Heavy Hearted

My last post was about a boy named Karl Walker Hoover. A 6th grade boy that was bullied so much that he decided to commit suicide. Last night I was watching the news, and they were reporting on a boy named Jaheem Herrera from the Atlanta area.

My heart is heavy. Jaheem took his life this week because of the relentless bullying he endured. You can read the AJC story HERE. When will we (parents, educators, doctors, family, ect.) begin to pay acknowledge that this is a problem. Bullying is not some right of passage. It doesn’t happen to everyone. It’s not just meaningless words that kids brush off. It cuts to the core.

As a youth worker, these cases trouble me greatly. God give me wisdom when I encounter these situations.

Abstinence Only Education Not Good

Here is a link to a very interesting article published in the Washington Post.

Duke & Berkeley Study Confirms What Youth Workers Have Known About 6th Graders

Duke University and Berkeley conducted a study and found that, “Sixth graders placed in middle schools have more discipline problems and lower test scores than their peers who attend elementary schools…”  Many of the larger churches in America have made or are planning to make the change in their jr. high programing.  Churches like North Point in Atlanta have isolated 6th graders into their own group, and Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK have a group dedicated to 5th and 6th grades.

For more information on the study click here.

Teens and Social Networking Sites

If there is one question that I field more than any other these days it is “what do you think about__________?”  You can fill in the blank with the name of any popular social networking site like MySpace or Facebook.  Here is an article that I ran across that shows the high percentage of students 12-14 that are active on social networking sites.

Click here for a short synopsis of the study by Pew Internet and Amercan Life Project.

Click here for the full study report by Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Teenage Girls Using Diet Pills (Guys Too)

Here is yet another reason why we need to open the discussion about self-image before students hit high school.  I find that a lot of jr. high parents do not realize how early in adolescence their children are beginning to deal with serious issues.

“A new study suggests use of diet pills by teenage girls is rapidly increasing, with 20 percent of females using such pills by the time they are 20 years old. “

http://www.physorg.com/news81450054.html

Here is a link with further information on this same story.  This article includes information on male students.

http://www.ketv.com/news/13266548/detail.html?subid=22100461&qs=1;bp=t

An Open Letter…

If you are a Jr. High Pastor, this is a must read.  Especially,  if you are a worker at a church that doesn’t think Jr. High ministry is that important or needs its own identity.  This letter was published a while ago, but it is a powerful statement that needs to be revisited as a reminder of what is at stake.http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/advice/young_teens.php