Jonathan Kolson
Mrs. Zurkowski
Honors English 1
October 3, 2010
Essay
High School activities prevent crime rate. Every high school has extracurricular activities that parents have their kids get involved with. Parents sometimes use it to prevent their kid from becoming a criminal. Many researchers have said it is true.
Extracurricular sports reduce delinquency in guys. Guys are less likely to get into drug and alcohol abuse because their sport team is relying on him. Girls have different experiences so that the sports cause them to be less likely to commit crime or be delinquent. Different things have different effects on teens.
Guys have been proven to be less likely to commit crime if they are in other non-school activities. Sports do not have a relatively positive influence. The opposite is true for girls. They have positive influence from sports, and less from church and other activities. “Other activities, such as church and after-school community activities, decreased the risk of delinquency in boys, but not for girls” (Northeastern).
Non-school activities are very important for decreasing the rate of delinquency. “Involvement in church and non-school activities, for both young men and women, significantly protected them from serious delinquent behavior, which includes fighting, carrying a weapon or violence” (Northeastern). Church does not reduce delinquency but it helps prevent crime.
Teens also use all their extra time on the activities so that they cannot be bored and want to do something bad. If the teen spends too much time in the extracurricular it may be a bad thing. The teen will be around bad influences more than their good influences, like their parents. Then the teen will develop feelings like-minded to their peers. Their thoughts may be that delinquency is fine. Then the teen will think that and might drink or do stupid things.
“If the teenager feels they are making a difference to the group or team they are part of, their personal self-esteem will be higher. Elevated self-esteem will make it less likely that a teenager will get involved in substance abuse or other illegal activities” (Angel). The teen will feel like they can do something to the world in a positive way. They will not want to do crime because they want to help the world.
Adults will bond with the teens and will give them good advice. They will not feel isolated being with their friends if their parents are always working. “It is also advisable for parents to be supportive of any after school activities that the teenager chooses to be involved with so that the positive energy that comes from the after school activity can carry over into the teenager’s home life” (Angel).
The teens will have something to look forward to. If it is every month the teen will be more excited and energized waiting the last few days. If it is every week then the teen will be waiting for that day every day. They will always be looking forward to that and will be practicing for the activity. They will have a reason to stay out of trouble.
Every teen is different and every teen should be treated differently. Every teen should be respected. If they are respected they will feel better about themselves. The teen should have your trust until they show you specifically that you should not. Many teens are doubted before they are given a chance to lose it. They are always pushed out before they get in.
Works Cited
Angel, Grace. Why after school activities reduce crime rates for teens. http://www.helium.com. Accessed 22 September 2010.
Northeastern University. "Can Involvement In Extra-Curricular Activities Help Prevent Juvenile Delinquency?." ScienceDaily 23 March 2008. 23 September 2010 <http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/03/080321174211.htm>.
Aguilar, Azalea. “Teens, Crime, and Brain Development”.
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