[MR] Teenager abuse at Pennsic

[Wayne Remes]

One of the things I have noticed...from the get go, is that kids and teens
in the SCA (and from SciFi Con going parents) seem to get along better, and
be more at home with kids and teens from other members of the these
groups....I know Diane always has. A large number of teens I have seen are
less interested in the Medievalism of the SCA, and are more interested in
just doing the teen experiance with other teens that come from families with
generally a same background of weirdness as their own. I think the 2nd floor
of the bath house is probably the perfect place for the kids/teens to stay
during the day and evening hours. It has power, is centrally located (which
makes it fairly easy for parents to stop by and check on their teens
thoughout the day), is close to the merchants and the food court. I think
the idea of a closing and opening time is a really good idea (although Diane
has always had a curfew, last year of 11:00PM this year of midnight) so I
don't see a problem with the concept of the kids using the balcony, back
area and 2nd floor as a hang out. It has the added bonus to them of being
chosen and created by them. It puts them in a place where they are visiable
but still have the illusuion of not being watched all the time by their
parents. I agree it's much like a mall situation. We have already come up
with things for teens to do at pennsic Youth A&S, and youth combat. Not all
the kids are interested in this stuff, or if they are...head to the bath
house after it finishes. Diane has said that most of the kids at the bath
house are older teens or very early 20s, and the teen parties are usually
attended by kids in their early teens, so parties geared toward early teens
would not be especially interesting to later teens. I think rousting them
out of the bathhouse duirng day and evenign hours will only result in them
relocating to someplace else (possibly more secluded...say the swimming
hole) and less easily watched.


Axel

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joshua Thomas" <foreachdev at gmail.com>
To: <atlantia at atlantia.sca.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: [MR] Teenager abuse at Pennsic


>I think leaving a laptop unattended where someone could throw it away is
> well inresponsible. I think the person who left it was lucky someone 
> didn't
> take it. Basic principle: leave something in a public place unattended 
> there
> is high probability of it growing legs and going somewhere you prefer it 
> not
> go. Would you leave your laptop sitting on a food court table in a mall
> unattended? Now insert overnight. Is the mall in any way responsible for
> your property? Would people in your own encampment like personal stuff 
> left
> sitting around a public area not dedicated to the particulair use?
>
> Also I think the bathhouse is an inappropiate place to be doing anything 
> but
> bathing. Maybe it would be better to find an alternate place for your 
> teens
> to hang out?
>
> So there is a lot that the teens were doing wrong in the above scenario 
> that
> could of been done differently that would of made the whole situation
> avoidable.
>
> Lord Tristan
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