Community Profiles and Little Brother

I have found Little Brother to be such an invigorating book. We have talked in class about how passionate teenagers can be about music, and about whatever scene they're in. As we get older most of us tend to lose that passion and that strong identification with a particular band, ideology, or fashion. That's not to say that older people don't have strong tastes and enthusiasms, but teenagers have an enviable ability to be swept up in whatever they're in to at the time. Reading Little Brother reminded me that young adults can be passionate about ideals and committed to issues of major importance. Yes, the book is fictional, but I found the narrative and the characters so gripping that I could really envision what was happening.

Maybe it's a loose connection, but working on my list of community resources for teens made me want to get more involved with my community and give young adults places to go and a voice to be heard. I focused my list on the area where I work, Kip's Bay?Murray Hill, because I knew it could help me professionally, but also because this isn't a particularly teen-centric part of town. It's decidedly un-hip, which gives it a particular charm of its own, but I had to do a lot of research to come up with what I thought was a good mix of resources. It made me want to do more! It has also made me really notice teens whenever I see them on the street and in the branch. I started handing out surveys in an attempt to recruit young adults for a group to help me with programming. I've only had a couple who seem interested in taking part in a discussion, but the survey answers have been interesting none the less.

I felt like reading Little Brother at the same time I was compiling my list of resources and trying to talk to teenagers has given me a much needed boost of energy. I feel like I want to get involved, get swept up in some cause I really believe in. This feeling will probably last about a day, but, for what it's worth, it feels good.