The recent spate of murdered youths has city leaders concerned about how Boston’s youngest residents can remain mentally healthy when exposed to so many adult challenges.
City Councilors Ayanna Pressley and Chuck Turner last week called for a hearing that will improve resources in the schools to help teens deal with trauma throughout their careers as students.
“Broken children are more likely to be broken adults,” Pressley said. “All of our [educational] reforms are in vain if our children are not intact enough to learn. The problem with trauma is that it doesn’t immediately present itself.”
Also last week, City Councilor Felix Arroyo invited city youths to speak out about their concerns.
“Our first problem is that kids are growing up around violence and if you grow up around violence that’s all you’re going to know,” said one teen, presenting the ideas of his peers during the youth conference.
Others spoke plainly of easy access to weapons, the availability of drugs, absent authority figures, a desire to make money and a lack of jobs.
“Schools need to show the effort,” said another teen during the conference. “Parents need to become more responsible for their children.”
