We’ve now completed the fifteenth run of #16tovote on the 16th! Being middle of April, one thing on everyone’s mind around now are taxes. That includes working teens, who pay income taxes just like everyone else but unlike everyone else are not welcome at their local polling place. So the “taxation without representation” issue with…
The question of whether children have constitutional rights, and if so, which, is a fraught one. But one thing we ought to be able to agree on is that children have something like an absolute right to peaceful political expression. First of all, there is no reason why they shouldn’t. And second, there is no…
A Key to Developing Positive Youth-Adult Relationships Most of us are youth workers because we care about young people. Personally we want to both be effective and have good relationships with young people. We are satisfied when things go well. We feel bad when our relationships sour. Sometimes we scratch our heads in dismay when,…
Alex Koroknay-Palicz, Executive Director of the National Youth Rights Association Its May 4, 2004 at 10:23 PM Eastern time in Sacramento sitting down with Mike Males, author of Scapegoat Generation and Framing Youth and many other good books and articles. For those who may be unfamiliar with your work could you just introduce what your…
While most common oppressions, such as sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, even speciesism, have been identified, widely acknowledged, thoroughly discussed and deeply analyzed, one oppression remains largely untouched. This fact is astonishing given that the group oppressed by this ignored injustice is one to which every adult human has once belonged. It is the one oppression…
This speech delivered on November 4, 1999 at the second Washington, DC curfew protest. Good evening, I am Alex Koroknay-Palicz treasurer for Youth Against Curfew and am a director for NYRA. This is a difficult time for the youth of this city, crime endangers our lives, proven by the terrible shootings this weekend. The city…
The San Diego politicians are waging a War of Intolerance and you are the victims. They have passed laws that outlaw skate boarding, dancing, and even cruising. And there is no end in sight. There latest law of intolerance is the San Diego Juvenile curfew. The teen curfew forbids people under 18 from being out…
This speech delivered on April 14, 2000 at the Hewlett Model Congress in Long Island, NY. “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility — I welcome it.” Today, as John…
Childhood is a syndrome, which has only recently begun to receive serious attention from clinicians. The syndrome itself, however, is not at all recent. As early as the 8th century, the Persian historian Kidnom made references to “short, noisy creatures,” who may well have been what we now call “children.” The treatment of children, however,…
“Underage drinking has reached epidemic proportions in America” warns Joe Califano, head of the private National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). His alarm is ominous, even frightening, as he calls for strong action in response to this national crisis. But relax. Underage drinking isn’t increasing — it’s actually dropping! Not only are fewer…
