Make time to be a good neighbor.
When people don’t take responsibility for monitoring young people’s behavior in their neighborhood the youth are the one’s who loose in the end. They grow up thinking they can behave any way they want at any time and they never realize that there are people all around them who care enough about them to watch out for them.
Research shows that young people will focus more of their energy on positive activities than on negative ones if they live in a neighborhood in which neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young people’s behavior. Young people fare better when they have adults in their lives who EXPECT them to do their best.
Remember everyone is someone’s neighbor. Don’t become paralyzed by fear, apathy or the pure busyness of life to the point that youth become so unimportant to us that we can’t take time to keep a watchful eye on them. Give the gift of community this year by getting to know your neighbors and their kids.