Roles and Governance Models Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Roles and Governance Models - Research Paper Example The roles are disintegrated for each professional and have to execute it diligently to ensure that the project becomes a success. The basic role of a software engineer is to build and develop software according to the specifications that will serve the purpose as documented in paper work. When a project is proposed, it is always in a paper work, it then calls for a software engineer to interpret the information by programming (Dickens, 2006). Through programming language, the software engineer is able to come up with a system that does exactly what is proposed in the paper work. The engineer must be good in data structures and algorithms for this stage of the project to successfully be realized. The software is varied and only conforms to the purpose to which it is planned; a software engineer must therefore be good in programming to produce quality work. A system architect plays more or less the same role as software engineer; he is responsible for the development of the design of the software given that he understands best the customer’s specifications. Software must be designed first before actually it is developed, the analogy here is the plan of the hours, the architect has to draw the plan of the house before engineer can come in, the same principles applies in the development of the software. System analyst is a guru in the development of software and that is why they are able to work out architectural design of very complex systems for the developers to execute the remaining development. In this regard, it explains how close the team operates in the achievement of the purpose (Dickens, 2006). Business analyst is responsible for the dealing with the customers to identify the taste of the customers so that he can provide specification of the software project. Business analyst is responsible for knowing what the customers want so that he is able to provide the same

Global Umbrella Branding and Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Umbrella Branding and Marketing - Essay Example Centrica Plc. effectively disputes the above stated theoretical propositions on consumer resistance to umbrella brands as an outcome of corporate practices or the poor performance of other products sharing the same brand name. While it publicly engages in philanthropic activities, the corporation has a poor labour relations record, has consistently proven itself a socially irresponsible company, and has fuelled claims that it is, in essence, a monopolistic, exploitative entity. Yet, this has not resulted in the above theorised consumer resistance and, indeed, has not halted Centrica Plc's expansion or stemmed its ever-spiralling success. While it can be argued that this is partially because there are no substitutes to Centrica's products and services, it is the position of this study that the aforementioned evidences the fact that the marketing and brand management of umbrella brands have the potential to overcome the challenges posed by corporate practices. The study proposes to examine umbrella brand management within the context of a global company. In so doing, the dissertation will argue that effective marketing strategies have the potential to negate the forces which incite consumer resistance. ... The study proposes to examine umbrella brand management within the context of a global company. In so doing, the dissertation will argue that effective marketing strategies have the potential to negate the forces which incite consumer resistance. The aforementioned shall be argued and established through reference to Centrica Plc. As presented in the preceding paragraph, the importance of the topic stems from its theoretical and practical implications. While not arguing against the validity of consumer resistance theories, the research will dispute the proposition that it cannot be offset by marketing strategies. Indeed, brand management, such as which Centrica Plc has proven itself proficient at, can negate the forces which incite consumer resistance to umbrella brands. Insofar as it will focus upon the validation of the aforementioned, the study's theoretical value derives from the fact that it will highlight the potential of the marketing of umbrella brands to offset consumer resistance. Furthermore, to the extent that it will highlight how Centrica managed to do so, the study has practical value. 3 Company Background Centrica Plc was formed in 1997 in the wake of the demerger of British Gas. Over the past decade, the corporation has experienced significant growth levels, largely due to its expansion both beyond Britain and beyond the energy market. With operations in all of North America, Germany, Norway, Spain and Belgium, Centrica is a testament to effective and successful strategic global brand management. Controlling 76% of the UK's domestic energy market and sourcing and supplying energy across the world, Centrica also owns the Automobile Association (AA), Goldfish (a credit card company), and has interests in the residential phone market, to

Introduction To Social Work Practice

Introduction To Social Work Practice A referral has been made by the PSNI because they are concerned about two children aged 18 months and 4 years old following their attendance at an incident of domestic violence the previous Saturday evening. Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC,2005, 9.25) state Child protection is everyones business . Gateway teams have been established within the five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland, to deal with all referrals both from professionals and members of the public who are concerned about a childs well being. Social work is a profession that embraces the principles of The Human Rights Act 1998(HRA). The Children Order (Northern Ireland) 1995 (Order 1995) underpins all aspects of the powers and duties of the social work mandate governed by social work law. The Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) code of practice reflect profession ethical and values which are intertwined with law, societal values and are at the heart of how workers conduct their practice. Article 66 of the Children Order places a duty on workers to investigate all allegations or suspicions of abuse likely to cause harm to a child. The Family Homes and DV (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 has been incorporated into the Children Order. Article 12 A, identifies the risk of harm to a child from witnessing DV, (Order, 1995). The social work role is to assess and intervene if a child is in need or at risk of significant harm. Article 17 of the Order defines a child in need as unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision of services by the Health and Social Services Trust or if the child is disabled (Order, 1995). Upon recite of this referral the worker must take time to tune in to the potential risks and appropriate action as a result of this information. The worker needs to contact the PSNI and clarify the details of the referral including the severity of the DV. Multi-agency working is a key function of social work in the area of child protection and fundamental to assessment of risk. Joint working protocols exist between the PSNI and workers in Northern Ireland. The lone working policies acknowledge, violence against workers is not unheard of and the PSNI will accompany the worker to enable them to carry out the initial assessment if needed. NI is a country emerging from conflict; however, stereotypical attitudes and beliefs about the PSNI and some members of the community are deep rooted. The worker needs to assess how s/he can proceed safely. According to the Order 1995, the welfare of the child is paramount. Social workers try to build positive relationships with parents and families. The Article 8 European Convention of Human Rights offers, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ protection for a persons private and family life, home and correspondence from arbitrary interference by the State, (www.yourrights.org). An over authoritarian approach may serve to alienate parents but this does not mean the worker takes unnecessary risks regarding her own or others safety, (NISCC, 2004, 4.3). The social worker is obliged to screen details of the people involved against the e-information system and the child protection register (CPR), for current or previous social service involvement. Names of the children need to be entered individually; it is not uncommon for one child in a family to be registered and another not. If the family or children have had previous involvement with social services and the case is now closed the manual records need to be accessed and read. If the worker has any ambiguity about the interpretation of the information, clarity must be sought with the principal social worker or whoever is the relevant party. Workers are accountable for the quality of their work. (NISCC, 2004,6.0) At present the worker has no way of identifying the level of risk posed to these two children. DV is a contributory factor in half of all the serious case reviews and 75% of the cases on the child protection register. (Hester, et al.1998). When all background information is gathered the worker needs to communicate her findings both in writing and verbally to the supervisor/team leader/manager, whom in turn has ultimate responsibility for prioritising the referral based on the available information. Failure to follow the risk assessment policies and procedures and effectively use information can have fatal consequences for the service user. If this referral was to result in a child/ren getting harmed the social work could be held personally culpable. Ignorance is not an excuse, (Stafford and Hardy 1996 cited Calder, 2003, p.8). Brearley, 1982, suggests risk is calculated by the likelihood of the variation of possible outcomes Past knowledge provides a reasonable basis for prediction of harm. Stafford and Hardy (1996 cited Calder, 2002, p.8.) The Children Order, Cooperating to Safeguard Children, 2003 and Our Children and Young People Our Shared Responsibility, 2006-2016 expresses the need for workers and all professionals to communicate. Partnership recognises the expertise of other professionals and agencies, including the parents when it comes to the protection of children. (NISCC, 2004,6.7) The ACPC policy states a child must be seen and spoken to by the worker within 24 hours and that an initial assessment of need is completed within 7 working days of receiving the referral (ACPC,2005,para 9.25). The worker will undertake the initial assessment with the family. Milner and O Byrne (2002) describe social work as a goal directed activity. The worker needs to know the possible impact of DV on the health and development of children this age and be able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse. The NISCC code of practice states a worker needs to adequately prepare and plan all aspects of work, (NISCC, 2004 6.4). According to Parker and Bradley, (2003) assessment is a balance between art and science. There are no scientific tools, which can predict human behaviour or eliminate risks totally. Social work training and education equip social workers with the knowledge and skills to practice. (NISCC, 2004) The social work profession is grounded in the humanistic principles before any direct interaction takes place the worker needs to reflect on what the serious nature of what she is intending to do. In the area of child protection there is a considerable power imbalance between the worker and service user. The worker is effectively calling the competency of the parents into question. Workers could expect parents to be less than welcoming. It is hardly surprising given the invasiveness and instructiveness of the investigative role of child protection. People may feel intimidated and fearful that their children might be taken into care. This can result in hostility, anger and resentment towards the worker. (Adams, et al, 2009 p224). According to Farmer and Owen, (1995) Mullender, (1996) and (Mc Williams and Mc Kiernan (1995), DV is always about power and control. Their research is overwhelmingly based on male to female abuse but they do acknowledge the existence of violence against men and reciprocal violence. The worker needs to be consciously aware of this and respect the marginalized and vulnerable position of victim and abuser of DV. The worker needs to modify her own practice to address these issues sensitively and in a manner that will not further the oppression of the victim. Various trains of thought exist as to whether empathy is a character trait or a learned skill that develops through continuous practice but it is crucial that the worker understand the importance of the perspective of the service user. Schulman 1984(cited in Cournoyer. p.22) states, Preparatory empathy involves putting yourself in the clients shoes and trying to view the world through their eyes. Beckett and Maynard (2005) believe in the name of respect, parents have a right to know why their family is being investigated and why the worker wants to see and speak to their children. Informing the parents of their rights, including their right to complain, taking time to explain the investigation process and taking time to actively listen to parents and encouraging them to express their views will at least go in some way to upholding public trust and confidence in the social work profession. The involvement of the gateway worker will be time limited. If this family need further intervention the gateway worker needs to set the precedence for further social work involvement. If a family have a negative experience of one social worker they are likely to perceive all social workers to behave the same. Cleaver, et al (1995) stresses the need for the worker to be open and honest from the start of the process, if any trust is to be established. Much of the assessment relies on participation of the parent, without which the worker will have great difficulty making an accurate assessment and as a result the children or the family may not get the support they need and the appropriate intervention to either meet their needs or keep them safe. (Parker and Bradley, 2003) In the spirit of social justice and ethical practice holding the balance between the safety of the children, the importance of family life to a child and the need to avoid unnecessary interference underpins every part of the Childrens Order as it applies in practice (Children Order, 1995). Professional ethics requires the worker to critical reflect at every stage of the process in order to think logically and make sense of what is happening. Awareness of their own prejudices and discriminatory attitudes and a willingness to challenge them means the worker can begin to approach this family in a genuine and anti oppressive manner. According to Preston-Shoot and Agass (1990, p38) reactions can be determined by the workers own personal history and current emotional experiences. A worker who has grown up in a home where DV has been an issue may have very different feelings compared to a social worker who has never had personal experience of DV. Workers have a professional duty under the NISCC codes of practices and in the interests of social justice not to just maintain but promote the dignity and worth of all services users. Banks (2006, p3) states, Professional values need to distinguish between personal values. If the worker has concerns she can explore them through supervision either with her team or senior. Pauline Hardiker has developed the single assessment framework tool for assessing the needs of children-Understanding Needs of Children in Northern Ireland (UNOCINI) tool. The UNOCINI adopts an holistic view to assessing the needs of children. It has three interlinked areas of assessment. The needs of the child, the capacity of their parents to meet their needs and the wider family and environmental factors, such as employment and housing issues are assessed as having an impact the childs life and well being. Our Young People Our Shared Responsibility, 2006-2016 is the Governments Ten Year Strategys pledge, which reflects the prevention through early intervention social policy ethos and parental responsibility and partnership principles of the Children Order are fundamental to the UNOCINI. Social workers have an ethical commitment, to promote social justice and equality to support parents in need, to bring up their children. The aim is early identification of need, purposeful intervention, with the objective of preventing difficulties escalating and promoting the strengths and resilience of the family. Threshold of needs correspond with risk. The thinking behind this is to promote a shared understanding between professionals to identify concerns, risk, needs and strengths, particularly in the area of communication. DV is cited in threshold three of needs, (DHSSPSNI, 2007). Mullender et al, (2004) believes children face three risks: the risk of observing traumatic events, the risk of being abused themselves, and the risk of being neglected. Jean Paiget (1896-1980) is instrumental in constructing the idea that healthy children develop through a serious of ordered sequences, known as milestones. No two children will follow exactly the same pattern but it would be reasonable to expect that a child of 18 months would be starting to talk, walk and explore their environment. A 4-year-old would be able to walk, talk in sentences, and be out of nappies. Osofsky, (2004,p4) stresses, Trauma due to domestic violence interferes with a childs development. Mullender et al (2004) whilst agreeing with Osofsky suggests that protective factors, such as a supportive not violent adult, a placid temperament and the childs young age and lack of ability to full appreciate what is happening might help reduce the risks to children. She does point out that each child is different and will respond differently. Professional ethics and values of the social work profession emphases the need to treat each child as an individual (NISCC, 2004, 1.1). The key factors in the parenting and child domain are basic care, ensuring safety, emotional warmth, stimulation, guidance and boundaries and stability. (Howarth, 2004,p24) A report by Davenport in 1984 cited in Howarth (2004) discovered DV has a very negative impact on the mental health of the victim. Parents are more likely to respond with irritability and anger or fail to respond at all, rendering them emotionally unavailable to their children. Attachment theory believes that if a childs primary attachment is damaged in the first or second year of their life they are at significantly increased risk of developing problems later in life. Fahlberg (1991, p.64) states The primary task to be accomplished during the first year of life is for the baby to develop trust in others and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ explore their environmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ children growing up in a violent household may be too frightened to show inquisitiveness. Humphreys et al (2006) explored the emotional turmoil of children drawn into participating in the violence leaving the child confused and afraid and the parent undermined as a valued human being in their own eyes and the in the eyes of the child. Humphreys has also drawn attention presumed attitudes that expect all mothers to love their children and treat them the same. The child that looks like the abuser or the child that is born as a result of rape may be more vulnerable to harm than the child who is none of these things. Maslows higher hierarchy of needs believes that a child needs to feel safe and have a sense of belongingness within their family if they are to achieve their full potential, (Hoghughi and Long, 2004). Without this they are unlikely to achieve their full potential. Smale and Tuson, (1993 cited Coulshed and Orme 1998) recommend the exchange model where all people are seen as experts on their own problems and the emphasis is on the exchange of information rather than the worker being the expert. Listening is a core skill of any communication process. Social workers have been ridiculed in the past for their know it all approach, often leaving families stigmatised and traumatised because of their investigations but without any purposeful intervention. Lord Lamming (Laming report, 2003 cited in Wilson and James, 2008, p.254) following the death of Victoria Climbe, is clear that the aim of communication with children or about children is to gain a comprehensive understanding of a day in the life of a child. Children may engage through play. The worker could ask the child what TV programmes they watch or who makes dinner or puts them to bed. DV is not just about controlling people it involves controlling the household movements. The social worker needs to maintain vigilance for any visible signs of injury and needs to ask the child what happened. Workers should engage parents at every stage of the process. The worker needs to ask the parents permission to share and collate the information; however, regardless if they agree or not the information will need to be shared in the interest of child protection. All social work involvement needs to be proportionate to the age and developmental needs of the children and the nature and severity of the risks, concerns and strengths of the individual child and their respective family. Farmer and Owen, (1995, p79) has highlighted that in the face of allegations couples often from a defensive alliance against outside agencies. They may have conflicting and confusing feelings of love and hate towards each other. Thompson,(2006) advised couples often have multiple truths of events and experiences. This advises the worker not to be drawn into giving personal judgements or opinions. Thompson,(2006) focuses on the personal, cultural and structural model of oppression, (PCS) which might explain why women do not leave. Dobash and Dobash, (1979 cited in Cleaver, 1999) suggest that on a personal level women feel shame and guilt; they know their children are affected and they dont report DV or seek support because they fear they will not be believed or that they may be killed for reporting it. The impact of violence can lead to the woman feeling worthless and isolated. Culturally women are brought up from childhood to be caretakers, to comfort others and as a result of this they may believe that they are responsible for the abusers attacks, if they were a better wife, mother, cook, and then the violence would stop. The patriarchal nature of society often sees many women dependant for finance on a man. Thompson (2006) remarks, bring a child up in poverty is not impossible but it is hard. Structurally, the lack of affordable housing and a lack of confidence in the legal system are barriers that prevent women from leaving an abusive partner. Family Homes and DV (Northern Ireland) Order 1998,Article 29 gives courts the power to remove an suspected abuser from the family home instead of removing the children. (Children Order, 1995) but this does not guarantee safety. The new Government have warned of social welfare cut backs; the worker has to balance the needs of the family against available scarce recourses. Banks (2003 p101) states, a worker needs to be able to challenge agency policies and practicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Professional code of ethics along with education will have a role to play in this. A worker needs time to complete an accurate assessment. Heavy caseloads and a lack of resources have contributed to failure to protect in the past. Empowerment is about actively finding ways that the victim can make use of intervention to help themselves move towards the survivor role and care and their children without the support of the state. Conclusion Accurate, precise recording are vitally important to child protection and helps build the picture of childrens lives. The risks and strengths posed to them will provide the basis for shared understanding, analysis, decision-making and plans about the children and their family. The social worker on the Gateway team is responsible for drawing all the strands of information together. Health visitors, GP, PSNI, extended family all hold key pieces of information that could protect these children. The Gateway team is responsible for convening the initial case conference. All stakeholders need to contribute. Similar treads of poor communication, lack of interagency working and inaccurate recording, has consistently reappeared throughout Serious Case Reviews. In 1973 Maria Colwell aged 7 was beaten to death by her stepfather. In 2007 Arthur Mc Enhill set fire to his home killing his whole family, 7 in total and the same year 17month old Peter Connolly died after suffering horrific abuse. Domestic violence was a key feature in all of these tragedies. Pemberton, (2010, p17) advises, Patterns in social history and behaviour can be detected and something, which may appear insignificant in isolation, can be identified as a key warning sign in context Word Count: 3244

The Genius of M.C. Escher Essay -- Biography

The Genius of M.C. Escher Mathematics is the central ingredient in many artworks. While notions of infinity and parallel lines brought â€Å"perspective† to the artistic realm in creating realistic representations of depth and dimension, mathematics has influenced art in a more definite way – by actually becoming art. The introduction of fractal geometry and tessellations as creative works spawned the creation of new and innovative genres of art, which can be exemplified through the works of M.C Escher. Escher’s pieces are among the most recognized works of art today. While visually stimulating and deeply meaningful, his art reflects many ideas of mathematics through geometry, symmetry, and patterns. Maurits Cornelius Escher was born on June 17th, 1898 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, the son of a civil engineer. A terrible student in high school, young Escher spent much of his free time drawing and sketching. His early interest in art, along with the wishes of his father, influenced his decision to attend the School of Architecture and Decorative Arts in Haarlem. At age 21, however, M.C. dropped out after two years of study to pursue independent work in the arts. Throughout a ten-year period, Escher traveled around Italy sketching impressions. Finding little success and on the verge of poverty, Escher ventured to Spain in the late 1920’s in search of novel inspiration, which he found in the abundant Moorish tilings there. It was also during this time that Escher’s mathematical influences took shape, as he read Polya’s 1924 paper on plane symmetry groups. Despite his mathematical inadequacies, Escher was able to understand and reproduce the 17 plane symmetry groups as described by Polya (M. C. Es... ...y, M.C. Escher’s artworks are among the most widely recognized. His timeless and intriguing pieces drive thousands of admirers to his exhibitions around the world. Incorporating numerous mathematical concepts into his works, he elegantly demonstrated the distinct art and math relationship. Escher died on March 27th, 1972. However, his legacy lives on, along with controversy surrounding the question: was Escher an artist or mathematician? Works Cited â€Å"Escher Centennial Celebration.† [WWW] http://www.iproject.com/escher/escher100.html. 16 October 1999. Goode, Stephen. â€Å"The Artist who Sketched out a Geometry of Imagination.† Insight on the News 23 March 1998: 39. â€Å"M.C. Escher: Artist or Mathematician?† [WWW] http://library.advanced.org/11750. 16 October 1999. â€Å"Totally Tessellated.† [WWW] http://library.advanced.org/16661. 17 October 1999.

Breast Feeding is Best Essay -- breast-feeding

Argumentative Breast is Best   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If one chooses to have a child, shouldn’t he or she be obligated to do what is best for that child? There are many important choices to make for that child, and some may be more difficult than others. Hospital or home birth? Pampers or Huggies? Crib or family bed? But when it comes to feeding, the choice is clear. Breast-feeding is the best choice that mothers can make for themselves and their child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not everyone agrees that breast-feeding is the best choice. Some argue that bottle feeding is democratic and gives other members of the family a chance to feed the baby. I agree that family members need a chance to experience the thrill of nourishing the new life, but giving the child a bottle of formula is not necessary. Mother’s can express breast milk and put it into a bottle when other family members want to feed the child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most new mothers are eager to get back to their pre-pregnancy weight. Some may choose to formula feed so that they can stop eating for two and maybe even diet, things which are impossible for a nursing mother. On the other hand, a women who is producing milk uses between 1,000 and 3,500 calories per day more than at other times in her life (Lim 63). With all of the extra calories burned, she may not need to diet at all to reach her desired weight (Eisenberg, Murkoff, and Hathaway 7).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A new mother may choose to bottle feed because she wants to monitor intake and make sure that her child is getting e...

Sex education in high school

Ada Vargas 9/12/12 ENGL Ill-D40 Argumentative essay Sex education in high schools High schools should provide better sexual education. Prevention is better than cure. The federal government should provide more information in schools and required sex education in the first year of high school. This is important because there are a lot of sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy, and teen abortions. Boskey (2011) stated that sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are â€Å"some of the most difficult diseases in the world to catch† (paral).Although there are a lot of resources available o obtain information such as the internet, books and magazines most of the time teens do not take the time to read so there should be required classes in high school to inform them about STDs. Many teens have sex without knowing that millions of teens get STDs because they do not know about prevention and the consequences of these diseases. It is important to educate teens about this serious problem in their first year of high school.According to the Center Detection in San Antonio, Texas people between the ages of 1 5 and 24 are acquiring about the half of the STDs lthough they represent the twenty five percent of the sexually experienced population (2011). The US diagnosed nineteen million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia and cost the government seventeen billion per year to the nation's health care (Preidt, 2011). It is a fact that STDs are a big issue the nation is dealing with today. This affects a lot of teens and their families, including the countrys economy.Almost all STDs are treatable but there are consequences if they are not detected and treated on time. The question is why waste time and money? You can each teens about the consequences of having sex without protection. It is a fact that teens are not prepared physically, psychologically and economically to have children. Teen mothers cannot afford a better quality of life for their children as e stablished older mothers can. According to the Family First Aid â€Å"the US has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world.Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least seven billion annually' (2002). Swierzewski (2012) points out about the pregnancy rates in the US: Teen pregnancy rates in the United States ell forty percent from 1992 to 2008-to their lowest level since 1976. The decline in the teen pregnancy rates was consistent during this time period, except for an increase in 2005 and 2006. In teenage girls aged fifteen to seventeen, the pregnancy rate has declined by almost fifty percent since 1990 and the rate in older teens decreased by about thirty percent. para 2) Teen pregnancy is a major concern because we all have teenage friends with babies or young relatives that became pregnant at an early age. The bad news for our community is that New Mexico is the tate with the most teen pregnant moms, ninety three per one thousand, foll owed by Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Mississippi. (Kost, K. and Henshaw, S and Carlin, L 2010). We need to prevent teen pregnancy because is affecting a lot of people in a lot of ways such as economically, socially and morally. The solution is to provide information and advert the youths about the risk and consequences of having sex without protection.Another concern about teenage pregnancies is that many results in to teen abortions. It is not easy to have a baby for a teenager. Lowen (2012) found that there was a decrease of abortion from forty six percent to thirty one percent from 1986 to 2008. Teens that have babies normally do not finish high school. How are they are going to take care and support their children? Abortions have a lot of consequences that teens sometimes do not consider such as depression and infertility. Although the best way to avoid all these problems is abstention the reality is that teens are having sex.It is better to educate and inform teens about the risk s they take when they have sex without protection. Prevention is better than treatment and cure. The US is the country with the most teen pregnancies, and teen abortions, and teens with STDs. In conclusion, we should have better sexual education in high schools. References Boskey, E. Ph. D. (2011, November 12). STD 101 – Top Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) You Should Know About. About. com Guide. Retrieved fromhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominal_Pipe_Sizehttps://prochoice.org/education-and-advocacy/about-abortion/abortion-facts/https://www.thoughtco.com/g00/why-teens-choose-abortion-3534251?i10c.referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com.ua%2Fhttps://www.usatoday.com/topic/D2591A44-DFD9-4D0D-AF7A-CC0B3B92CBB0/health-wellness/https://www.cdc.gov/std/http://www.healthcommunities.com/teen-pregnancy/children/overview-of-teen-pregnancy.shtml   

The South African Youth

Reflecting back on the tragedy that just occurred at Columbine High School in Denver Colorado and the generalizations being made about the U.S youth and the crisis that we are in and supposedly are experiencing ,I decided to research the youth crisis in South Africa. There is at present no â€Å"youth crisis† as such. However young people find themselves in the midst of a range of crises that should be addressed urgently by the state and society. † South African youths† as a category refers to South Africans between 15 and 30 years of age; they constitute 29,5% of the population, yet there is no comprehensive youth policy in place to attend to their needs. Most young people share common values of society – signs of radicalism and militarism are found in only a minority of youth. Only a small percentage of South Africa's youth can be considered truly marginalized as the country's youth as a whole and therefore cannot be called a â€Å"lost generation†. Thirty-seven per cent of South Africa population were below the age of 15 in 1991. It can be compared with the average of 40% for similar countries in the world, less-developed countries averaging 44% and industrialized countries 23%. The composition of people between 15 and 30 years, comprised 29,5% of South Africa's population. Figures for racial categories indicate a total of approximately 8,3 million (75%) black, 1,4 m. (12%) white, 1,1 m. (10%) colored and 300 000 (3%) Asian youths in this group. There are many problems for the South African Youth and some of the most challenging problems include family and community instability that leads to a wide range of other social problems for youth. The black family has been under enormous strain partly because of an education system that is not providing all youth with relevant and quality education. Economic stagnation, together with inadequate education, has resulted in high levels of unemployment and poverty, especially among women and blacks. Demographic factors which continue to impact on the South African population and more specifically the youth. It has been estimated that by 1995, 50% of the age cohort 15 to 19 will live in urban areas. The extent to which young people from the different racial and cultural groups have become isolated from one another, with the accompanying negative stereotypes, intolerance and racism. A historical survey in the report leaves little doubt that South African youth have over the years been victims of political and socio-cultural crises. They have been subjected to poverty, blatant political manipulation, racial and other divisions that tore the country apart, and a lack of any systematic youth policy to attend to their needs. As a group, they have for many years been largely ignored by the leaders in control of their destiny. And yet, from the earliest decades of the century, they have attempted to assert themselves by forming youth organizations, by protesting against injustices and by insisting on a decent education and living conditions. Unemployment has been a struggle for the South African Youth. Studies show roughly 42% of youth between the ages of 15 and 30 were unemployed. Young women were particularly disadvantaged. In the first place, they were less likely to be part of the labor force because large numbers were involved in unpaid domestic work. Secondly, they found it difficult to find employment while being involved in unpaid domestic work. Unemployment affects the unmarried, junior members of households more adversely than the other members. Unemployment is higher in the homelands and in urban areas that comprise squatter and informal settlements close to the major metropolitan area. It is however unclear as to whether unemployment is higher in rural or in urban areas. At the time, studies indicate 45% of the black, 12% of the white, 40% of the colored and 29% of the Asian youth were unemployed. Family structure and living conditions play an important role. The core family has been seriously affected by social upheavals. Studies indicate that 22% of white, 20% of Asian, 32% of colored and 40 % of black families are currently headed by females. Stability may be found in nuclear, extended, compound or single-parent families. The extended kinship system among blacks and Asians seems to cushion the negative effects of disrupted nuclear family units. However, many youths are not experiencing stability of an enduring nature, and it emerges from surveys that a lot of young people are receiving only fragmented care. The lack of control, supervision and attention is clearly linked to teenagers' negative behavior such as alcohol and drug abuse, crime, indiscriminate and unprotected sexual activities, etc. Percentages of teenage pregnancies and births out of wedlock are unacceptably high and AIDS is a frightening reality. Amenities such as electricity, on-tap water, waterborne sewerage, refuse removal, etc, are massively under provided to blacks. Black youth live in homes of which 46 % do not have running water and 57 % have no electricity. Only 53 % blacks have access to television Over the life span of today's youth, a third of all Asian families, nearly a quarter of all colored families and nearly a fifth of the black population were forcibly moved by one method or another. Culture and youth organizations play a very important role in the South African youth of today. Studies affirm that one cannot really speak of a single, monolithic â€Å"youth culture†. In an era of rapid social transformation, stereotyped binary cultural oppositions such as urban/rural, elitist/popular, modern/traditional, are also losing their essential distinctive value. For example, some research point to the possibility that the position that youth occupied in â€Å"traditional†, conservative societies has changed with urbanization and westernization. Recognition of youth's new, more assertive position has important implications for policy formulation regarding their diversity and their ability not only to react to change and development but actually help guide it. On the other hand, one study showed that, in spite of lingering signs of racism, 60% of adolescents from all the population groups preferred to identify themselves as â€Å"South African†, which may indicate an increasing sense of shared identity, if not unity. The present processes of societal transformation and democratization make the promotion of a shared culture and values essential; something that should start at school level. Recreation and sports play an important role in young people's lives: 41,7% of male youth and 18,7% of female youth in South Africa are active members of sports clubs. Only 16,3% of all youth however belonged to a youth club and only 8,4% belonged to a cultural organization. Facilities for sports, recreational and organizational activities are urgently needed. The crisis in education is well documented. Black education was seriously disrupted during the 1980s. However, black education expanded greatly in an attempt to fulfil its community's needs, and improved its retention rates at the same time, despite a range of crises that were almost beyond human imagination. For the majority of black youth in South Africa, access to secondary education is restricted to traditional secondary schools where places are limited, facilities are not up to standard, teachers are not properly qualified and access to subjects such as mathematics, physical science, economics, business economics, accounting, etc, is limited because of a shortage of teachers qualified in these subjects. This causes the whole system to be skewed in favor of such subjects as biology, geography, history and biblical studies, which are the four most â€Å"popular† non-language subjects among black pupils. Clearly if this trend were to continue, the youth would be even more fr ustrated with the learning opportunities offered to them. Violence and crime remain endemic in the country and have many destructive effects on youth. Scientific research has shown that black respondents generally rejected violence as a political option, but that about 20% of the white the respondents tended to be militarized in their outlook. In a new democracy like South Africa it is imperative that all its citizens should be politically literate to enable them to participate fully in all facets of a democratic society. Several studies on political literacy among young South Africans have suggested that this country's youth are not well informed about politics. There is probably no area of South African life which has more compellingly shown the extent to which apartheid has isolated and insulated different sections of this country's youth from one another than the area of politics. Youth who grew up in the security and tranquillity of white neighborhoods could fully participate in the parliamentary politics of apartheid South Africa if they wished to do so. They had very little knowledge or understanding of the harsh realities of township life which confronted the vast majority of South Africa's youth every day. For most white youths the events, that have taken place in South Africa's black townships since the mid-seventies, were nothing more than images on the television screen – events they were socialized to interpret as being initiated by radical (communist inspired) people who were attempting to take away their (whites') privileged position. Indeed, white and black youths under apartheid lived in different worlds. Studies have shown that the above problems are ameliorated by two sets of findings, namely that â€Å"the South African youth† by no means represent a uniform category of people, and that the majority of South Africa's young people want to play a constructive role in the creation of a new South Africa. Their rejection of violence, their respect for the cultural and racial diversity in South Africa, the value they place on education and training are all very important to the South African youths of today and in that sense we American youths should learn a thing or two from them. They have adapted in remarkable and innovative ways to the often painful processes of rapid change, and although they may lack skills and opportunities, they are eager to face the challenge of reconstruction and development. Most of them share their communities' values and are basically conservative in their views. Only 8% of the sample claimed no religious affiliation – the majority felt that religion played an important role in their daily lives. In conclusion that the tide may be turning for the country's youth. Population growth rates are decreasing, income distribution is becoming more equal, the assault on family structures was balanced by the growth of the compound family, a legitimately elected government is in place and a national youth policy has been promised in the RDP. June 16 has been declared a public holiday and renamed Youth Day. Not only youth's many contributions to the country, but in particular their sacrifices and hardships have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.