[MR] Teenager abuse at Pennsic

[Timothy Carter]

There are many sides to the issue about teens, so I dont think we are so much off topic as we are looking at different views of the same issue.  I think what we are recognizing is a gap in the options of activities that are offered for teens to choose and get involved in.  
 
Opening up, in some way, or even actively inviting/recruiting teens for more activities geared for them is part of the larger answer.  Parent supervision and being resposible parents is another part of the answer.
 
Generally teens want something that is "theirs," that permits socializing, entertainment, independence, and worthwhile.  Finding activities that may satisfy these general wants, while still providing adult supervision, is what Im interested in and what I believe is the discussion about this issue.
 
Lets list the most common activities at local events and Pennsic.  For yourself, list the ages of participants you envision or have witnessed at each event.  See if we can identify the gaps in offered activities to hopefully begin offering more options to keep our teens welcome and active.
 
Activity:
 
Mentally, or on paper, without using any other resource, apply an age or range of ages, you have witnessed or have heard participants may be for each type of activity.  Keep in mind legal restrictions as they may apply.  Please try to answer as things are now, not how you project they could be in the future.
 
Children's Corner
 
Page's Academy
 
Boffer Weapons
 
Rapier Weapons
 
Archery
 
Combat Archery
 
Heavy Weapons
 
Water-Bearing
 
Chiurgeon
 
Marshalling
 
Heralding
 
Retainer
 
Guard (Camp)
 
Guard (Personal)
 
Kitchen/Cook or otherwise
 
Autocrat/Autocrat assistant
 
Minister of the List
 
Games/Games Tournaments (Period games)
 
Dance
 
Bardic/Musician
 
Troll
 
Security
 
Thrown Weapons
 
Merchanting
 
Arts and Sciences
 
 
I suppose it is easy to view service tasks as a chore.  Recently a knight and a couiple of friends visited camp at Pennsic as the group around the fire was discussing the next day's commitment to guarding royal camp.  When asked to the knight about volunteering service to help guard the royal camp, the knight scoffed indignantly, as did his sword brother-friends and the idea of such a lowly service be asked of their higher rank.  However, having been royal camp and Her Majesty's guard many, many long hours, I have found the task to be very rewarding and an honor to undertake.  I usually take a very serious approach to this task and have been rewarded with getting to know many of our kingdom and witnessing events few of the overall populace ever see.
 
What I am getting to here, and I am blessed/cursed with a long-winded style so I beseech forgiveness, is the approach of offering options regarding service is most important.  If offering an opportunity to a teen is handed as a task, like mowing the lawn, then yes, it may very well be perceived as a chore rather than an honor.  If a service task is offered with careful wording with the honor it truly is, few teens would be refusing so readily.
 
 
~Gunther
 
 
 
> Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:57:10 -0700> From: angellfoxx at yahoo.com> To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org> Subject: Re: [MR] Teenager abuse at Pennsic> > I think we're missing the main point here.. Its the PARENTS responibility to make sure thier kids speak and act with respect no matter where they are be it an SCA event or mundane.If your kids aren't intreasted in sca events leave them to stay with a friend or family at home.What are these children learning by watching video or playing D&D in the activitys room (which is what I'd heard it called)?The whole premise of SCA is to recreate the time period we play in not roll dice to see if your troll kills someones elf... the idea of getting them involed at royal camp is a great idea with one flaw .. most teenagers are not the most reliable.I've had positive and negitive experiances with teens at war but no more then the adults I've been around at war.I seem to remember wars ago there was a teen camp ... and result was that too many incidents happened that they never repeated the idea to my knowledge.I think that it all comes down to parents getting> involved and making real choices on what experiances they expect ...and laying clear rules for the teens in thier charge.> > Medb Ceitinn> > > --- On Thu, 8/14/08, mweymark at carolina.rr.com <mweymark at carolina.rr.com> wrote:> > > From: mweymark at carolina.rr.com <mweymark at carolina.rr.com>> > Subject: Re: [MR] Teenager abuse at Pennsic> > To: "Cian Conor MacQuaid" <Cian at MacQuaid.org>> > Cc: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org> > Date: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 12:05 PM> > Actually you are correcct, the implication that the kids> > likely to cause trouble would not consider joining in was> > wrong to imply. However, we do this because it is fun for> > us. I do service because well, Im a service junky with a> > high amount of Helium in my arm blood (a condition my laurel> > is trying to cure). I have had the good fortune of working> > along side some like afflicted teens, and I have also heard> > teens protest about doing service because it is like a> > chore. > > > > I think we (as a community) need to come up with social> > alternatives for our youth to keep their interest rather> > than finding jobs to keep them busy! Teen gaming is a> > wonderful idea. And we could even take it a step further and> > have it run by older Pages (over 16 crowd). Having the> > pages run the games might make being a page a little more> > appealing as well. I dunno if we could legally do that but> > I mean if the teens are hanging out now without supervision> > wouldnt this be a step up?> > --> > > > Caterine St. Loe> > "the Good 'Prentice"> > Chateaux Ferneaux