Kiley Edwards

Michigan State University, Chi Omega, SOC 316

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For the photos I have attached, I really focus on the main theme of youth identity and subculture. Each of my pictures are different in many ways and fall under many different categories, but most importantly, under the category of "subculture." I find this to be very important throughout our society today. Without different subcultures and difference in people, our world would be boring. I find it also very important that each individual knows they go through multiple changes and go through the process of finding their "identity," and slowly begin to emerge into something, "emergence to adulthood." As we have learned about all the interesting topics, I have also included things about how technology has shaped our society, and helped with the identity, and how it is a huge part of one of my subcultures, "the nerd herd."

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"Through a cadre of volunteers and the resourcefulness of student members, SAVE chapters are growing and making a positive difference across the nation.  SAVE is a unique and powerfulapproach to youth safety because it recognizes the role that young people can take in making schools and communities safer.   Because SAVE chapters are established and operated by students, the opportunity to spread the message of nonviolence to young people and their communities is enhanced when SAVE chapters exist.  Focusing on crime prevention, conflict management and service projects, SAVE students are providing positive peer influences in violence prevention efforts." (Taken from website)

This amazing group of students is working to lessen the violence around the world. What a great way to put together the team work of many different kids to accomplish one big goal, that will take a lot of determination! 

They have a different category of focus every month, in hopes that they can work to make this world a better place. They have been around for 25 years, as they travel to put on shows and give speeches to different schools, etc. They also use the internet to post the categories and things they have going on, all across the world. From the outside, you can start your own SAVE Chapter, or make a contribution, plus buy apparel to go along with your Chapter. 

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Reflection of Youth

The eye opening aspect of technology from a 16 year old’s eyes was ever-so shocking for me. As I know slim to none about any other technology product other than my iPad or iPhone or MacBook.. This young boy knew it all. That is when I realized how much technology has affected our youth in society today. He had the answers for all of my questions and gave them with such confidence! I firmly believe that the amount of technology that is on our society has kept people communicating, in a sense. I sometimes feel like I would be nothing without technology. I feel like as I put him on the spot.. He was not affected by it, as I thought he would be. It is hard and probably quite intimidating, at least I would think so.. but he was great at answering the questions!

This was different from any interview I have ever done, but I think it is of so much importance that people are educated in the use of technology because it is a very big part our society today. I know some youth in society has no idea, and some aren't as fortunate to use different types of technology as others are, but that goes to show the differences in how the different classes, cultures, etc think about technology.

What a fun interview to conduct! :)

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This article was very interesting to me, as the author went through different statistics that are taking place today with youth. All of these issues were framed to ensure something was done about it.. But will anything ever be done? I like to be optimistic and really believe there are people out there looking to make equality flow throughout everyone/everything that is of worth. Sometimes I believe the quote, "It's easier said than done." The chart within this article goes over the increase and decrease with different topics inside our larger topic of youth. 

"This year, its findings reveal the latest transmutations in the nation’s demographic and socioeconomic makeup as they apply to youth."

All of these findings have a lot to do with the socioeconomic makeup of each of the families these kids are in. Youth should have a better way of being represented in each of the standings that make up our society. I also feel as though a lot of framing is being done in order to ensure the attempt at making youth look more important than they really are. There are still multiple issues, but they did seem to give off a lot of good information that may change the minds of some people. The use of thematic framing is what I think was used to construct this article, and I would not change it. The facts were given straight up, and numbers were shown. I would not try to change this article around to any other way because it is what it is and there should not be any other way to state the true facts. 

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"As young people and others organize to protest economic injustice and massive inequality, along with drastic cuts to education, workers benefits and pensions, and public services, the state has responded with the use of  injurious violence, while the mainstream media has issued insults rather than informed dialogue, critical engagement, and suggestions for meaningful reform."

"Abandoned by the existing political system, young people are placing their bodies on the line, occupying shrinking public spaces in a symbolic gesture that also deploys concrete measures demanding their presence be recognized when their voices are no longer being heard."

These few quotations I pulled from the article Punishing Youth by HENRY GIROUX. As I read through the article, i realized many things.. Some of them being that NO, all youth are not treated equally. Take this video.. This young girl thought she was not going to be able to further her education and also get a job after she graduated due to issues with immigration. That to me would qualify as un-fair after learning about that lengthy process. There was no flash of violence being shown in the video, but I would vision something happening, and the quote above being brought to play.. Young people placing their bodies on the line to fight for something they truly care about. This video made me sad that the whole family may have to be separated, and with that being said, there needs to be some changes made that allow immigrants to become part of a place where more opportunity is given to them. There are so many issues that show that youth are not all treated equally and this is just one small example, but something that could be very hurtful. Protesting is what becomes very sketchy as other get mad, and that is where the violence begins, because nobody can agree and make our world a fair, just and equal place. 

[wearethe15percent]

Brian, Macey & Eileen - Austin, TX

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my beautiful family!

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A New Metaphor for Your Career

Sheryl Sandberg

Huffington Post

         I chose to respond to this amazing video posted via Huff Post, because I agree with all of the things she said, and it was truly a learning experience. The way she stated each of her facts; she seemed so sure. Her facts and all the information was important to all of us, or them as they graduate. I put myself in the shoes of a graduate from college, looking everywhere frantically to find a job to keep myself stable. I know that it is not going to be easy, but that little reassurance from Sheryl, that the process for those in our generation will move much "quicker" than it did for her. 

       While watching this video, the whole time I was thinking to myself, what is the main message from this speech to these kids? I sort of looked at is as that one last lesson you will hear from a COO of one of the best companies around ( in my opinion ). Maybe not the last, but surely sitting there in those graduation seats, I remember hearing the speeches from our principal, thinking "wow, I now have to grow up and head into that big world after I conquer college. The whole purpose of that was to prepare, to give a number of personal experiences, to a group of kids that may or may not have been listening, but to the ones who were, AMEN. The amount of success comes from the amount of work ethic and drive and passion for what you are doing. She talks a whole lot about how the world has changed so much. Think about it; the world has changed a whole lot. We are now so technologically advanced, that we can sometimes forget how to communicate to people through the power of our words. Things are always going to be changing with the work force and getting jobs and it is basically all a process of growing up. I really enjoyed this article. 

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"The government's approach has utterly failed. We need a revolution in the way businesses, government and schools work together to get young people into work."

This news article, posted July of 2013, really focused on the LACK of relationship youth has on the labor market. I chose to focus on how hard it is for some to get a job after graduating college, even with that great degree. This content focused on how there needs to be a change in the amount of opportunity youth do not have. At times, I understand, it can be hard with our ever-changing economy and the different hardships it takes to become part of the labor market. It is very possible, but stated in this article are the many reasons why some struggle. It is a broken system that needs to be changed in order to see an increase in employment for youth. 

Businesses are going to work together to fix this problem, also stated in the article. As i mentioned before, the workforce is always changing, but there needs to be a more consistent stretch of youth being part of the workforce. We are the young brains that are going to continue on the businesses around. 

This message is applicable to all youth. It goes through each of the steps that need to be taken in order to fix the problems for youth and the hardships to get a job out of college. Yes, it does take work, but there are certain things that could be done to make it easier, and more positive. This article was very interesting, as I know how hard it is to find a job, let alone an internship to go along with my path. It is not easy, and it takes determination and drive to change these sorts of problems. Every business, school, etc. needs to be on the same page in working towards ending this crisis. 

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I chose to photograph the kids I babysit for and their amazing ability to play that Wii game with such competitive attitudes. It is amazing how they love to play the "baseball Wii" game, but only when they are allowed. They respect that wii is a privilege and they don't take advantage of it. I think about how times have changed, and how youth in our present day have so much to do, all the time. I chose to talk about the much younger youth because that is the generation that will soon grow to be my age. They seem to someone's act like they depend on the games they play, as they take away boredom at times. Think about the kids back then who didn't have games to play such as wii, let alone even own a television. Times have changed and this is just one example of the way it is becoming so much more technologically advanced. This could be a good thing, as it brings more opportunities forth, but it could also cause many problems in children becoming dependent on these types of gaming systems, which could then cause even deeper issues. To think of all the opportunities technology has brought me, though, is rather a feeling of relief. How could I post on tumblr without my awesome computer, or how could I access this website from my own iPhone!? It's amazing!

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"Fashion reflects the shift toward freer sexuality. Although it makes me feel old to say it, girls did not wear belly-exposing shirts when I was in high school in the late 1980's."

Source: Generation Me, Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D

https://angel.msu.edu/section/default.asp?id=US13%2DSOC%2D316%2D731%2D97CKWG%2DEL%2D38%2D784

Are we witnessing a shift in our country’s thinking?

As for this quotation, it really made me think more in depth about the differences between our generation and the generations that have passed. Plain and simple, it has done nothing but change, and become much more risky. You see some girls walking around in minimal clothing, and to be honest, they are asking for it. This was rarely ever the case while our parents were growing up. The minds of our generation are entirely different than most. Especially a huge shift has shown from the 1980's, as Jean mentioned, to present day. It is sort of scary to think about it.  So to answer the question posed in the overview, in my opinion, YES. There is a huge shift in the minds of our generation today. 

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-Here are your PUNKS-

Information given on the website:

Some say punk was born in a small specialist London boutique owned by the eccentric Vivienne Westwood back in the seventies. In an extreme reaction to the other popular, neatly groomed and tidy style of the time – mods – the punk look aimed to shock by combining mismatched patterns, ‘work’ boots, ripped denim and lots and lots of safety pins. Combine with a brightly-colored, starched mo-hawk and a bad attitude, and there you have one of the most infamous subcultures of all time. Read more: http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-youth-subcultures.php#ixzz2YVD7SWSM

This group of people can be found anywhere you go. Some are afraid to admit they are friends with people like this, but its just the way they want to live their life. 

This is a subculture, because many people will look it and have a category/stereotype for it as not being "normal" 

I see a lot of the people that are categorized under this "punk" name as being guys, although there are girls who participate as well. I would say it is mostly caucasian males and females, with a few other races as well. Just in the photo, there are 4 guys with crazy outfits, hair, big studded belts, boots, etc. 

[kaylaknitter]

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kaylaknitter:

Post from Tumblr User: Kaylaknitter

I thought this info graphic was shocking, and also gave me a sense of sadness. After all that is said and put into education and its importance, one would think these numbers would be much higher. "120 Million don't make it to 4th grade...." That is sad, and makes me think of how my college education is even more important than it really is. There is no other information provided via the link, although I think it says it all right here, plain and simple. The facts about reading and writing and just being educated in general need to be taken into consideration, a whole lot more.  

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Graduates in the Job Market

http://www.inspiringinterns.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Graduates-in-the-job-market-infographic1.jpg

This info graphic went more in depth to explain different aspects of the current generation and graduating from college while furthering your decision about a career. I chose this info graphic because it, in a sense, went again what Stein said about our current generation and youth in society. It did not focus a whole lot on the amount of people who use computers and social media to get by in life. This more so focused on how many graduates are unemployed after they graduate college, and that they do not focus on the money as much, they are more so focusing on how to prioritize, only 24% - Salary. Also, while looking for jobs, it is said that most were using Recruitment Agencies vs. the internet to find a job. Last part I was shocked to find, was that 54% of people were using Twitter to find out about job availabilities, and 46% using linked in. 

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"I AM ABOUT TO DO WHAT OLD PEOPLE have done throughout history: call those younger than me lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow. But I have studies! I have statistics!"

-Joel Stein 

Time Magazine

The Next Great Generation 

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"From their late teens to their late twenties they explore the possibilities available to them in love and work, and move gradually toward making enduring choices."

Arnett 2004 

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I never really thought about how "millennial" I truly was, or was that word was even based off of. That was extremely interesting the kinds of questions they included, and the results. I should take into consideration the difference between myself and the others in society. That was different yet awesome to see that I was at 97.