Q: I was out in public and saw some young people mistreat someone. When this happens, should I correct the youth behavior or just let it go?
A: Some youth workers are great at this. Like the guy I wrote this article about – I totally saw him ‘youth-whisperer’ some chatty youth at a movie theater once.
They have a way with young people where even the most belligerent youth relax and listen to what they have to say, no matter what. But when you are confronted with youth behavior that requires your special brand of youth worker magic, ask yourself one question first:
Why are they behaving this way?
If you’re pretty sure the answer is ‘because they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol’, I’d reconsider saying anything. You may make a bad situation much worse. We all know that being under the influence of different drugs or excessive alcohol can have a variety of effects on how someone behaves. Their inhibitions may be lower, they may have trouble rationalizing properly and they may be having an increase of adrenaline depending on what they’ve taken.
If the answer is ‘because they think it’s cool’, ‘they don’t know any better’ or any other behavioral reason, then consider saying something. As a youth worker, you probably have a lot of experience reaching young people right where they’re at.
Find a non-threatening way to correct their behavior. Consider sitting down with them, asking how their day was and gently directing the conversation to the incident you just witnessed. They might have just thought it would be funny or had a bad day; having a go at them without hearing them out might not be the productive solution you’d hoped for.
Obviously, you need to do or not do what you feel comfortable with. We’re not advocating getting involved in any situation that puts you or anyone else in danger. You need to consider any safety issues and make a judgment call about next steps to make sure that everyone involved is safe.
If the answer is more likely ‘they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol’, determine if the youth is at a level of intoxication that’s unsafe for them – should you call the police, social services or maybe their parents? Your level of involvement needs to be right for you, but before you jump in to any situation with a youth that you don’t know who isn’t acting appropriately, ask yourself ‘why.’
Question: What would you do if you saw inappropriate youth behavior in public? Say something or stay quiet? Let us know in the comments below.
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