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Remember those teenage years with all their insecurities? An age you never saw eye-to-eye with your parents? Today, organisations like Activiteens help tackle these problems.
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Activiteens: getting your adulthood right — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
BODY PIERCING and tattoos, discotheques and dieting... these are associated with the tiresome, terrible, teen years. It is exasperating for parents as well as adolescents. With constant conflict between the two generations that widens the proverbial gap, distance between the two is considered more "healthy".
To cater to this need, Aruna Jagdish, paediatrician, along with a panel of doctors and parents, launched Activiteens, a centre that deals with issues concerning young adults, on November 16.
It addresses their problems and provides them with a platform to voice their opinions. Dr. Aruna describes Activiteens as an "information resource, a place where teenagers can get their facts straight, eliminate common misconceptions, and share their experiences with others who are going through the same chaotic circumstances".
The primary concern of Dr. Aruna is to provide reliable information to youngsters regarding the chosen topic of discussion. Though teenagers will be given the freedom to choose a relevant topic and put forward their own perspectives, all the sessions will be supervised by trained and qualified professionals to provide them with "accurate and credible" information.
Sessions for parents are held separately, because sensitive issues are discussed, and that might shy away the youngsters from speaking their mind freely. So you can be assured that it is not a gathering where parents and youngsters point fingers and throw accusations at each other.
"This is a place where we encourage teenagers to open up on issues they normally shy away from, when it comes to discussing it with their parents. Subjects such as smoking, drinking, substance abuse, and relations with the opposite sex are touchy topics, and teenagers are uncomfortable to put forth their honest opinions under the watchful eye of their parents. Likewise, parents too hesitate to accept the unconventional outlook and ideas of their children. We aim at offering the right information given by the right people in a comfortable setting. This helps avoiding the awkward situations between parents and teenagers," explains the doctor.
But isn't that what a counselling session helps you achieve? Activiteens is different from a group-counselling programme, in that, here, topics of primary interest to teenagers are brought up. Relevant problems such as stress, study techniques, health and dieting, contraceptives, and exercise are discussed with adequate inputs from professionals.
There are no "agony aunts" who offer quick solutions to problems. Instead, a revelation of what is actually happening is provided. Also, a know-how of how one can deal with a situation in various ways is provided. Dr. Aruna says: "Awareness is our best defence." Activititeens organises weekly, monthly, and annual programmes by way of consultations with physicians, paediatricians, clinical psychologists, nutritionists, and beauticians.
Discussions are based on topics that are of concern to teenagers and parents alike. This is Activiteens' way of promoting career exposure among young adults. The last meeting of Activiteens, held on December 7, dealt with health and nutrition.
Parents and teenagers spoke about nutritional values of certain foods. For instance, parents learnt that an occasional pizza will not do much harm, while teenagers were convinced to give rasam and rice a chance. They also charted out a healthy diet for themselves with minimal compromise on nutritional value. With such well-planned activities, Activiteens is striving to help teenagers put aside their misunderstandings and insecurities, and helps them to emerge as mature, level-headed adults Activiteens can be contacted on 2218935.
SOMIKA BASU
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
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