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Is There a New Emerging Delinquent?

Updated: 12/5/2005

by Scott Larson

Troubled youth who are disconnected from the mainstream youth culture need relationships with caring adults and prosocial peers. However, other youth, such as those involved in church and school activities, often ostracize these troubled young persons. Therefore, educators and youth workers need to encourage prosocial peers to reach out and befriend the troubled ones.

When I began in church-related youth work in the early 1980s, I was taught that students fell into three basic categories. The first category contained the popular kids: athletes, cheerleaders, and homecoming kings and queens. They... [read on]

Keywords: troubled teens delinquent delinquency runaway ditch skip