Dawlish Discussion

Where will the skills come from?

I have noticed with some alarm the number of children already hooked on games. Whilst they are playing games for hours every day---yes every day, they are not learning anything else. Thankfully (or at least i don't think so) it has anything to do with brexit, although I bet you there will be some that will try and hang their hat on it.

Will the government understand what is going on before it is too late---I doubt it.

The next few years will show what is happening to the youth of today.

A child miseducated is a child lost.

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

Every year for the last 14 or so years I have helped out with the mock interviews for Dawlish Community College with the Rotary.

I go into to them each year wondering what the quality of interviewees will be as the preceeding year has been good - each year I'm incredibly proud of our young people.

Always a mixed bag with regard to their aims in life but regularly I see those wanting to join apprenticeships for trades and maybe join the family business, I see those with aims to go to college for A levels then on to university - often they've spent a lot of time researching the courses and the required grades needed for them.  A few don't know yet what they want to do but then they're still kids of 15 years old.

Many spend their spare time working, helping to look after younger siblings, participating to a high level in sport or volunteering.

Yes some do spend hours each day gaming, but the gaming industry worldwide involves more money than the film industry so who's to say that they won't join that and make shedloads of money from it. It's not a solitary pursuit these days, they connect with their peers through it - better than spending the equivalent amount of time hanging around the Lawn drinking! (I used to spend many hours alone in my bedroom reading, gaming wasn't invented then, and nothing 'worthy' was read!)

Our young people are a credit to the schools that educate them and the families that raise them, on the whole they are unfailingly polite and well mannered.

I have no fears for the future, they are savvy about climate change, the dangers of throwaway plastics and the need to keep connected with our friends overseas after Brexit.

@Duckileaks

Past 14yrs is history, what will happen in the next 14?

I do hope that the picture you have painted is the right one, but I fear it isn't.

One school out of ??????? is not telling the whole story.

Well duckileaks i have news for you they do hang around the Lawns drinking smoking and off there faces on whatever they are smoking like the 25/30 14 to 15 year old kids who were shouting and screaming at 0315 this morning in the centre of town. And it goes on weekend after weekend and the only thing that stops it is severe weather i pray every Friday for a wet cold windy weekend.

@leatash

Thank goodness it's only a small majority that hang around the Lawn drinking etc, have you given any thought as to why they are there?

Thank goodness most of the youngsters i know and beleive me it's quite a lot are very hard working at school, college, uni and work place. Unfortunately we don't hear enough about the good ones.

Maybe if Dawlish has something alternative for the kids to do they would not hang around the lawn.  Maybe it is down to the Town Council to aks them what alternative would they like to fill their time.  I remember when the Youth Club was up School Hill in the old infant school, they ran a Wednesday night only for the over 14s to give them something to do in addition to the Friday and Saturday nights.  By 14 they did not want to hang around with the younger kids, it just was not cool.  That is why a lot of them used to hang out on the lawn or in the amusement arcade.  The kids who are not in town probably are in their rooms now they can play games on the internet and talk to their friends as they are playing, why go out?  As my parents keep saying in the 60s they had coffee shops with a juke box for the young, but where is there for them to go now?  Ziggy is right most are good and those that are hanging around the lawn drinking are there for a reason and until the powers that be interact with them and bring something positive to their lives and show them a different way by making them feel part of something, then nothing will change.

There was nothing provided for my entertainment at that age and if i had acted as some do on Frday and Saturday nights i would have had my backside kicked by some irate resident.

Thanks Leatash, having lived by the Lawn for a number of years I am well aware that a SMALL number do choose to do that.  Thinking back to when I was that age I had under 18 discos to go to, there was a youth club (when the 'less than cool' kids used to go), and I was getting served in pubs at 14 - licensees are a bit more careful these days!

Dawlish has great transport links but to go anywhere costs money, they can't all afford it.

My original post in response to the op was valid, the sweeping generalisation of youngsters closeted away in their rooms on computer games is not one that I recognise.

And we had a Police presence every night.

There never has been anything for teenagers to do and if there is something it costs too much. Teenagers hang around, its what they do, I did. If they are causing problems then that is a different issue but if they are just sitting around, chatting and laughing what is the problem? Most parents are happy their kids are in their rooms playing on games as they know where there are then.