THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 29, 1996 TAG: 9603270118
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
When Herbert W. Pettway gets excited, his speech comes out with one staccato word ramming the heels of the one before it. That excitement peaked during the American Youth in Crisis workshop March 15 at the Ramada Plaza Resort Hotel in Virginia Beach.
``I got all fired up at a similar workshop in Washington, D.C.,'' said Pettway, a Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agent who is responsible for Chesapeake 4-H Clubs.
Participants in the workshop sponsored by the National 4-H Council and the Virginia Extension Service discussed ways to help youth steer clear of pitfalls like drugs, teenage pregnancies, violence and families under stress.
Some workshop costs were covered by a grant from The DeWitt Wallace Reader's Digest Foundation from the National 4-H Council in Washington, D.C.
People from Chesapeake, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Norfolk, the Eastern Shore and the counties of Southampton and Isle of Wight participated in the day-long session.
``This was a dream come true,'' Pettway said. ``We didn't know if we'd get any response. The thing that impressed me was that the people who came were a diverse group from all kinds of organizations but whose agenda is helping children.''
The workshop was based on the book ``America's Youth in Crisis'' by Richard M. Lerner, the main speaker and director of the Institute for Children, Youth and Families at Michigan State University.
In his keynote address, Lerner emphasized the challenges faced by young people daily and the high number of at-risk young people across the nation.
``It's not just in low income communities that children are at risk,'' Pettway said. ``It's all of our children in Chesapeake. The peer pressure is horrifying. A lot of parents are not tuned in to what is going on.''
Michael T. Nelson, student assistance counselor at Oscar F. Smith High School, found the morning portion of the workshop especially informative.
``It spelled out problems nationwide which cross racial/economic boundaries,'' Nelson said. ``Something needs to be done now. I agree. I was looking to hear some well-documented and researched findings from across the country, not just locally. He (Lerner) did a good job of that.''
Pettway said Chesapeake has programs to help young people stay on track.
``I've watched Chesapeake grow,'' he added. ``There are tremendous enrichment opportunities through 4-H and other agencies.''
Members of 4-H clubs are already involved in community activities such as the Adopt-a-Spot program, adopting families, mentoring at nursing homes and volunteering for other agencies, Pettway said.
``We need to recapture lost values,'' he said. ``Family events were once in vogue and respect was once a household word. I think this is a lost art.''
Nelson said he has noticed a deficiency in morality during his travels throughout the nation. To brighten prospects for the young, he said, basic societal values must change.
``It is time for every person who is of good moral character to invest his or her time in the lives of just a few kids,'' Nelson said. ``We need to learn to develop quality relationships and provide positive influence. That is bound to affect young people in a positive way. It's not enough to talk to them, to be there.
``People with caring hearts need to instruct and develop the character of the young,'' he said. by CNB