A young girl recently wrote to a local advice column seeking guidance about her friend. "Emma," as the friend was referred to, is 14 years old and like a little sister to the writer. But Emma had recently begun hanging out with 18- and 19-year-old boys who let her drink and smoke pot. "What should 'big sis' do?" the writer asked.

"Tell Emma's mother now. Because Emma's father is an alcoholic, she already has the predisposition to become one. The longer you procrastinate, the greater her chances of getting into serious trouble - and face it, she's already well on her way."

It's not always easy to do what's best for friends, but making difficult decisions such as this is an important part of friendship. Sometimes teens have to act in a manner that will make a friend mad now, but will benefit her in the long run. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Labels: addictions, girls, peers

High Schools in Southern Illinois have a different kind of lifesaver. It's not a candy; it's a person - typically a high school student - who's been uniquely trained as a peer-support person for other high school students.

"The LifeSavers Training Corporation trains selected high school students to be caring, compassionate, confidential listeners for their peers in specialized ways that can help troubled students figure out their own best solutions before teenage stresses and problems turn into a crisis."

The LifeSavers program was developed 20 years ago and currently has programs in twenty-four South Illinois high schools. LifeSaver students not only listen and support their peers, but they also initiate positive activities like drug prevention programs.

Read more at TheSouthern.com.

Labels: peers, schools, support

Research from the University of Illinois indicates that the environment of a school has a small but significant effect on aggression among teenagers.

Janet Reis and her colleagues examined information from 111,662 middle school students to determine what factors predict school violence. An individual's personal traits and peer interactions have the most direct effect on whether a student becomes violent. However, the culture at a school can slightly decrease or increase aggressive tendencies. Schools that fostered student participation had less violence.

This study appears in the current issue of Youth & Society.

Labels: influences, peers, schools