Rosie Towchik
Northwest Deanery Representative
April 9, 2008
DYC Forum Paper
In spite of possessing a variety of talents and gifts, youth find it increasingly difficult to become active participants in the Church community. Obstacles challenge young people to express themselves more openly. These obstacles are channeled in the reaction to peer pressure, a revolutionized approach to media images, and a positive response to the opinions of older members of the church.
Peer Pressure influences the participation of youth in the Church. Teens will often distance themselves from the Church because it seen as “un-cool” or “old-fashioned”. Many teens are made fun of for having interest in the Church and church activities. They are often labeled according to their faith. In turn, they are afraid to attend church functions, and actually have a good time, because they have come to believe would rather die than be caught at “God camp”.
While a harsh reality, many things in a teen’s life are decided by the overall approval of society and their peers. Clothing, food, hobbies, sexual activity, and academic success can all be changed by one comment by a friend or enemy. High school is a tough place. We all try desperately to fit in. however, we should not have to compromise our beliefs and habits to be accepted by our peers. To a certain extent, conformity can benefit a human being. But when it jeopardizes to moral fiber of a teen, it has to stop.
So, here are some suggestions on how to react to the impending pressure and criticism from those around you. Whether just starting out at a new school, or feeling uncomfortable with your current group of friends, try to find people with similar morals and beliefs. If you all agree on your faith and morality issues, it becomes easier to open up and participate in your church community. Your friends should be people you enjoy spending time with and that you can talk to. If the constantly harass you about your faith in God, they might not be the best people to surround yourself with.
If you continue to receive criticism with your current friends, try to explain your faith to them. Let them know how much it means to you to be Catholic, and how much you do not appreciate their input. Maybe one way to help them understand is to introduce them to the advantages of youth ministry. By bringing them along to an event, you are helping open their minds and spread the Word.
If all else fails, ignore their comments. Show them by examples that you are strong in your faith and that you do not care about their opinion of you. Sometimes this is the best thing to do. By not giving in to the pressure to change your stance on your faith, and still maintaining your friendships, you actually become a stronger person inside and out.
Overall, the strain of peer pressure on the youth of the Church is immense. But, the process of overcoming this pressure serves as a building block toward a stronger faith. Still, the peer pressure put on teens is paired by the push of the media to forget the concepts of morality and step away from the church.
In addition to overcoming peer pressure, teens in today’s society continuously have to determine between right and wrong messages in the media. Negative body images and poor moral decisions are laced throughout the movies, music, television shows and the internet. These media sources make it difficult for the youth of the Church to maintain moral lives and threaten to pull them away from the church community. By injecting sex into every aspect of the media, Hollywood and the culture, in general, contradict the basic moral principles the Catholic Church teaches. The media makes it seem acceptable to engage in sexual activity, dress provocatively and use foul and degrading language. This directly contradicts the Catholic belief of the dignity of each human being and causes confusion amongst the teenage population. How are we, as teens in the 21st century, supposed to “fit in” with the modern styles and cultural commonalities and still be good Christians? The solution, while seemingly impossible, is actually more plausible than one would think.
Not only can we physically deny powerful companies the satisfaction of saturating our minds with their messages of sex, but we can mentally block out any temptation to give in to the demands of our social groups. We can invent our own styles and not wear those low cut tops of baggy jeans. We can wear what makes us comfortable and feel beautiful in our own way. If one finds that too difficult, wearing “cool” clothes can be acceptable, but in moderation. In any social situation and any spiritual situation, it is not impossible to dress according to the times while still keeping a sense of morality. Movies, music and TV, however, are a different story.
Everywhere we turn today, we are bombarded with skinny models, over-sexed singers, and morally degrading jokes by the dozen. These negative body images really take a toll on the self-images of many teens, whether they are members of the Church or not. There are several ways to overcome this issue. First, teens can chose to reject these messages through watching church approves shows and movies and listening to Christian music. Some Top 40 hits are actually Christian Rock and are revolutionizing the stereotype of church music. Second, teens can purchase edited music and make an effort to pick and choose which movies they see. PG-13 can sometimes not be too bad, but other times can push the envelope. A culturally and morally conscious decision is rewarding in the long run. Making an effort to censor what one watches, and an individual, allows them to become stronger in their faith while still being culturally literate. Finally, teens can accept the music as just that: music. Just because they are feeding teens sexual content does not mean they have to take it to heart. If they respect the media as just a form of entertainment, and not a way of life, they can hold on to their Christian identity.
All in all, while negative to the individual, the harsh effects of the media can be avoided with practice and an appreciation of the human body. If one trains themselves to be strong in their own morality and has self-confidence, the sexual messages of the media can be overlooked and they can return to the Church. When dealing with the media, an individual effort is essential and moderation is important. Everyone has the ability to embrace or ignore the messages given to them. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, teens have the choice of following a trend, keeping with the church, or creating their own unique way of incorporating both into their life.
For today’s youth, the increasing pressure of their peers and the media continue to pull them away from the Church. However, the current opinions and stereotypes of the existing, older members of the church community may be pushing them away as well. The concept that the new generations may not be able to carry on the traditional practices of the Church turns teens away from possible leadership opportunities. These opportunities are pivotal in keeping the youth firmly rooted in church morals and activities.
So what prompts these adults’ thinking when referring to youth’s participation in the Church? Part of the thought process may be connected to the images put out by the media which create a stereotype for the youth of the Church. The adults sometimes view teens as what they see on TV: young starlets with partying problems, no care young men with the need for speed, and overzealous teens who care only about themselves and no one else. This is not the case. We, as youth representatives, need to step up and demonstrate the ability to use our gifts for the benefit of the Church. We need to prove to others that we can accept responsibilities and complete any task asked of us. We need to ignore the harsh criticism and lead by example. We need to make a positive effort to erase the prejudices against our generation in the Church.
When asked about ever-present obstacles youth leaders face in the Church, these three things came up most often. But current leaders also mentioned something that holds them back from their full potential to participate in church activities: time. Many teens openly admitted that finding time to dedicate to church events is difficult when juggling school, work, family commitments, extra-curricular activities and personal time. While many teens should “let go and let God” dictate the balance of time in their life, this is not always easy to do. Every situation is different, as is every person. But one can firmly believe in the awesome power that Church can have on their life, and that spending a little more time in Church can relieve the stress in many other areas of life. Basically, if teens make an effort for a little more one-on- one God time, they will find that it can be very beneficial in the long run.
While all of these things threaten to pull youth away from positive leadership opportunities in the church, the positive contributions and gift teens bring overshadow the downfalls. With the creation of youth ministry programs in individual parishes and groups such as the Resource Team and Diocesan Youth Council, teens with the desire to make a difference in the Church can fully share their gifts with those around them. These organizations provide a good way to bring the youth back into the church. Overall, the obstacles in the way of youth leadership in the church, while many, are far outnumbered by the positive gifts and alternative methods of teens. Hopefully, with the ever-changing ways of society, one thing can become constant in the lives of all Catholic teens: their involvement in Youth Ministry. Their dedication to positive change, motivation to contribute to the church community, and leadership in the world around them will pave the way for generations of Catholic youth in the future.