Oliva 1

Joshua Oliva Professor Susan Lago ENG 1100-27 6 November 2013 Helping Kids Stay Out of Trouble There is nothing I love more than soccer. Not a single thing on this planet, aside from my family, appeals to be more than 90 minutes on that field giving it all I have. This is more than just a sport to me, its life. I learned almost everything I know because of soccer and because of this sport I met all my friends. Without this strong passion I have for soccer I honestly dont know where I would be. Some kids dont have the opportunity I do, to have something I can resort to do outside of home and school. If it werent for soccer I would probably be out doing what other kids are doing, smoking weed and drinking vodka. A child begins to doubt their morals and succumbs to this bad influence. This can happen over many reasons like fear of rejection, fear of losing friends, being out casted or even fear of not being cool. I have seen this happen too many times in my hometown of Clifton. Kids fall into this hole where they think the only way out is drugs and alcohol. This is a very serious problem which is still continuing to grow. This result may be the cause of multiple problems, but to make things easier I want to focus on the peer pressure of extremely awful and illegal influences.

Many also believe parenting is involved, which is true but only to an extent. Good parenting can lead a child in whatever direction they are going, after they already know where

Oliva 2

they stand. For example, sports can help child stay off the streets and away from drugs but what happens when they were raised wrong and become bullies? Eventually, the same consequence follows, so it is assumed that good parenting is already instilled with all kids. To be even less vague drugs and alcohol is not the only issue concerning this topic but it is affects a lot people living in this community, such as parents. Circumstances like these can lead to violence, addiction, and health issues. There are multiple precautions that can be done as a community in my hometown that are not being done well enough, if at all. Sports are very commonly encouraged all around the country but how well are they encouraged? Parents, teachers, and even elders always try and encourage sports but what if its not possible? The other day I went to my local turf field to practice a little and before I could even put on my cleats I was kicked out. This has happened since the field was first built, forcing me to find other ones in different towns. Even then in East Rutherford, Secaucus, and Bloomfield the same thing happens. Owners of these fields rent out their fields and leave the public with almost no time at all to use the fields. My hometown and other towns as well, should build some sort of recreational park for the public and only to the public. Having places such as soccer fields, football fields and basketball courts gives our communities youth somewhere to go. Proceeding from this theory, I scheduled an interview with a police officer from my hometown of Clifton (Robeneski Interview). He told me that almost 50 kids have been arrested for violence related crimes since the beginning of the school year. To a police officer, I assumed, it was just part of the job and that these numbers only meant so much as to how many people were actually causing trouble and in what areas; whether it be in age range or geographical areas.

Oliva 3

The funny thing about that number is that it could mean anything. He said they were arrested for crimes pertaining violence. It is unsure how many were let go, mistakes, or even how many were not arrested. The number of actual arrests that have been correct could very well be over or even under. This can be seen as a positive or a negative. It may be positive because the amount of law enforcement has been cracking down on keeping these kids out of harms way. Although it may even be negative because it is a high number, some might ask what about all the kids who havent been arrested? How many have gone without notice? While that is unknown because there is just no accurate way to pinpoint the real number of violent crimes being committed by teenagers, I stand by my original argument that not enough is being done in my hometown. Imagine how high that number would be if it compared the actual number of violent crimes committed in an entire calendar year. With this in mind I looked up the crime rate in my hometown in the year 2012. Clifton PD has reported 17 violent crimes in the month of October in 2012 from juveniles (NJ State Police Data). Out of those, 14 of were cleared without penalty, or rather serious jail time penalty. This proves my point exactly; some were mistakes or won by the accused in court. So how does one define the real numbers? Once we figure out the real numbers of violent crimes committed by teenagers, arrested or not, we move one step closer to reducing that same number. Sports are definitely one way of reducing the problem. Schools should encourage after hour activities as well, such as clubs; Giving kids something productive to do after school can very effectively push all these bad influences to the side. My hometown has some clubs they hold after school but not real ones. Not any club that anyone would want to go to for fun. They think Spanish or Italian club is going to fill as a substitute for real clubs. Why not a club

Oliva 4

dedicated to a sport, for all the children who couldnt make the varsity team? Or a club that helps students find a career theyll be happy with? One that is dedicated to being productive and keeping kids busy. Some people actually believe that this is not a serious problem, but they are some that actually think this is a very high concerning issue. I spoke with one of my former high school teachers (Joe Bell Interview). He felt very strongly on this issue, because he interacts with students on a daily basis. He states that very often to students involved themselves in fights, drugs and drinking. All of which he has experienced and yet he realized that it has almost become normal to teenagers. This is a matter that should be taken serious issue in my community. Not only because of kids that can create violence, health or addiction issues but because these are the kids that define our future. Theyre the ones who will be in charge in a few years, who wants to live in a community that is run by adults who never finished high school or went to college? Who choose to do drugs and have nothing of worth in their lives? Not to mention how it currently affects our town. This also can and very might well endanger some citizens. Those who might just be in the wrong place at the wrong time or those who want to help and interfere risking their own health and lives. Employment, this may be a small step to a solution to reducing these numbers. Employers in my community do not even look at applicants unless they are already out of high school, if they make it that far. It is a problem because there are so many kids who would benefit from being employed. Not only would they be kept busy but they would responsibility. The employment rate in New Jersey is around 9.6 percent in the month of October in 2012(Bureau of

Oliva 5

Labor Data). Which is very high considering the small amount of the population in the state; a third or more are teenagers going into college or in high school. _ This is truly a big issue in my town, and I believe there are various ways and measures that can be taken to reduce the number of kids that fall into awful peer pressure. Some, like me, find it through sports; others find it through clubs or employment. Regardless of how it happens it is important that it does because these kids are the ones who are going to be calling the shots in the future. They are the ones who are going to affect everything in this town at one point or another. Every time I have the ball at my feet, its like I start a new story. It is an indescribable feeling that I want every kid in my town to know through whatever it may be that they enjoy. So what can everyone do to reduce the numbers of violent crimes in teenagers? Not only in my hometown but everywhere.

Works Cited Bell, Joseph. "Teacher Interview." Personal interview. 21 Nov. 2013. Clifton PD. "New Jersey State Police - UCR - Current Crime Data." New Jersey State Police UCR - Current Crime Data. State Of New Jersey, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.njsp.org/info/ucr_currentdata1.html?agree=0>. "Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject." Bureau of Labor Statistics Data. Bureau of Labor, Oct.-Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LASST34000003>.

Oliva 6

Gomez, Miluska. "Community Interview." Personal interview. 24 Nov. 2013. Robeneski, Officer. "Police Interview." Personal interview. 19 Nov. 2013.