Katie Porter: The public shouldn't fear us
While I will be one of the first to agree there is a lot trouble caused by teenagers, not all of us are involved, and this fact is largely unreported.
Some of us deserve to be seen in a better light than 'thugs' and 'hooligans'. You rarely come across newspaper articles telling the public how trustworthy many of the teenage population are, but a large sum of teenagers are actually fun and mature people to be around.
Newspaper headlines always contain negative statements about teenagers hanging around in parks, but what they don't mention is the fact not all teenagers in the parks are causing trouble. Some are just there purely on a social basis, to catch up with friends.
We get told that we should find other places to go, but where is there for us? If they want us off the streets, they should perhaps build some more youth clubs, or make local concerts weekly, instead of monthly. That way, if we want to meet up and chat with our friends, we could go about it in a way the adults would like. At the moment, there isn't really anywhere for teenagers to go in the evening.
Personally, I think that society should stop portraying teens in a bad light, and focus on the good things that we could possibly partake in, if given the respect and support of others that we rightfully deserve. There are a lot of talented youngsters around, who if they were just given a break and a place to go, could potentially change the older generations' view of youth.
There have been many times when my friends and I are having a catch up in the local park, and the police have come along to tell us to move on and find somewhere else to hang out, so we do. But wherever we go, they follow, moving us on. The annoying thing is that we don't cause any trouble, but there are still people insisting on complaining about us, just because we are teenagers.
Furthermore, recent statistics show that most teenage boys feel that teenage girls are treated more fairly than them, and felt that they were 'demonised' by the press.
This is probably due to the fact they are called discriminating names such as 'yobs' and 'hoodies' in the media. If you are discriminated against enough, you misbehave and act like the stereotype portrayed.
These negative views from the press begin to affect the way elders act when they are faced with teens; they become scared and anxious to be around us, when there is no reason for them to feel threatened.
What I'm trying to say is the media should stop giving teenagers a bad name, and focus on the positive things we do, such as volunteering. Also, I feel the public should not fear us as much as they do. The majority of us aren't out to cause trouble.
● Katie Porter is in the sixth form at Hanham High School.
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