Today’s teens live in a world which challenges their self-esteem. The media bombard them with ideas of a proper body type and weight, social expectations and manner of dressing, often provocative. Peers challenge them with invitations to participate in unhealthy activities such as risky sex, drugs, alcohol and crime. Parents often lack the tact, skill or interest to effectively help their teens during this tumultuous period in their lives.
The above raise questions as to what resources may be most useful to help prepare teenagers to face these challenges. Various approaches are possible, including the use of diverse role models to help prepare teenagers for the future. Another prominent thought is that parents fulfill this role most effectively. Other possibilities include the employment of professionally trained mental health workers. As this is an open-ended problem with no single solution, various ideas merit consideration. No single method or approach is all-encompassing or sufficiently superior to justify the disregard of other approaches and ideas.
In the light of the above mentioned challenges, the Heartminders’ Project has birth a child of necessity – The Heartminders Youth Club (HYC).
