By Micah Steffens
Gone are the days of arcades and roller rinks, and different areas for different interests of the youth. Living in a small town myself, I can say that it’s a bit sad when trying to figure out a place to go and mingle, whether it be just simple hanging out with friends or an actual activity. I myself am lucky enough to be able to drive, but what about the young people who can’t? They can’t always rely on a parent to bring them out somewhere, and even then, most parents probably don’t want to bring their kid out everyday to some place where they can stay busy. While most towns around here are pretty walkable, there’s the issue of where to walk to. There isn’t a variety of places for the youth to go and be themselves. There are basketball courts in Harmony, where most of the people I know who do go out end up going to. But where will they go once it snows, or gets too cold to play basketball? Harmony used to have a roller rink, but that is now gone. I remember how busy it would be with many people, kids and adults alike, when it was open, and the stories I heard from many people of the generation above. With so many memories from different generations, you would think there would be more things to do and places to go.
When I was little, I remember being told to go outside and find something to do. I’ll admit, I was lucky to be out in the country, so I had plenty of things to do at that time. But for my friends who were in town, they had a bit less, and it’s even worse now. There are very few safe spots for young people to hang out in and socialize. Socializing is more so done over the phone now more than ever, but what else is someone supposed to do when they don’t have anywhere to go? The most socializing someone young may do may be at work or school, but once they’re home, many are left without a place to just socialize. This really leaves them with devices left. It isn’t their fault that they have nothing else but a phone or gaming console to use, though. We lack the infrastructure and encouragement for everyone young to go and spend time with one another. I can safely say that I would very much rather have my future children be able to go out and play, or hang out at a safe and encouraging place where they can learn social skills and be comfortable being themselves. I wish I had that opportunity, and I’ll make sure to try and give the next generation the ability to stay off the devices and be face to face with one another outside of school.
I believe that while we could definitely use more spots with activities for the youth to hang out at, I think the biggest issue is encouragement. Encouragement is much more than just a “get out of the house and do something,” it’s telling stories and showing what a young person can do outside of school or work. I have always loved hearing stories from my family of when they would just be simply socializing at different areas that had things to do, and that was plenty for me. Telling children and teenagers about the fun times you got to have at different spots will surely help, and helping the youth be able to have these moments with safe spaces for socializing will better their mental health, parents’ quiet peace (because adults will surely see the benefits too), and more fun memories for this generation to tell their children.
Micah Steffens is a Fillmore Central High School student, one of 10 area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 27th year.
Leave a Reply