family, school, individual, and peer group. Risk factors in a community include the presence of gangs in the neighborhood, availability to drugs and firearms, lack of economic and and social capital and poverty. Family plays in an important role when it comes to risk factors for juveniles joining gangs. These risk factors include broken homes, parental drug/alcohol abuse, family members in a gang, lack of adult and parental role models and low socioeconomic status. Academic failure, low commitment to school and education and few teacher role models are just several risk factors that are associated with school.

Identifying and making attempts to intervene in lives of youth that are susceptible to these risk factors may be a solution to try and stop gang involvement and to educate them on the truth of gangs, drugs, and other illegal activity before it's too late.

References:

Krohn, M.D., & Thornberry, T. P. (2007). Longitudinal perspectives on adolescent street gangs.  In The long view of crime: A synthesis of longitudinal research. (pp. 128-60). New York: Springer.

TED Talks. "Steven Levitt analyzes crack economics." Feb 2004. Online Video Clip. 

Family and Community Violence: Domestic Violence and Youth, Week 4, Blog #1

Domestic violence includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and abuse to property and pets. Children that are exposed to this form of violence has the potential to leave a lasting impression that can give children a sense of vulnerability and helplessness. Domestic violence is widespread and occurs among all social economic groups. 

I think a major focal point of the article, "Domestic Violence Crimes and Children" and the film, "The Impact of Domestic Violence on Youth" are identifying the behaviors that are categorized as "risk factors" and implementing a plan for intervention, reform and treatment for chose children that have been exposed to domestic violence. 

Research suggests that exposure to domestic violence shows significantly more social, emotional, and cognitive problems compared to their non-exposed peers. In the film, they mention that A.D.H.D is a common diagnosis and a concern with adolescents exposed to domestic violence because the behavioral signs associated with hyper-vigilance. These signs include elevated stress, predictably/unpredictable, over-effective coping strategies and irritability (The Impact of Domestic Violence on Youth, 2009).  

Consequently, children with more long-term exposure of domestic violence are at higher risk of academic failure, school drop-out, delinquency, and substance abuse. Research also suggests long term exposure is more likely to be in dating relationships that become verbally, mentally, emotionally, sexually and/or physically abusive.

Addressing the issues and the needs of children that come from a background of exposure to domestic violence in the home is a way to reduce and/or overcome the emotional issues is very important and necessary.  One way to address the issues and concerns of children who witness domestic violence is through group and/or individual therapy. 

Therapy allows and promotes open discussion of the children's experiences. For many children, the process of retelling or reenacting a traumatic event in the safety of a therapeutic relationship is in itself a healing experience, and a first step toward integrating the experience into their understanding of themselves (Groves, p.2). In addition, therapists seek to help children understand and cope with their emotional responses to the violence. Through therapy, mental health and social services, they can play an active role to break the circle of violence and help seek to reduce the symptoms the children are experiencing in response to the violence. 

These services not only provide useful services in counseling but it works to help the family create a safe, stable, and nurturing environment for the child.


References:

Groves, Betsy McAlister. (2007). Mental Health Services for Children Who Witness Domestic Violence.

Fusco, R. A., & Fantuzzo, J. W. (2009). Domestic violence crimes and children: A population-based investigation of direct sensory exposure and the nature of involvement. Children and Youth Services Review, 31 (2), 249-256. 

University of Wisconsin series on Issues for Youth Advocates and the Systems in which They Work (Producer). (2009, March 30) The Impact of Domestic Violence on Youth.