Busy

Why was I under the misconception life would slow down in January?

If anything, it's sped up.

I'm in the third week of a self-inflicted series that airs Tuesdays at 4pm. It's one of those great ideas that you think is awesome, and it is awesome, but it takes a boatload of work to get the end product there. I am working with a local nonprofit to showcase the struggles and issues that teens face today that are new or on the rise. I'm trying to go beyond the typical alcohol, drugs, and sex to talk about issues that parents might not understand or know how to deal with.

What I have found is enough to make me run home and hug my little boy every night.

The toughest part of telling a story like this is finding the person who personifies the issue. The nonprofit has been excellent in connecting the dots. They've found some great teenagers willing to be very candid with me. The good news is the teens are all on the other side of their problem--meaning they've found help and are on their way to becoming productive citizens.

My story from last week, on the changing nature of gangs, struck a nerve with a local City Council. A council person brought it up last week during the meeting and this week, my topic was on the agenda. The City Council called in the police to talk about the issue, all prompted by my story. As a journalist, instigating this type of feedback is an unspoken compliment. After all, it is what we seek to do.

Here's a few points that have surprised me so far:

--More troubled teens are from broken families and families are more broken that you might think. While poverty-stricken areas usually breed violence and always have, more single parents are becoming disengaged with children because they are too busy working to transport kids to activities and such. What happens to those kids? usually trouble.

--Gangs are much different than they were in the 1980s and 1990s. They are no longer big names who are territorial, but instead "cliques" who are not organized and change leadership and allegiance frequently. One person can be a part of several gangs. They commit crimes of opportunity--stealing identities and committing mortgage fraud are new ones. The most common age to join a gang? 12, 13, or 14.

--Self harm or "cutting" is on the rise. It's not something that is done to commit suicide or attract attention (as most cutters hide their habit) but instead something that is a coping mechanism. Girls do this more than boys. But the age to start? 12.

I'm only halfway through it. The series should be finished up and in a special by president's day. You can catch a look at the series here.