| Everyone is troubled by the amount of violence that has stricken the New Haven community. The violence is even more troubling when it involves children. In some cases, children have been the perpetrators of the violence and in some cases, children have been the victims of the violence. In some cases, children were engaged in questionable conduct and in some cases, children were playing |  Rev. Eric B. Smith |
or simply trying to get from one place to another when they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Because of this wave of violence, a number of initiatives have been started or proposed by a number of organizations and institutions. Three ideas seem to have taken center stage: gun buyback programs, a youth curfew, and increasing youth activities. All of these ideas have their strengths and weaknesses.
Gun buyback programs do have some impact. The bottom line is that some people have turned in their guns. However, I seriously doubt that anyone who either has crime on their mind or who feels the need to protect themselves for just or unjust reasons is going to rush to turn in their guns for $100.
A youth curfew has been proposed that had a lot of momentum at the start but, after a number of hearings, seems to have lost momentum. Yes, a youth curfew would keep a number of kids off the streets, but if a child has misconduct on his or her mind, a curfew isn’t going to stop them. In addition, a youth curfew has the potential to shift the time of misconduct to other, busier hours of the day.
The idea that seems to have generated the most support is increasing youth activities. The city has begun work on a major youth initiative. The children themselves have cried out for more youth programs, such as the re-opening of the Q House, which was a vital part of the lives of a number of people who grew up in the New Haven area. However, a newspaper article that was published several months ago discussed a study of the number of youth activities available in the city. The article stated that the perception that there aren’t many youth activities is false. The article went on to conclude that there are more than enough youth activities for New Haven’s children.
Why more children aren’t taking part in these activities is another question.
Also, relative to youth activities, there is one thing that needs to be said that has yet to become partof the discussion. Some have said that children engage in misconduct because of the lack of youth activities. It needs to be said loud and clear that the lack of something to do doesn’t give anyone the right to engage in misconduct or criminal activity.
Gun buyback programs, a youth curfew, and increasing youth activities are all worthy of consideration when discussing how to help our children. At the same time however, they should be secondary in a hierarchy of areas of concern.
The primary area of concern should be the home. When a child is a victim because he or she is just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but at a reasonable hour of the day, the home environment shouldn’t be questioned. In other cases, whether we’re talking about a victim or a perpetrator, questions should be asked regarding what kind of parental guidance the child is receiving. In many cases, the children are just making bad choices, but in other cases, there is a breakdown in the degree of parental guidance.
In some cases, parents or guardians say they have trouble controlling their kids. If parents are having trouble controlling their children, they should not only admit it, but also be aggressive in seeking help. Where gaps in available services exist, social service providers should develop programs to support parents who are in a parental guidance crisis.
Maybe when a child is involved in criminal misconduct, either as a perpetrator at all times or as a victim at an unreasonable hour, an investigation should be started into the child’s home environment. If the child’s parents are being parentally responsible, they have nothing to fear. If our children are our future and if kids really do come first, then such an investigation would not be too much of an inconvenience.
Dr. Smith is the Pastor of the Adoni Spiritual Formation Center. He can be reached at (203) 865-6873 or eric_b_smith@sbcglobal.net. The church's web site is www.adonisfc.com
Because of this wave of violence, a number of initiatives have been started or proposed by a number of organizations and institutions. Three ideas seem to have taken center stage: gun buyback programs, a youth curfew, and increasing youth activities. All of these ideas have their strengths and weaknesses.
Gun buyback programs do have some impact. The bottom line is that some people have turned in their guns. However, I seriously doubt that anyone who either has crime on their mind or who feels the need to protect themselves for just or unjust reasons is going to rush to turn in their guns for $100.
A youth curfew has been proposed that had a lot of momentum at the start but, after a number of hearings, seems to have lost momentum. Yes, a youth curfew would keep a number of kids off the streets, but if a child has misconduct on his or her mind, a curfew isn’t going to stop them. In addition, a youth curfew has the potential to shift the time of misconduct to other, busier hours of the day.
The idea that seems to have generated the most support is increasing youth activities. The city has begun work on a major youth initiative. The children themselves have cried out for more youth programs, such as the re-opening of the Q House, which was a vital part of the lives of a number of people who grew up in the New Haven area. However, a newspaper article that was published several months ago discussed a study of the number of youth activities available in the city. The article stated that the perception that there aren’t many youth activities is false. The article went on to conclude that there are more than enough youth activities for New Haven’s children.
Why more children aren’t taking part in these activities is another question.
Also, relative to youth activities, there is one thing that needs to be said that has yet to become partof the discussion. Some have said that children engage in misconduct because of the lack of youth activities. It needs to be said loud and clear that the lack of something to do doesn’t give anyone the right to engage in misconduct or criminal activity.
Gun buyback programs, a youth curfew, and increasing youth activities are all worthy of consideration when discussing how to help our children. At the same time however, they should be secondary in a hierarchy of areas of concern.
The primary area of concern should be the home. When a child is a victim because he or she is just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but at a reasonable hour of the day, the home environment shouldn’t be questioned. In other cases, whether we’re talking about a victim or a perpetrator, questions should be asked regarding what kind of parental guidance the child is receiving. In many cases, the children are just making bad choices, but in other cases, there is a breakdown in the degree of parental guidance.
In some cases, parents or guardians say they have trouble controlling their kids. If parents are having trouble controlling their children, they should not only admit it, but also be aggressive in seeking help. Where gaps in available services exist, social service providers should develop programs to support parents who are in a parental guidance crisis.
Maybe when a child is involved in criminal misconduct, either as a perpetrator at all times or as a victim at an unreasonable hour, an investigation should be started into the child’s home environment. If the child’s parents are being parentally responsible, they have nothing to fear. If our children are our future and if kids really do come first, then such an investigation would not be too much of an inconvenience.
Dr. Smith is the Pastor of the Adoni Spiritual Formation Center. He can be reached at (203) 865-6873 or eric_b_smith@sbcglobal.net. The church's web site is www.adonisfc.com