Teenagers are often too rebellious, too concerned about peer pressure, or too lazy to take part in activities out of school, according to Government-backed research. The report, Positive Activities: Qualitative Research with Young People, investigated barriers to young people's participation in organised activities. It found that, although they regard them as a good thing, they are held back from taking part because they don't know what is on offer. This complaint about lack of information was also echoed by parents.
Key barriers to participation in organised activities (in approximate order of importance) were found to be:
- Low awareness of available activities locally
- Personal inertia
- Real and imagined peer pressure
- Peer inertia (the way a group defaults to the familiar even when new ideas come along)
- A general lack of self-confidence
- Specific anxiety about their abilities at the activity
- Perceived lack of time due to school work and peer group activities (more common in the older teens)
- For a minority, actual resistance to the notion of taking part.
Children's minister Dawn Primarolo has called on local authorities to let children know about all the local fun activities and places for them to go. 'We will be holding road show events throughout the year encouraging and supporting local authorities to use new and innovative ways to communicate to young people,' she said. 'A number of local authorities already do this, successfully communicating to young people via Twitter, and through schools, youth clubs, leaflets and word of mouth. Young people want to take part in modern and exciting activities like music recording and street dance, but they also want somewhere they can just hang out with their friends on a Friday and Saturday night.'
Attitude types
Researchers identified six different 'types' based on their attitude to participation in positive activities.
'Not bothereds' 'When you're nine you can be bothered, but not at our age,' said a 13-year-old boy. 'When I get into this mood of can't be bothered, I won't do it ... I can't be bothered to go to the toilet when I want to,' added a 14-year-old girl. This group often defined themselves as lazy, although it was thought that some of them were self-deprecating. They were also found to be lacking in social confidence, and some were put off by previous negative experiences of activities.
'Authority-rejecters' The older, more confident teenagers or younger rebellious ones tended to not want to be 'told what to do'. They disliked the idea of being organised and led, with a 16-year-old girl saying, 'The trouble with clubs is that someone is in charge of you. I don't want anyone in charge of me (after school).'
'Shy and lacking confidence' A key barrier to trying new things was lacking confidence. One teen said, 'I just couldn't even think about doing something like that on my own - I'd need to know people first.'
'Friends first' A high focus on their peer group and being part of a friendship group led to being less interested in participating in activities. They wanted to spend as much time as possible with their social circle. 'It's all about your mates first,' commented a 14-year-old boy. There was also the worry that their peers would laugh at them for doing something different, that they would lose respect, or that the commitment would impact too much on their social life.
'Open and interested' Some of this group were already involved in activities, although not passionate about them. Others were not currently involved in activities but expressed an interest if the 'right' one arose. 'Serial trialists' also came into this category - those who were willing to give activities a go but then gave them up because of negative experiences or boredom. A 13-year-old boy told researchers, 'Well, at first you've got the excitement of getting into something, but then when you actually get there it's not that great, it gets boring really quickly.'
'Passionate achievers' These participated in an activity regularly and reported enjoying and prioritising it. 'I'm well into my football - I'm top scorer in my team. I sometimes miss parties and stuff on Saturdays because we practise Sunday mornings, but I'm more into my football than parties, you know?' said an 18-year-old. They reported gaining satisfaction, confidence and self-respect from being good at their chosen activity.
Avoiding structure
Daycare Trust joint chief executive Alison Garnham agrees with the research. 'It tells a clear story that young people need to be informed about activities and that they are about having a go and having fun; they do not need to be competitive or school-based. They need other children to tell them that they are having a laugh.'
She adds, 'The attitudinal categories are useful for the purpose of the report, but make me anxious because it is important not to pigeonhole young people. It would be easy to stereotype - for example, the "Not bothereds" can be a cover-up for being shy, or concerned that their friends wouldn't approve, or worried that their parents can't afford. It might be that they just need to get the message that they should have a go and, ideally, that activities are free.'
Michelle Giles, manager of Seashells Children's Centre in Great Wakering, Essex (see box), says, 'The main issue for organising activities for young people is that when they become too formal and structured they don't want to know.
'We allow the children to say what they want to do so that it encompasses the "authority rejecters". It is key to offer what they want and give choice, so that if they do not want to do sport then they can simply chat to a friend and listen to music.'
She also highlights the importance of good staffing and volunteers, an area the report does not mention. 'It is essential that the staff build a rapport with the children,' she says. 'If young people trust the people who work there, then they will come and work with them.'
But London-based play charity Kids' City has stopped offering activities to children aged over 11. Chief executive Jackie Nunns says, 'There is a stigma attached to attending projects, especially after school, but then not everyone wants to go home to an empty house either. We consulted children aged 12 and over and asked them what we could do for them. They overwhelmingly said they didn't want organised activities but wanted to make money. We've had this confirmed over and over again. So now we employ 14- to 19-year-olds as playworkers. It is really great when they get involved with the smaller children. They learn a lot about themselves, enjoy instigating activities and are worshipped by the younger children.'
CASE STUDY: Seashells Children's Centre, Great Wakering, Essex
A teen cafe launched in June 2008 has become one of the children's centre's 'proud achievements'. It started with 20 children; 60 attended the following week, and then numbers rose to 100. Now there are more than 200 teenagers registered.
The cafe is open on Monday and Wednesday evenings and offers a haven where teenagers can participate in organised activities - from sports to cooking and arts and crafts - or simply relax in quiet areas with their friends. They can purchase food, access the internet, use digital cameras and print photos or play on XBox consoles. A fortnightly committee of young people plans what they want to do and organises events such as a DJ night and summer BBQ.
'It is really important to find out what it is that the young people want to do,' explains children's centre manager Michelle Giles. 'It needs to be something that interests them and gives a good balance. Yes, there are planned activities, but they aren't heavily structured and the young people are able to choose what they want to do.
'A lot of communication has been through word of mouth, and the staff, volunteers and workers also play a key part in bringing the children in. Local sports coaches and people in the community have promoted the cafe, but the young people have also taken it on board themselves. They have told their friends and designed posters using their own language.'
Further information
'Positive Activities: Qualitative Research with Young People' is at www.dcsf.gov.uk/research
