York EDFE 1101 Adolescent Development and Health

Link to video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXlTH6DQAXc Here is another rendering from the TV series, Everybody Hates Chris. In this episode, it is Chris' first day in high school, and after years of being conditioned and bullied for being the only black kid in elementary, he is so used to getting beaten up that he expects it in high school. The moment he find out that he isn't the only black kid at the school, he feels a great sense of acceptance and belonging...feelings that every teen longs for, whether they are marginalized or not. Professor Gaetz mentioned in one of his lectures how crucial it can be for teens to be accepted, regardless of their race, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. Not only will this have a positive impact on a teen's life, but it can help to make social institutions safer and more inclusive.

Link to article:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/alcohol-drinking-women-1.4890268 In one of my previous posts I mentioned a study (a national survey) that took place several years ago which outlined how males were more susceptible to alcohol abuse. The article mentioned above, published just yesterday (November 3rd, 2018) says that these numbers are changing, and that "girls aged 10 to 19 have higher hospitalization rates for alcohol abuse than boys the same age" which I found very shocking. 

Link to poem:  https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/meth-2 This poem, written by a teen struggling with drug addition, features a touching story about overcoming desires and breaking free from the slavery of an addition to drugs. What once promised "a better tomorrow" (line 4) and "peace of mind" (line 8) only ended up with him being deceived (line 10), still wanting (line 12), and filled with fear (line 15), shame (line 25) and pain (line 26). It is only from line 27 to the end of the poem where he speaks of his longing to "see life without depression" (line 29), and he makes up his mind to leave behind his old habits (line 39) and to look forward to the future, knowing that he is free (line 43) and that he has finally found himself (line 44). I was moved by this poem because I have been through addiction and depression (although not related to drugs), but I can certainly relate to the pain and shame he expresses. Students go through a rol

Link to article:  http://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/article/view/2268/2371 Reflection I was rather shocked to see the amount of drug use that Canadian youth are being exposed to, which was displayed in several charts and graphs in this national survey. This article mentions many factors that can contribute to the increase in drug use among teens and young adults. One factor in particular is the fact that provinces have their own laws on legal drinking age. The legal drinking age in Ontario is 19, whereas in Quebec it is 18. I remember when I was in Grade 12, during march break that year, a bunch of my classmates arranged to go to Montreal for several days to take advantage of the legal age being 18 in Quebec. I think that provinces should be consistent when it comes to things like this -- why have the legal drinking age be different in another province? The legal age to consume alcohol should either be 18 or 19, but this must be applied to each and every province without an

Image sourced from:  http://www.wanderings.net/notebook/Main/IfDriversEducationWereTaughtLikeSexEducation This comic addresses the fact of how many people, myself included, were taught when it came to sex ed. According to the logic of the teacher in the comic above, since seatbelts and airbags don't always work in preventing injury, the best way to be safe is to not drive. This logic seems quite irrational, as it rules out the option of using common sense like "use your seatbelt and follow the rules when driving to ensure your safety." Sure, this still doesn't stop someone else from driving recklessly and causing harm to you on the road. Should we just stay locked up indoors then? Should we live our lives in fear? Since I will eventually be a teacher in the Catholic school board, I'd like to address things from a Catholic point of view. First of all, I believe that abstinence could be both a bad thing and a good thing, depending on the context. If studen

Link to article:  https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sarah-desjardins/ontario-sex-ed-curriculum_b_6760792.html Reflection I chose this article because it focuses on a topic that I feel strongly about: sex education in Ontario's schools. While I can agree with some of the things that Desjardins (2015) mentions (like the fact that parents these days are much busier and hardly have enough time to speak to their children about anything), there are other points that I disagree with (that everybody must share the author's core beliefs when it comes to sex ed).  Similarly to Desjardins, I was raised in a Catholic household, and I learned most of the core values of my faith through my parents and through catechism classes in church. With regards to sex ed, I remember that the "Fully Alive" book was used in class, and we started learning things like body parts and how sexual intercourse works around grade 5 or 6. My initial reaction was "that's disgusting!"