Most Making Healthy Decisions, but Youth Violence May Be Rising
By Arianne Aryanpur
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Most middle and high school students in Loudoun County are making good decisions about their health and how to spend their time, although there are signs of an increase in youth violence, according to a study released last week.
The report commissioned by the Loudoun Youth Initiative, a county government agency, paints a relatively positive picture of Loudoun's young people, describing them as showing respect for others and searching for safe, affordable places to hang out with friends. The study also praises local social-service officials for creating programs and recreational opportunities for teenagers.
The study is based on data compiled last year by two professors and several graduate students at George Mason University. Over a five-month period, they conducted a telephone survey of more than 600 homes in Loudoun, held focus groups with more than 100 students at five high schools and interviewed nine county leaders in business, government, the nonprofit sector and schools.
Most of the data corroborated findings from a 2004 Loudoun Youth Initiative study in which county staff and volunteers questioned nearly 500 young people, said Tim Chesnutt, Youth Initiative's director. That survey determined that a majority of young people wanted more teen centers and programs to address issues such as drugs and bullying.
One section of the new study indicated an increase in gangs and youth violence, citing interviews with adults and students. The report quoted a high school student who said that gun violence had become more common in his neighborhood.
The authors also cited Loudoun County public schools surveys that found that from 2004 to 2006, the percentage who reported carrying a handgun increased from 3 percent to 4 percent among eighth-graders, and from 3 percent to 6 percent among 10th-graders.
"That sort of worries me," Chesnutt said. "There are things we can try to do as far as education, but a lot of the first step has to be at home and the schools."
Overall, the study concluded that drug, cigarette and alcohol use was down among middle and high school students. "Comparisons with national data show usage rates that, generally, are lower among Loudoun County youth," the report said.
The study also explored teenagers' age-old problem of "nowhere to go and nothing to do." Loudoun places a high value on providing resources for young people, but often those programs are overlooked, the report said.
When young people were asked in the telephone survey if they had heard of various youth resources, only one program -- the annual Loudoun Youth Fest -- was recognized by a majority of the respondents.
Chesnutt said that is a sign of poor advertising rather than unpopular programs.
"We have some good things going on out there that we just need to promote," he said, referring to after-school programs at the Purcellville Teen Center and the Cascades Library in Sterling.
The study also found that middle and high school students want more affordable, accessible places to spend time with their friends. Chesnutt said that the social-service community is committed to creating such places.
"There needs to be a network of teen services built. Adolescence is all about trying to become independent. A safe place, emotionally and physically, is where they can learn some of these independence skills," he said.
Chesnutt said that community leaders will use the data in coming months as they decide how to improve services for Loudoun County youth.
"This gives us a road map. Not that we'll ever reach perfection, but it has us moving in the right direction," he said.
The study is available online at http://www.loudoun.gov/youth.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.