Friday 16 October 2009

Hoodies

Good friend Nigel Saxon brought this new RNLI YouTube video to my attention. I really approve of this sort of attempt to boost the positive image of young people and what they contribute to communities. We are lucky in Swanage in having a good number of young people on our crew with more joining all the time. Please pass this link on to as many people (young and old) as you can. Thanks.

2 comments:

MarkUK said...

Working with young people on a daily basis, I know that many are as described in the video clip. Even before I started working in schools, I'd found that most kids will respond well if addressed well.

However, we can't forget the fact that some young people are exactly as the headlines implied. They are the minority, but in some areas they are a sizeable minority. (In other areas they are virtually unknown.) Let's condemn those in need of condemnation and not those who aren't.

Unfortunately, males between 15 & 25 are much more likely to come to the interest of the police than those outside that age group. It's probably hormonal, coupled with upbringing.

Before condemning all young people, the number who do valuable service to the community must be taken into consideration. This is not just the RNLI but other aid organisations such as the RLSS, St John & St Andrews Ambulance Services, Red Cross etc. Then there are the ad hoc groups.

I assume the best of people until proved wrong, and that goes for young people as well as for others.

Incidentally, why has the hoodie become such a hate object? My daughter sometimes wears one, with the name of her old university all over the back of it. They are practical, warm garments as I know from personal exprience. I'm in my mid-50s and I wore hooded sweatshirts (identical to today's hoodies) 40 years ago. It didn't make me a bad person!

Matthew Gibbons said...

Hannah just happens to be on my crew. I myself am 17 and am sick of being treated by some adults as a knife wielding thug. I love the Fact the RNLI have made this video. I just wish everyone could see it!