|
Kick the Rope
(I'm feeling shocked)
This is a very personal post as I have been rocked to the core since yesterday morning, by virtue of witnessing a boy 18, throw himself off his 8th floor balcony in my apartment complex - I don't know his current condition after 24 hours but I can only stand in disbelief as a parent, neighbour, and citizen of a so-called civilized country, after this horror, and ask how did we come to this?
I know that suicides have been evidenced for as long as we have occupied this planet, but being present and helpless to prevent a young man from reaching that level of despair, when his entire life is stretched before him on his graduation day is almost too much to bear.
On sharing this devastating news with my son, he told me another boy in his high school did the same thing from the 9th floor two years earlier, in the presence of three friends, without warning.
When I picked my son up from work last night I couldn't let go of him, but apart from smothering my own child in a moment of maternal reverence and protective instinct, I gathered my thoughts together and began to search for ways others have stepped in to serve our youth and give them the hope for a viable future.
This is one such program established in Berlin, Germany:
http://www.laureus.com/foundation/projects/item?id=1014
The KICK project was founded on the premise that if young people are given a meaningful purpose in life, they will be deflected away from crime. In eight underprivileged districts in Berlin, this philosophy is being put into practice. Many of the young people in these areas, which contain a high proportion of immigrants and high levels of unemployment and drug abuse, are at risk. Here the KICK organization is working with police and sports organizations to help juvenile delinquents aged 12 to 20, including young offenders.
KICK the Ropes involved the construction of a rope-based obstacle course, the first such course in Berlin. Participants in the project were involved in the building of the course and then used it for training and other sporting activities. The rope garden is constructed from steel cables, timber and rope, reaching a height of 12 metres. Although in the heart of the city, adjacent to the Olympic Stadium, the site seems far away from the noise of the city.
The activity is aimed at improving the social skills of the participants and to encourage teamwork, social behaviour and self-confidence. Young people need a challenge and KICK the ropes offers challenging adventure action putting the youngsters in tricky problem situations, which can only be solved with other team members.
In the low rope range, co-operative adventures open new chances to experience and develop group processes and personal physical limits are then tested with the help of the group. During discussion afterwards, the interaction of the participants is analyzed. The ultimate aim is to prevent delinquent behaviour through participation in integrated groups and train young people for the challenges of life.
|
