Managing Money Matters

By Jen Ingles

aThEENS staff

Tara Gray, a graduate student at UGA's Terry College of Business, shares budgeting tips at the Athens-Clarke County Library. (Photo/ Jen Ingles, jen.stitches@gmail.com)

Others may be uneasy, but not Amanda Smith.

“It’s something that’s not comfortable to talk about,” said Smith, who as president of Live Financially, the University of Georgia’s peer financial counseling group, talks about money frequently.

Smith passed out brochures and welcomed students to Live Financially’s forum on financial literacy for young people on UGA’s campus in February.

Live Financially is a new initiative run by public relations students, like senior Katie Dean Williams, in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at UGA.

Williams said most people learn about managing money from their parents, which works if your parents are knowledgeable in this area. But for those not so lucky, this lack of information can lead to a cycle of debt difficult to escape.

“If you were in that situation, who do you go to?” Williams said. “What resources do you have to set you up?”

Live Financially reached out to young Athenians throughout the month of February to improve their financial literacy through its presence on the web and events tailored to the needs and tastes of local youth.

At the forum on campus, Williams greeted students as they entered the lecture hall, urging students to fill out pledge cards stating their commitment to taking charge of their financial futures. The pledge cards were used to enter students into a raffle for free prizes from local businesses.

“Problems with money, it’s never an amount problem, it’s a management problem,” said Joan Koonce, a professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at UGA.

Koonce and housing and consumer economics professor Diann Moorman both served as panelists, answering questions about savings accounts, student loans, proper use of credit cards and how to develop a good credit score.

Adelina Simeonova, 19, said she came to the function because it was a blue card event (the University allows underclassmen opportunities to register for classes early if they attend a certain number of blue card events throughout the semester), but said she learned a lot.

“I’m very interested in developing a credit history,” she said.

A discussion held at the Athens-Clarke County public library featured more experts from the University, but was aimed at Athens residents instead of University students.

Williams said Live Financially decided it was important to take its message off campus to the broader Athens community because community members may not have access to the type of resources available to students. She noted also Clarke County’s notoriously high poverty rate. In 2009, 39 percent of Clarke County residents lived in poverty.

The topics discussed at the library event ranged from preparing to buy a home to sticking to a budget.

Panelist and graduate student in the Terry College of Business Tara Gray said she allows for what she calls “sanity money” in her budget. Reigning in spending, she said, does not require the exclusion of all frivolous purchases. She advised guests at the event to plan ahead for the little pleasures they decide to allow themselves.

After conducting research on residents’ financial literacy last fall, Live Financially saw a need to reach out to young people, women in particular. Men and women participating in the study scored the same on knowledge level, but women tended to be less confident about their financial savvy.

The group partnered with boutiques downtown to hold sale events in an effort to engage Athens’ young women.

“We do sales, and that really does help you budget,” Williams said. “If you get 75 percent off a garment instead of paying the full price, it’s the little things that can get you started.”

Although the group found women doubted their knowledge more than men, it also found young people of both genders tended to overestimate their financial knowhow.

“It was really interesting to see how cocky the young population was and how they didn’t know anything,” Williams said.

Williams said she did not start thinking about money and how to manage it until she got her first job the summer after she graduated from high school.

University senior Mamie Cargile, also working on the Live Financially campaign, said she did not begin to consider her finances until college. She said that although her parents still support her financially, she still must make decisions about how to spend her money.

“Am I going to go to Kroger and buy groceries for the week or am I going to eat out?” she said. “As you reach adulthood it becomes more and more important because you’re actually in charge of your finances.”

Young musicians serenade Athens

With members from grades 6 through 12, the Athens Youth Symphony gathers young north Georgia performers to practice and perform every semester.

By Nicholas Sobrilsky

In the half-hour before the Feb. 7 practice, the quiet shifting of chairs grew to a cavalcade of sound in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church of Athens. Performers entered bearing music stands and cases for instruments taller than some of their players. Stray melodies and scales rose out of the din as they warmed up and tuned violins, cellos, trumpets, snare drums. At four claps, the performers fell silent. Then, at the sweeping gesture of their conductor, they began to play a march from sheet music they had never seen before.

So began the first rehearsal of the spring 2011 session of the Athens Youth Symphony, a local organization that has inspired young musicians to play. The group consists of more than 70 musicians in grades six through 12 from Northeast Georgia. On May 15, the symphony will celebrate its 10^th anniversary with a concert at the Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall at the University of Georgia.

Carson Lee, 15, a percussionist from East Jackson Comprehensive High School in Commerce, Ga., auditioned for the part after the symphony reported having a shortage of percussionists last fall. Since then, he has helped the symphony fill its sound with timpani, snare drum, suspended cymbals, anvil and a bevy of other instruments.

“What I do as a percussionist is have fun,” he said.

Because the Athens Youth Symphony performs less percussion-heavy music than his high school marching band or wind ensembles do, Lee said, counting measures is crucial to keeping in rhythm with the group. Lee also said the classical music performed with the symphony is often more challenging than what he performs in high school, but said he was honored to play at the University of Georgia.

“It’s a great sounding hall,” he said. “Not many people get to perform there.”

Lee brought percussive techniques from the Athens Youth Symphony back to his high school performance groups to teach his friends.

Melissa Spinelli, 16, a junior trombone player also from East Jackson Comprehensive High School, has performed with the Athens Youth Symphony for the last three years. Spinelli now performs in her high school’s marching band and in the Governor’s Honors Program, but returns to the symphony each semester.

“It’s more relaxed,” she said, because the symphony has more and longer rehearsal times than other groups in which she has performed.

Maggie Tatum, 17, a senior French horn player from Franklin County High School in Carnesville, Ga., joined the symphony during last fall’s session after hearing about it from her band director.

Her favorite performances, she said, have all had “really good horn parts,” including solos or musical themes carried by the horn section.

Karl Schab, a professional violist raised in Athens, has served as the symphony’s musical director and conductor since its first rehearsal on Jan. 7, 2001. He helped the Athens West Rotary Club form the symphony, he said, because there were few extracurricular opportunities for young musicians in Northeast Georgia outside of school.

“There was a need here for some ensembles, at least for the string players,” Schab said.

Since then, he said, many of his past performers are either studying music in college or are teaching or performing music professionally. One past performer, Jennifer Rae Litowich, has taught music at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School in Athens. She serves as the symphony’s percussion coordinator and is conducting one of the symphony’s pieces.

“They have to be dedicated to it and love what they’re doing,” Schab said.

Schab’s wife, Debbie, directs the co-sponsored Athens Concert Strings and Philharmonia, two ensembles for grades six through eight and younger players who have less experience with reading or performing music. Both of these groups will also be performing in the spring concert.

Until that concert, the symphony will continue to fine tune its performances. In a later practice, the string section had trouble with a difficult passage. The notes ran either too fast or too slow, muddling together and clashing with the other sections. Noticing the problem, Schab gave instructions on playing techniques.

“Violins and violas, when you’re doing your runs, try not to switch back and forth [across strings]. It’s all on one string,” he said.

The string section tried again. This time, the notes came in rhythm, shaky but on time. “Still not perfect,” Schab said. “But they’ll keep trying.”

Local Teens Get Involved, Go Green

By Kerry Boyles

aThEENs staff

In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, / Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” In Athens, two high school clubs care an awful lot about the environment and are giving up their time to help out, even if it is somewhat of a thankless job.

At Cedar Shoals High School, the Positive about Cedar Shoals (PACS) club takes care of the school’s rain garden and recycles for the school. In 2003, the club was chosen as the nation’s best recycling program, winning first-place from Keep America Beautiful.

“Recycling is so easy that it’s kind of ridiculous that so many people don’t do it,” said senior Andy Kim.

The club also maintains the rain garden at Cedar Shoals. Rain gardens allow rainwater runoff to soak into a depression in the ground and reduce rain runoff while increasing available groundwater, said Stella Guerrero, biology teacher and PACS sponsor.

The rain garden at Cedar Shoals High School serves as an outdoor classroom and helps the environment by collecting rainwater runoff. Photo by Kerry Boyles. Feb. 23, 2011.

“Landscape Architecture students [from UGA] designed the garden and then we decided it could be used as an outdoor classroom and at the same time make the school look better,” Guerrero said.

The garden also helps increase biodiversity in the area, she said.

“We have lots of insects and birds and once in a while we see a rabbit here and there,” she said.

However, the garden doesn’t just help the environment.

“My goal is to transfer the idea of the importance of environmental awareness,” Guerrero said. “I want to not take things for granted and to be able to give something positive to the school.”

Students in the club are even using this awareness in planning their future career goals. Emmett Cappi, junior, plans to study Ecology or Forestry after working in the garden planting trees and cutting down some invasive species.

“I’d like to work in a national park someday,” he said.

Across town, students at the rival high school are equally as proud of their environmental efforts. Students in the Environmental Club at Clarke Central High School are also proud of the contributions they have made to their school, though they may not have gotten the national, or even local, recognition that PACS has received.

“The main service we provide is recycling for the entire school and unfortunately because of dwindling numbers we don’t have time to do much else,” said science teacher Ross Pringle, the club’s sponsor. “There are four students in the core group and four to six students who show up on a semi-regular basis. We usually start recycling by 4 p.m. and are not finished until 5:30 or sometimes 6 p.m.”

The Environmental Club recycles for the school every Thursday and participates in Adopt a Highway four times a year.

“Probably our biggest challenge is how to get more people to come,” Pringle said. “There’s certainly more fun things you can do rather than come and help out and pick up recycling for two hours. For a large group of students it just doesn’t matter. It’s just not a priority.”

This attitude is apparent in the amount of trash that gets thrown into the bags and bins along with the cans and paper that the group collects and recycles. The students must sift through juice cups, paper towels, and empty chip bags to get to the recyclables. In some cases, the amount of trash is so high that they refuse to recycle it.

“When students put stuff in the recycling bin that’s where it stops for them,” Pringle said. “They don’t think about what happens to it after that. It’s just some students care more than others.”

The students in the Environmental Club are proud of the impact they make.

“I like that what we do makes a tangible difference,” said senior Rachel Kulikoff.

The students also enjoy the camaraderie that the club has to offer.

“It can be a very social thing,” said junior Theo Kipreos. “It’s very relaxed.”

The club has also tried to get other clubs and the cafeteria workers to recycle. However, most of these attempts have been unsuccessful.

“It’s not a priority for our school in general,” Pringle said. “I feel like [recycling] is really important to do so I make it a priority.”

Teen band Athens works hard to make music

By Briana Gerdeman

aThEENs Staff

It’s approaching midnight at the 40 Watt Club, and the band onstage is rocking out. The bassist is on his back, shredding out a solo. The lead singer, wearing leather pants, croons anguished lyrics, and the drummer keeps the energy high. At the end of the show, the lead guitarist smashes his guitar on the stage.

Then the lights come on, and they walk over to the merchandise table to talk to their parents. They go back to being ordinary teenagers.

“I love seeing the reactions on [the audience’s] faces when they see something different or hear something different,” said Zak Smith, the band’s drummer. “The hype and the excitement onstage is just what does it for me.”

The musicians of Athens – a band named for its hometown – aren’t old enough to see an R-rated movie yet. But they’re eager to make serious music and set themselves apart from mainstream teen pop stars.

“All those people, like Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers, they don’t have to worry about ages at clubs and stuff, because they’ve got Disney getting them in arenas,” said Chase Brown, the band’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist. “I think that [they] missed out on a lot of the work that you have to do.”

Athens began when Chase, now 15, wrote four songs in one day with his friend Beau Anderson, now 12. After taking lessons from the same teachers, Mike and Vanda Guthrie, the two decided to form a band and sought out more members.

They overheard Zak Smith, now 16, playing drums at the Guitar Center in Atlanta, and asked him to join. After trying several bassists, they found a good fit for the band in Justin Granados, now 15.

“At first, it was really just us three and our bassist,” Chase said. “And then once [Justin] came along it was really just a family.”

Athens played its first show in December 2008, and released its first EP exactly a year later. The band is now working on recording rough tracks for a demo, in the hopes of finding a record label.

“Our old EP doesn’t sound anything like what we sound like now,” Chase said. “They all say my voice, on the first song we recorded, I sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks…You can hear my voice go through puberty.”

But the band works hard on the quality of their performances, in addition to the quality of their songwriting. With the help of Jimmy Anderson, their manager and Beau’s dad, they’ve learned both the musical style and performance style of classic rockers.

“That’s kind of what separates us from being another kids’ band – that we have confidence on stage,” Justin said.

From left to right, Justin, Chase and Beau of Athens play a show in Buford, Ga. Photo courtesy of Michael Ingledew of Do's Photos.com.

That stage presence has attracted fans young and old. Although they often play for audiences that are older than them, the band’s friends support them at all-ages shows.

Olivia Vasquez, 12, is a friend of Justin and Chase. After seeing Athens play at the Human Rights Festival in downtown Athens, she’s now a big fan of the band. She and her friend Kayla attend Athens’ shows when they can, with new handmade T-shirts each time.

“They’re young to be that good and that famous already,” she said of the band.

But the band emphasizes that their age is not a gimmick.

“I feel like the Runaways, sort of, except young and not female,” Beau said. “But see, everyone thought they weren’t serious because they were all female, but they could rock. Really amazingly.”

Those who have worked with Athens have good things to say. Josh Jordan, the nighttime manager for the 40 Watt Club, said the venue makes an effort to provide a place for young people to play and see live music, and he supports the band.

“I just think it’s great,” he said. “If you haven’t seen them, go see them…A little kid in leather pants – you can’t beat that.”

Vanda Guthrie, Chase and Beau’s guitar teacher, said they had more talent and motivation than most students she’s taught. Not only did they learn quickly, they wanted to play rather than viewing practicing as a chore.

“That’s a difference from a lot of students,” she said. “A lot of students like the idea of playing guitar and don’t want to put in the work…[Chase and Beau] would play almost until their fingers bled.”

Although she pointed out that fame and success are sometimes unpredictable, she said she believes they will be “lifelong musicians.”

“They are not going to stop playing music,” she said. “They’ve got it in their soul.”

The band members are equally excited about their future, both as a band and personally. If the band doesn’t stay together or get famous, they have other plans too.

“No matter what, I want my life to have music in it,” Beau said. “Even if the band doesn’t work out, or we just fade away, I want something that has to do with music.”

8 Simple Tips To Improve Your Point-and-Shoot Photography

By Ashlee Culverhouse

aThEENs staff

From Facebook photos to Twitpics, teens are constantly sharing photos online. One of the most common myths associated with photography is the belief that in order to create good photographs, you must own an expensive camera. “As much as I hate to admit it, I could never paint a Mona Lisa, even if I owned Da Vinci’s paintbrush,” said Phillip Blume, photographer  and owner of Blume Photography based in Athens, Georgia. “A camera is just that: a paintbrush. It doesn’t have to be fancy.” Like the car that can parallel park itself, new features on  cameras today are giving even the most technologically-challenged people boundless opportunities to create beautiful photographs. These eight simple, yet insightful photography tips can  help with what the camera cannot do.

1. Always have a clear subject. You never want your subject matter to be overtaken by various distractions in the background. Compositionally, try to arrange the photograph to where the subject stands out, perhaps against a neutral wall. “A good image needs a clear subject. You want to be sure the subject stands out from everything else. Try getting closer to your subject to get rid of distracting objects in the foreground,” said Blume.

2. Do not always center your subject matter. Many photographers use what is called the “rule of thirds” while composing a photograph. This rule essentially divides the LCD screen or photograph into a tic-tac-toe board, with nine identical squares. The subject of the photograph should fall at one of the four intersecting planes. Off-centering the subject is an instant way to transform an ordinary photograph into one that is aesthetically interesting. Other ways to display your subject more effectively include using leading lines to direct the eye towards the subject or framing the subject with other objects within the frame.

3. Never be afraid to try different angles. Take lots of pictures from various angles. Then, review the photos and choose your favorites. “Taking pictures and reviewing them are the best ways to improve once you have the basics,” said Stephen Castile, journalism advisor at Cedar Shoals High School. “With digital film and cameras, that process is inexpensive and immediate.” Blume recommends imagining flying in a circle around your subject, getting multiple shots from all angles so you can choose your favorite later.

4. Find editing software that works for you. It is amazing at the difference simply adjusting the color will make. iPhoto and Windows have great editing tools that allow you to convert your photos to black and white, sepia tone, or even “antique” or “seventies” tones. Picnik.com is also a free and easy photo editing website that allows beginner photographers to edit their photos in unique ways.

5. Wait for the moment. A good photograph should tell a story. Photographing someone in his or her natural environment is a great way to show emotion while telling a story within the photo, but it does require patience. “Most of your life as a photographer is spent looking, not shooting,” said Blume. “Taking a thousand photos doesn’t guarantee you’ll get one that’s worth a hoot. Be patient.”

6. Know how to work your camera. Most point-and-shoot cameras have different settings on a turn dial at the top of the camera. Set aside time to read the manual and learn what each setting on your camera does. By understanding the camera preset modes, you can use your camera more effectively and improve the overall look of your photos. If you become comfortable using your camera, you’re more likely to never miss that “perfect shot” again. Mark Johnson, photojournalism lecturer at the University of Georgia, emphasizes the importance of understanding your camera. “Understand the mechanics of photography so you can concentrate on the story,” said Johnson.

7. DO NOT be afraid to take tons of pictures. Back in the film age, this would have been quite an expensive endeavor, but with digital technology, you have nothing to lose. “SHOOT.  SHOOT.  SHOOT.  Take a camera with you wherever you go,” said Ragsdale. “Take hundreds of shots, especially for sporting events.” Many times, it takes hundreds of shots to get one that you like. The more pictures you take, the more comfortable you will become with you camera.

8. Research and ask the professionals. Scour the Internet looking at various photography websites to gain ideas. Watch Youtube videos and other online tutorials if you do not understand something. Enroll in a local photography class if you have the time and the money. Do not be afraid to ask questions. “Don’t hesitate to send an e-mail out to one of us professionals. We’re not magicians; we don’t mind sharing our secrets,” said Blume.

Hardcore Parkour

MTV’s “Teen Mom,” Is it Sending the Right Message?

By Megan Swanson

aThEENs staff

A conference table is lined with vases etched with the word ‘dream’ at Classic City School in Athens, Ga., an alternative high school that provides aid for students facing challenges such as teen motherhood.

They are subtle, but the message speaks louder than words. A group of teen mothers that meets every Thursday from 11 to 12:30 p.m. around this table have dreams to think about as well, but theirs are far from Katy Perry’s ideal “teenage dream.”

Another hit for the MTV audience is the show “Teen Mom”, a reality show following the lives of four teenage mothers. The popular show has gained large amounts of press for creating a level of celebrity on the basis of teen pregnancy.

Five teen mothers at Classic City said unanimously that they do not agree that the show is a realistic depiction of the problems teen mothers face.

Tereka Hardy, a 21-year-old student and teen mother at Classic City, said, “MTV needs to make it more realistic and show things that you actually go through, because some people don’t have parents to watch their kids. They probably don’t have anyone.”

Farrah, Catelynn and Amber, three of the members of Teen Mom, have all experienced hardships in terms of familial support, though none have had permanent problems financially.

Hardy does admit that the show is “okay,” but every character on the show has seen good times and bad times that always seem a bit better in the end than the problems Hardy believes are inherent to teen mothers.

On the other hand, a group of girls at Clarke Central High School believed that the show is realistic to issues pregnant teens face. Brianna Sheats, a teen mother and senior at Clarke Central High School, was in the group of girls questioned and said, “Yes! It, [Teen Mom], is very realistic, we face the exact same things in society.”

A favorite on the show, Maci Bookout, had significant support from family and friends during her entire experience on the show. She represents a more positive experience that remaining in high school or having support from friends can provide while adapting to life as a teen mother.

Another mother from the group at Classic City cast light upon the fact that they had already been through the events shown in “Teen Mom” so it is a part of the past for them. She admits that the show has transformed into a phenomenon of “Teen Mom”. In response to Farrah’s recent OK! Magazine cover the student declares, “I don’t think I would want to be on a magazine saying ‘I’m broke and I need money.”

Mimi Middendorf, Graduation Coach at Classic City High School, explains an application to Tereka Hardy, a 21-year-old student and teen mother who attends the alternative school.

Mimi Middendorf, Graduation Coach at Classic City High School, said, “I have really mixed feelings about the show because the students’ reality is kind of blurred between TV and everyday life because its become such a way of life for them to watch these TV shows.”

Television ratings reported by the Los Angeles Times revealed that the finale of “Teen Mom” recorded over 3.6 million viewers. Whether the popularity of “Teen Mom” is a fad or here to stay, the reality of teen pregnancy fails to end. In 2007 according to the northeast Georgia Public Health website Athens-Clarke county has a 65 percent teen birth rate among girls ages 15-19 years old.

Middendorf helps some of these teen mothers to graduate high school, find appropriate living situations and learn to handle motherhood, all subjects that do not fill the majority of screen time on “Teen Mom.”

“We are such a hooked in and connected population and I am concerned about these kids being able to discriminate about reality and what is being presented to them on TV,” said Middendorf.

Young Life: A Party With A Purpose

By: Lauren Allen
aThEENs staff

 

Young Life leaders gather to pray before their weekly club meeting.

It is 7:30 am on a Wednesday morning at Jittery Joe’s coffee shop in the five points area of Athens. Scattered about are people drinking their coffee and reading the morning paper in solitude. The only noise heard above the hum of the cappuccino machine is the buzz coming from a group of nine high school aged girls huddled around a table. If the conversation were overheard, one would soon find out who was still dating their summer fling, what teacher is impossibly hard and who just applied to college. Why are these high school students choosing to spend their morning over lattes instead of finishing their homework or catching a few extra minutes of sleep? Because Wednesday morning coffee is just one of the weekly traditions of the girls’ Acad YoungLife team that brings them closer together to each other and to Jesus Christ.

According to their website, YoungLife is a non-denominational Christian ministry that reaches out to adolescents through volunteers, staff, club meetings, and camps. Ansley Richardson, a junior at Athens Academy, says YoungLife is a place to “jam for Jesus.” In agreement, Anne Lanier Gilbert, a senior, says, “Yeah, it’s just a big party…with a great purpose.” That purpose being to get establish a relationship with Christ.

Many people have a misconstrued idea about what YoungLife is. It is not a church group and no one pressures members to believe something they are not ready for. Leaders are taught to measure where each student is in their relationship with Christ. Their main focus is to build a relationship with each member of their team. Each team participates in weekly club meetings, and many hold other weekly traditions—like the Acad team’s weekly coffee outing. Club meetings are designed to, once again, strengthen relationships between members and their leaders. Despite negative things that are often said about the group, the girls in the Acad team (short for Athens Academy), say YoungLife provides them with a safe, free space to come together and have a good time.

As the girls are leaving the coffee shop, headed to school, one of the team leaders, Brittany Bass, promises, “I’ll definitely be seeing you girls tomorrow. Good luck!” Some of the girls on their team are on the volleyball team, and their leaders are often found in the stands. Again, this is what YoungLife is all about: building strong, lasting relationships.

Another leader of the Acad team, Rachel Rafferty later says, “These girls are my family, and I love each and every one of them.”

Rafferty, now a senior at the University, was also a part of YoungLife in high school with a great leader who inspired her to become one in college. She understands that she is so much like the girls she leads and can use her own experiences to guide her girls to God.

She said, “Getting to see how God used my personal testimony to relate to one of my high school girls was one of the most moving moments I’ve experienced since I have become a leader.”  She says she knew she was meant to become a YoungLife leader when, “[God] used the darkest moments of [her] life to bring glory to His name.” Her own personal experiences are what allow her to bond with the members of her team because she has been in their shoes and can relate to their problems.

In addition to weekly traditions of the individual YoungLife teams, every team holds club each week. Club is a time for team leaders to meet with YoungLife members and students who have just become interested in YoungLife. For the Acad team, the leaders meet at a leader’s house each week just before club to pray for the upcoming event and finalize any plans about the lineup.

Colton Parks, a senior YL leader, arrives smile on face and ice cream sundaes in hand. Lively chatter takes over the room. Each leader greets the others with jokes and fun banter. From the outside, it probably looks like these are just nine college students hanging out on a Monday night. And in many ways, that is exactly what it is. But just as everyone is finishing off their ice cream, Parks says, “Alright guys, let’s lift it up.” And everyone bows his head in prayer.

Young Life leaders pray for their upcoming club meeting.

Each leader takes a few seconds to say a word about the club they are about to attend. Many ask for strength and energy to show the kids how God is working in their lives. Because Rafferty is the speaker at this particular club, the leaders also pray that her words would really affect the students. Rafferty prays, “I just hope my words will give [the students] hope. And it will make them want to come back to hear the whole story.” Each week at club, a team leader speaks on a different topic. This particular week, Rafferty is speaking about our need for God. Topics in the following week will be on sin, the cross, and resurrection.

When the prayers wrap up, Parks hands out the club itinerary to each leader. He asks Robert Armstrong, a sophomore, and his partner in putting on the game this week if he was able to get goggles and flippers. They will be dressing in bathing suits, goggles, flippers and other miscellaneous scuba equipment to bob for a random assortment of Halloween items. Following the game YL leaders Laura Feder and Caroline Luke will perform a skit, a mock Public Service Announcement about the importance of brushing your teeth after eating candy.

The games, skits, and songs performed at the beginning of club are all for the purpose of bringing the students’ focus on the leaders for the talk at the end. They want everyone to have a great time at each club and they work so hard to ensure they do, but they still want the students to know they are all there for a greater purpose–to get to know Jesus Christ.

The influence Young Life has on each of the students and their lives is immense. There are 12 Young Life teams with over 100 leadesr from the University of Georgia community in the Greater Athens Young Life district. They serve many high schools in Athens and in surrounding counties. Leaders dedicate a large amount of time and are passionate about their students. Many leaders started their YoungLife experience as members in high school and understand the importance of the influence a leader has on members. Between camps, sporting events, and weekly club meetings, Young Life brings its members closer to God by providing a good time with friends and great role models.

The organization serves as a basis for which a teenager can start or strengthen a relationship with peers and eventually with God. On a daily basis though, it serves as a place to get together with friends in a healthy and fun environment. Members of YoungLife often consider their teams a family and are always seeking new members.

Teenagers’ Earning Power

Olivia Batty

aThEEns staff

 

An Athens teenager works the Silly Bandz kiosk at the Georgia Square Mall

Paul Middleton is an average Athens teenager. He sits on a stool at a kiosk in the middle of the Georgia Square Mall, surrounded by mounds of neon Silly Bandz in every color, size, and shape imaginable. Business is slow. Tonight he does not have many customers, so he does some reading for school as he waits for his shift to end.

Paul works the Silly Bandz kiosk after school and on the weekends in order to help fund his hobby of dirt bike racing. While Silly Bandz are not really his thing, his wrists are bare except for a watch, he picked this particular kiosk “just ’cause [he] got hired.”

According to The United States Bureau of Labor, teenage unemployment rates have risen by 9 percent from 2009 to 2010. Despite this increase in unemployed teenagers, many young adults aged 16 to 19-years-old still manage to garner well-paying, desirable jobs that allow them to earn spending money and independence from their parents.

While receiving an allowance is still a popular trend with teenagers, it is no longer the only option. Paul is one of several teenage employees at the Georgia Square Mall. He earns his own spending money instead of receiving an allowance, and he is not alone in doing so. Some lucky teenagers simply ask their parents for money when they need it, while others, like Paul, have gotten jobs to supply their own allowances and now budget their own money.

Chaddrica Jackson, a student at Burney Harris Lyons Middle School, is one such teenager who still receives an allowance from her parents. She says she recently used some of the $30 she gets every week to go “see a movie with [her] friends.” Without her allowance, Chaddrica might be stuck at home. Her friends at Burney Harris Lyons all receive about the same amount of allowance, so they can spend their weekends doing activities together.

Mallory Moore is a senior at Oconee County High School. She has a job at her school’s day care center, but claims that “a lot of times my friends, and even me sometimes, just ask our parents for money and they give it to us.” Mallory spends the money her parents give her on clothes or food when she when goes out with her friends, and saves most of what she earns at the day care center for when she needs it or wants something big.

Like Paul, Kayla Cash also works at the Georgia Square Mall. She attends Apalachee High School in Winder, GA and drives almost thirty miles to work at a kiosk a short distance from Paul’s Silly Bandz shrine. She does not receive an allowance, and she watches what she spends on the weekends. Kayla says that most of her friends also have part-time jobs, but that she makes “more than most of [her] friends” at her job at the mall.

Paul, Chaddrica, Mallory and Kayla have shown that there is an increasing diversity in how teenagers earn their spending money. Because of the economy, parents have less money themselves and therefore less to give to their teens. Teenagers have a range of options from which they can earn money, and each teenager must find whatever method, or combination of methods, works best for him or her.

Weekends Should be Light-hearted. And Light on your Wallets.

By Rashmi Parikh

aThEENS staff

Teenagers, let’s face it, you work hard. You go through week after week of school for four years. Five days of classes, tests, and homework. Plus you probably participate in clubs, sports, or volunteering. That’s exhausting. Teenagers today have a lot more going on than most would realize, and that is why the weekend is so crucial; it is a stress-reliever.

In the span of one school year, you have about 43 weekends (including winter and spring breaks). How do we spend those weekends? Most teenagers spend his or her weekend ‘hanging with friends’ or going to mall. Mallory Moore, a 12th grader at Oconee County High School, said she spends her weekends doing the “usual things”, such as “hanging with friends, going to football games, etc. Lane Blackburn, an 8th grader from Oconee County said that she spends her weekends at the mall. Now I don’t know about you, but both of those ideas are over done. 43 weekends of just going to mall or just loafing around with your friends can get redundant. Spice up your weekends! Do something different!

Now as a teenager, you are probably on a budget and transportation may be in issue, but don’t worry, there are ideas in here considering different scenarios. Chandrica Jackson, 13, said that she gets about $20-$50 on any given weekend to spend doing different activities with her friends. Paul Nelson, who is a sophomore at Jackson County High School, has a job at the Silly Band Stand, spends about $10-$20 on any given weekend, mostly coming from his earnings at the Stand. On average, most teens interviewed said they spend about $20 to $30 on any given weekend. Their source for this money is through their parents, allowance, or an after-school job. However, you will be glad to see that ideas posted below have a price range and nothing goes over $20 dollars.

The great thing about being a teen in Athens is that there are a variety of different things to do on the weekends. From lectures to kayaking, you can do it all. You might be surprised to hear, but there are several websites that display different events and activities that are specific to Athens. Below are some of my favorite ideas.

Geocaching
Budget: Almost nothing
Items Needed: Coordinates of starting and ending locations, print out of directions, GPS (optional), transportation, proper outdoors equipment and clothing, medical kit, water.

Ever wanted to go on a treasure hunt? Did you think that it was a silly idea that only comes true in story-books? Think again! Geocaching is modern day treasure hunting. According to their website, “Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS device can then try to locate the geocache.”
The cool thing about Geocaching is that they give you coordinates. If you have a computer savvy person in your group, you can print out directions that lead you from one coordinate to the geocache. If you, your friends, or your parents have a GPS device then you can input the coordinates and have a small treasure hunt. The geocaching website gives you more details. Athens has many different geocaching sites for you to check out with your friends. You can make it a day trip and plan out a picnic, etc. This is a good way to get exercise, hang out with your friends, and enjoy the outdoors at the same time.

Active Climbing
Budget: $20
Items needed: Transportation, active-wear clothing

You probably used to climb things as a child: trees, stones, your parents. But as you got older it became less and less part of your daily routine. Well, if you still like to climb or just miss it, you should think about going to Active Climbing. Active Climbing is an indoor rock-climbing gym. Rock-climbing is fun and a great work-out. You can go with a group of friends and all try it out. You can get the all inclusive package (shoe rental, belay class, pack rental, and entry fee) for $20.

Lectures and UGA Activities:
Budget: Free – $10
Items needed: Transportation

Interested in expanding your mind? Living in Athens means living in a college town. UGA has a lot of different activities going on during the weekends. Besides football games, UGA hosts many different lectures on a variety of different topics. Visit the UGA event’s calendar to get an idea of what lectures and other activities are going to be presented in the upcoming year. UGA Tate center also has the movie theater, where for $2 you and your friends or family can enjoy recent and classic movies. Another unique UGA event is Dawgs after Dark, which costs non-UGA students $5 for entry. That not a bad price for a night of fun and adventure!

For more ideas, visit the following websites:
http://www.visitathensga.com/
http://www.accleisureservices.com/