Re: “Cuts could lead to teen trouble,” June 26
Dear Editor,
I am a teenager (16 years old) born, raised, and currently living in Irricana and I have a few things to say about this editorial. First, services were cut because many irresponsible adults (not teens) are not paying their taxes, so these services need to be cut back.
The author of this article said there are “few activities” available. They have failed to notice that we have a widely used Youth Centre, Recreation Complex, summer day camps, soccer programs, Scouts program, parks, and skateboarding equipment, Movie in the Park, Theatre Society, Sports Day stuff, Christmas activities and Canada Day celebrations.
Also, who says the splash park is closed for good? How about we raise the $5,000 to keep it running? I’d be willing to participate, believe it or not, and I don’t even use the splash park. The splash park is not used by teenagers in this town, it is used by families and children. Despite the fact that they do not use it, teenagers in Irricana would likely be willing to help with raising the money to keep it going for the kids because that’s really what teenagers are about these days.
“When teens in small towns have nothing to occupy their time, they often fill their days with mischief.”
I am not sure why “teens in small towns” are different from teens in other areas, first of all. Also, I do not agree or believe in stereotyping any group of people. Doing that is what I would call “adult trouble.”
It is not right and it is not fair. When you say these things about teens it makes them want to misbehave because no matter what they do you already have your mind made up about how they are. Nobody ever mentions the positive things teens do. If you take the time to look past a stereotype you can learn about all the teens in this community who work really hard and do a lot of great things.
“We are not sure that a savings of $5,000 to shut down the splash park is worth the cost of some bored teens filling their time with vandalism and other petty crimes.”
Worth the cost? So you automatically assume teenagers will damage the park? You are doing this to yourselves. If you tell teens they are bad, they will be bad. If you respect them, they will respect you. For the record, most of the teens I know are not that bored. They are busy with school, sports and other extra-circulars. They are busy with extra family responsibilities and volunteering.
It should also be known that “Old Smokey” was knocked down and vandalized by adults not from our community. It was not done by teens.
Also, there are a lot of “racing vehicles” driven by adults in Irricana that was not mentioned in the article. Many teens in Irricana do not have vehicles and if they do, they will most likely not be racing to the splash park to vandalize. The splash park has only been around for about two years, it seems that the majority of teenagers were able to manage their time properly before then. I have faith that we will continue to do so despite the water park being shut down.
I understand these decisions are unfortunate but expecting that teenagers will cause harm and damages is an unfair assumption. There is never recognition for the positive things teenagers do in town. This article does not give teenagers the ability to become a positive influence in the community.
I encourage people to check out websites like this one http://www.search-institute.org/community-engagement
Zoey Kelly, Irricana
