The Hunt for Respect

Be it consciously or unconsciously, most people are on the hunt for respect. Respect is at the core of power and influence. That’s easy to see. Respect is also at the core of communication and motivation. That’s harder to see.

If you are communicating with somebody, especially a teenager, and he doesn’t believe that you respect him, he doesn’t hear you. If you’re trying get somebody motivated and she doesn’t believe you respect her, she won’t be motivated. (Well, maybe she’s motivated to get away from you!)

GIVE IT AND YOU’LL GET IT?

People, Especially Gen Y, Hate Their Jobs

According to a report by Conference Board, Americans, young and old, hate their jobs. This is a sad state of affairs.

I guess employers need to do better, huh? Maybe. But one of the main tenets of self-help and personal development is “Thou shalt pursue your passion and love what you do.” If you hate your job, remember…

Adam Fletcher – Youth Voice Champion

Hispanic Youth Institute: The 2010 Hispanic Youth Symposium

The 2010 Hispanic Youth Symposium, the summer kick-off for the Hispanic Youth Institute, is now accepting applications. HYI inspires Hispanic high school students to achieve a college education, pursue a professional career, and invest in the community as volunteers and leaders.  

Hispanic Youth Institute

MTV: A Thin Line – Campaign to Fight Digital Abuse

Thanks @MTV. I have personally heard from dozens of young people who have been digitally abused. It sucks. Seriously.

In order to help deal with the problem MTV has a new multi-year initiative called A Thin Line to empower America’s youth to identify, respond to and stop the spread of digital abuse. Digital abuse is an emerging issue that includes behaviors like sexting, cyberbullying, and digital dating abuse.

A Thin Line

The Perils of Popularity

Here are a couple of articles from Science Daily that outline the things young people go through in order to be popular.

The Dark Side Of Adolescent Popularity

“The new study was carried out on 1,319 teenagers at seven schools in Valencia, and shows that teenagers whose social status is questioned by their peers and are socially rejected by their classmates, or who do not have intimate friendships, suffer from greater feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem and low levels of satisfaction with their lives.”

Teens’ Perception That They Are Liked Found To Be At Least As Important As Actually Being Liked

“Teenagers who felt good about their own social standing did well over time, the study found, regardless of how popular they were (popularity was gauged based on assessments by peers at school). These teenagers were increasingly less hostile and more frequently sought out by their peers. Teenagers who were considered popular by their peers also did well, regardless of their own perceptions of their social standing.”

“Adolescents who lacked both a strong sense of their own social acceptance and who were rated by their peers as unpopular fared the worst, according to the study. They were increasingly more hostile, less sought out, and more withdrawn over time.”

Generation E – Students Leading Clean Energy Future

Free Report from The National Wildlife Federation – 35 ways students are creating a sustainable future at U.S. colleges and universities

Generation E: Students Leading for a Sustainable, Clean Energy Future – Campus Ecology – National Wildlife Federation