To examine my question, “Can teenagers influence younger students to avoid drugs and other harmful behaviour?” I am sorting my research into three stages.
- Understanding how teenagers influence younger students
- Exploring ways teenagers can prevent harmful behaviour
- Investigating the impact on schools and communities
#1: Understanding how teenagers influence younger students
For my first round of research, I will be understanding how teenagers influence younger students. Younger students often look up to older students for guidance and to understand their expectations for the future. The influence can be through attitude, actions and decisions. I will research on why teenagers can often have more of an influence than adults on younger students. I will research why younger students build understanding with those who are closer to their age. I will also dive into the positive and negative effects of peer pressure and how it can affect the choices students are making. Learning more about the relationships between older students and younger students will help me develop an understanding of the overall influence and how we can change it for the better.
#2: Exploring ways teenagers can prevent harmful behaviour
For my second round of research, I will be diving into how teenagers can push younger students towards healthier and more responsible decisions. Programs that can be brought to attention are peer mentorship, awareness campaigns, school presentations and other demonstrations of being a responsible student. I will also be investigating ways teenagers can help younger students become confident in making their own decisions, develop more responsibilities, stand against peer pressure and to not be afraid to seek help when needed. Conducting this research will help me find ways teenagers can use their voices and experiences to guide younger students and make a positive change. This research will as well help with understanding how teenagers can create an environment where younger peers feel comfortable to share worries or ask questions.
#3: Investigating the impact on schools and communities
For my third round of research, I will be investigating if teenagers can create a long and lasting impact on younger students and differ them from poor behaviour and instead steer them in the proper direction. I will be searching for youth-led prevention programs, school initiatives and mentorship opportunities that encourage positive decision making for all students. It is as well important to read of past programs like these and to see if they were successful and key factors than can be effective for new programs. I will research on the effect it could have for not only this generations’ teenagers, but students coming in the future. Researching if a proper message could be spread to other classmates can help with understanding how to properly influence the younger demographic. This connects directly to the butterfly effect, representing how one key decision and message sent out can have an effect on multiple different people and create change for the better. By completing this research, I hope to answer my inquiry question and really understand the influence between peers of younger and older age.
Possible useful sources:
1. Health Canada — Youth Substance Use Prevention Program
2. Public Health Agency of Canada — Promoting Well-Being
3. CDC — Youth High-Risk Drug Use
4. Health Canada — Prevention and Education
5. CDC — Substance Use Among Youth
This question is important to me because, as a student, understanding how I can influence younger peers for the better is important. Learning how to be the best role model possible and assuring that future generations are steered in the right direction can have a very large impact on the population as a whole. Recognizing that small actions and decisions are noticed by younger students makes me realize that behaviour is important. Considering that younger students look up to older ones, this inquiry makes me take into consideration the importance of how we hold ourselves as teenagers. Considering the community, learning about peer pressure and the effects can tighten relationships between different communities. Developing positive environments where future students feel safe and can properly reflect and ask is important to the overall development of the community.
