- What type of people influence the young in your country?
Well, thank you very much for asking such an important question. Usually, the youths are influenced by the teachers and sometimes they follow their immediate superiors. Most of the time they are out of the home and thus they do not have any close connection with their parents. When they are not in close contact, they do not show the urge to the directions of the parents. But the scenario is opposite for the teachers and superiors. The youths spend most of their times at the educational institutions with their teachers, mates and seniors. So, they are greatly influenced by the teachers and their seniors regarding their attitude and learning skills. But the youth issues are of great concern for the parents and the society as well. The rate of unemployment in Australia has decreased to some extent in this year but it does not refer that the issue has been solved yet. The unemployed youths are covering a large portion of the total population and they are engaged in different unwanted and unethical activities sometimes whereas they are not supposed to get involved so. Though the rate of such unwanted events is not rapidly increasing, it is still an alarming issue for all. - Why it is important to have role models?
Youths always want to follow. They experience a new world before them when they are out of their homes and consequently get influenced by the external facts. They need to have role models for several reasons. I think you have the idea how the youths are influenced by movies or songs and the people who are performing in the movies. When they see something negative, they try to imitate the negative issues in their real life and as a result invite disorders for them with their family and friends. For instance, if they see someone smoking on television or on cinema, I can bet they will follow the smoking style immediately after enjoying the movie or the specific television series. They get highly influenced and take them as role models for them. I’m talking about a negative aspect of role model that will teach them how to smoke cigarettes. But it could be used for positive aspects as well. When they will see someone of their ages is having an award for outstanding contribution to any social sector and the issue will be publicised, they will be inspired to be like the award-winning youths. Therefore, since they are out of control of the parents and influenced by the role models, I think it is important to create more and more role models for them. - Do you think the education system in your country influences young people’s behaviour?
Umm! Yes. Education has many things to do with the behaviour of the young people. The educational system in Australia does not teach the student to read and write only, it also plays a great role to socialise the students. The course curriculums are made in different ways to teach them the right manners in different situations. But there are some youths – wicked by nature, do not follow the learning. The entire education system is formed in a way that if the students follow the system properly, they would be considered as assets for the country. But in reality, the scenario is different. Sometimes the learning process is not easier as it is imagined. Besides, the teachers are cordial in spreading the learning and in many of the cases the students are unwilling to learn. As a result, the education cannot play its role in making law abiding citizens. I think you are well informed about the issue that education is a two-way process and ‘pushing knowledge’ on the students cannot bring the desired outcomes. They are also to be willing in learning newer attitudes and behaviours through the educational system. - What types of person (parents, teachers, friends etc) are best to influence young people’s behaviour?
As I said before, the teachers are the best people to influence the young people and their behaviour. They usually imitate the attitudes and behaviours of the teachers and in some exceptional cases, they follow their friends. I think you will agree on the point why they are not influenced by the parents after my answer to your previous question. Parents cannot control their kids as they stay less time at homes and spend more on out of home activities. They have a close interaction with the teachers and friends. When the teachers order them to do any specific thing, they perform the tasks happily while this is not possible for their parents to make them do. - What do you think young people will be most influenced by it the future?
Great question for me! Well, you know that the ages are advancing. With the advancement, the kids and youths are getting changed too. When you were a youth in your time, the global setting was not the same as it is today being experienced by the youths of the current days. Further, the global setting will be changed in the future as well. Thereby, it is hard to predict how the youths will be influenced in the coming days. But I think it would be the mass media that will have the largest portion of influence on the youths. The idea crossed my mind. Due to the use of social networking websites, spending time on watching television events, reading the news websites on cell phones etc. are on the rise among the youths.
