In This Version

• Continuing but Somewhat Different Risks for Youth
• New World of Drug Use
• Generation X – Turns 40
• McWatch – What Do Recent Business Decisions Tell Us About Our Future?

Youth at Risk

The term “youth at risk” goes back several decades and initially referred to urban children living in poverty and the myriad of risks associated with such circumstances. The term still holds importance today, but the scope of the term has been expanded to include all youth – regardless of where they live or their economic circumstances.

Just a few examples of continuing concerns about and challenges for youth include:

The Bullying Problem

Ever since the shootings at Columbine in 1999 and Santana High School in Santee in 2001, there has been a growing concern about the impact of bullying upon young people. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development ((NICHD) gathered information that revealed the following about American children in grades 6 - 10:

• 17% of respondents had been bullied either “sometimes” or “weekly”
• 19% had bullied someone else either “sometimes” or “weekly”
• Estimates suggest that 1.6 million children are bullied at least once a week and 1.7 million children bully others frequently
• Boys tend to bully and be bullied more than girls
• Boys most commonly are both physically and verbally bullied
• Girls are more likely to be the subject of verbal bullying including comments of a sexual nature and rumors
• Bullying begins in elementary school; peaks in grades 6 through 8; and continues into the high school years.

This NICHD study found that bullying is linked to other types of “at risk” and antisocial behaviors such as:

• Bullying is linked to vandalism, shoplifting, skipping and dropping out of school, fighting, and use of drugs and alcohol
• Both the children bullying and bullied tend to be at greater risk for loneliness, trouble making friends, lack of school success, and problem behaviors such as smoking and drinking.

(Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention)

Middle School Students and Daily Harassment

Researchers at UCLA in the first ever study of harassment among middle school students uncovered a number of important insights.

• Almost one-half of urban sixth graders indicated they had been harassed by fellow students at least once during a two week period of time
• The most common types of harassment involved public insults such as name calling and physical aggression such as kicking and shoving.
• There is a double impact of bullying reported in this study as children were affected by bullying that happened to them as well as observing what happened to fellow classmates.
• Naturally, students were bothered by harassment that happened to them but they were even more concerned about and felt sorrier for classmates who were harassed, particularly those who were verbally rather than physically harassed.
• This peer victimization was found to be related to negative attitudes toward school, lack of engagement in classes, and fewer positive experiences within the school.
• Students who were harassed reported increased levels of humiliation and anger and students who observed others being harassed reported increased anxiety and disliked school more.

(Source: Nishina, A. and Juvonen, J. Child Development, March/April 2005).

Trends in Drug Use: Prescription Drugs as Self-Medication

At one time the profile of teens or young adults who abused drugs brought to mind a picture of a school drop-out using cocaine or heroin coupled with a number of other antisocial behaviors. Today the world of drug use among these age groups is actually quite different. Surveys conducted by the University of Michigan researchers and others suggest a new world view of drug use. Some of the elements underlying this change include:

• The abuse of prescription drugs by teens and young adults is increasing while the use and abuse of illegal substances such as cocaine or heroin is decreasing
• Approximately 6.7 individuals between the ages of 12 and 25 used a prescription drug for non-medical purposes in the past year
• Among illegal drug use, only marijuana reported a higher user group number at 12.8 million

Additional findings of interest as reported by the Substance Abuse Research Center at the University of Michigan were of interest as well. The interim director reported that

• College students attending institutions with higher academic standards reported higher rates of misusing prescription drugs than students enrolled in more “noncompetitive” schools
• Students are found more likely to abuse prescription drugs if they are white, living in a fraternity or sorority house, and carrying a less than “B” grade point average
• Females who abused prescription drugs usually received them from family members, such as parents, while the males using this type of drugs generally received them from friends

Another study conducted by the Institute for Research and Gender at the University of Michigan surveyed over one thousand students in greater Detroit public schools and found that

• Almost half the students surveyed had legal prescriptions for Ritalin and other medications
• 25% of those students surveyed with legitimate access to such medications were asked by friends for some of their medicine
• One in five indicated they had sold or traded at least one pill.
• Among students using the medications without a legitimate prescription, 79% of respondents indicated they took the drugs to relieve pain rather than to get high

An additional study conducted at the University of New Mexico interviewed 50+ college students who had indicated misusing prescription drugs in the past year.
Among the information gathered in this study found:

• The students identified 58 different types of drugs they had misused
• The most “popular” misused drugs were Vicodin with 65% using it without a prescription followed by Percocet, Valium, Xanax, and Oxycontin
• Some students reported using the drugs because they were relaxing or a socially cheaper alternative than alcohol
• One out of every four students revealed they had misused Ritalin as a way to meet the academic demands of college

FYI About Popular Medications:

• Valium and Xanax are tranquilizers
• OxyContin, Vicodin, and Percocet are pain relievers that can become addictive
• Ritalin is a mild stimulant that abusers use to suppress appetite, stay awake, and create an euphoric feeling.

(Source: Leinwand, Donna. “Prescription abusers not just after a high”, USA Today, 5/26/05, 3A)

Generational Update: Gen X Turns 40!

Gen X turns 40. It seems impossible, but it’s true. The group that grew up with the Village People and the Challenger disaster find the older edge of the group hitting the big 40. They are often perceived as the “middle child” of generations since they are squeezed between two larger, more attention grabbing groups, the Baby Boomers and Gen Y. (Felt. “Gen X Turns 40”, The Arizona Republic, June 2005)

A mini-portrait of this age group born between 1965 to 1976* includes the following:

• Represent 23% of the adult population in the United States
• Current ages 28 to 40
• In that “settling” life stage – getting married, establishing new households, having children, and moving forward with adult lifestyles
• ethnically more diverse than older generations because of recent immigration waves and higher birthrates among minorities

What makes them tick?

It is widely believed that the “defining’ moments that occur during a generation’s “formative years” shape who they are throughout their life span. Some of the events that shape this group include:

• latchkey kids, single parents, MTV, AIDS, computers, the Challenger disaster, fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Wall Street frenzy.

Core values of this group related to the circumstances of their times. Some suggested values are:

• embracing diversity, balance, technoliteracy, fun, informality, self-reliance, pragmatism, consumer savvy, global causes.

A combination of defining moments and values result in a generalized overview of personality traits such as

• being risk-takers, skeptical, cynical, family-oriented, bosses as colleagues, focused on the job, not on work hours.

(Sources: N. Boyce Appel, president of Appel Associates; Cam Marston, president of Marston Communications from Arizona Republic article)

Some of the insights about this group as shared by New Strategist Publications from their publication Generation X: Americans Born 1965 to 1976, Fourth Edition include:

Why They Are Important?

Even though they are smaller in numbers that either the Baby Boomers of Generation Y, the two cohort groups before and after this group, they are one-third of all adults and they are in the “nesting” stage of life and spending a great deal of money on houses, home furnishings, cars, childcare products and services.

In addition, many members of this generational group will remain working members of society for up to 40 more years.

They Aren’t Boomers

Planners, marketers, and most everybody who develop and attempt to deliver products, programs, or services to people often fall into a trap by creating and communicating to the new group in ways similar to the last group. It is important to remember that Gen Xers are not Boomers and won’t respond if treated as Boomers.

How They Differ from Boomers

Bill Willard identifies a list of attributes that make Gen Xers differ from Boomers as follows:

• Not Into Status: Status is not as important to Xers; they focus on results rather than status as evidenced by the fact that many don’t view college as the only alternative for a rewarding future
• Balanced Life: View career and financial well-being as part of a good life not the entire focus; strong interest and success in redefining the work-family challenge
• Slower to Assume Adult-like Roles: For a variety of reasons possibly the large number of Xers raised in divorced homes or emphasis upon a more balanced life, this group tends to marry and have children later than Boomers
• People Count: Gen Xers are much more accepting of and comfortable with the increasing diversity within society and prefer to work with people who they like or respect
• Focus on Family: Guided by the instability of their own growing years, they seek a stable, connected family life.
• Risk Takers: Gen Xers were one of the first generations to come home to empty houses after school so they are much more independent thinkers and prefer challenges
  

(Source: http://web-marketing.smartads.info/2005/why-market-to-generation-x.html)

Approach to Work

Gen Xers has been referred to as “slackers” in the work world mostly because their approach to work differed significantly from that of their older boomer colleagues.

• "Gen Xers have a more carpe diem (seize the day) approach to life," Marston says. (Cam Marston, owner of Marston Communications, a company based in Charlotte, N.C., Managing Across the Generational Divide from Arizona Republic article)
• They also differ from their parents’ generation because they are not as driven and tend to distinguish work life from private life. "Where their parents said, 'Thank God it's Monday,' Gen Xers say, 'TGIF - Thank God it's 5.'" (Source: Chuck Underwood, founder and president of the Generational Imperative Inc. from Arizona Republic article)

Financial Clout

MarcoMonitor in one of its monthly reports shines the spotlight on Gen X as well. This source believes that even though the Gen X group is smaller than the Boomers (57 million adults vs. 70 million adults) that as Boomers begin to retire and die that Gen Xers will account for greater wealth and spending. Additional reasons for encouraging businesses and organizations to focus on this new group include the following:

• 29 million U.S. households have a GenXer as primary household head
• These younger Gen X households are settling down into the rhythm of the life-stage process: buying their first homes, raising children, and climbing up the corporate or entrepreneurial ladder.
• Gen X households are well educated; four in ten Gen X heads of household have at least a college degree,
• Half of Gen X household heads are already in high-paying professional, technical, or managerial positions.

(Source: Make Way for Gen X from MacroMonitor Marketing Report, April 2004)

Vacations The monies spend on travel and vacation by Gen Xers are beginning to surpass that of the larger boomer group:

• On average, Generation Xers last year spent $2,140 on travel involving a hotel stay; baby boomers spent $2,016.
• Vacation spending by Xers increased 66 percent during the past five years compared with 25 percent for boomers.
• Boomers spent more total on vacations ($157 billion) than Generation Xers ($130 billion). Source: D.K. Shifflet & Associates

*not all sources agree on the exact years in which Gen Xers were born; you may see variations

TIPs: Trends into Practice

How to use McWatch© for trend tracking and service innovations.

McWatch©: Recent Business Decisions

In parks and recreation, we generally lack the resources for extensive market research, yet through the McWatch© method for identifying trends, such information comes virtually free of charge. Each business tidbit reviewed will be followed with possible underlying trend information and suggestions for implementation in parks and recreation.

In this version, a few recent decisions made by companies can give us insight into consumer behavior by virtue of those choices. Some of these interesting decisions include:

Chuck E. Cheese for Older Playful People

Playful inventor, Nolan Bushnell, the original creator of Pong and Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theater, is at it again. He’s pulling together his two inventions and merging them into a restaurant that doubles as a games palace. The uWink Bistro chain scheduled to open this coming fall in Los Angeles (where else?) is intended to be a “party and playful place for young, media-savvy adults”.

The design of the uWink goes against the current trends in a number of ways; touchscreens rather than wait staff will be used for all ordering of food, music, etc. and the video games are designed to engage up to six people in “social play” rather than gaming alone at home.

(Source: Swartz, J. “Fun and games go along with food at new bistro chain”. USA Today, 5/31/2005)

Underlying Trend(s): This new business suggests that

• Members of Generation Y and younger have a high comfort and skill levels with technology but often feel less confident in their abilities for personal or social interactions

Possible Application(s): What might this mean for parks and recreation?

• Any and all communications and interactions with participants 30 years or age and under require technology. Technology has become a necessity not a nicety for these groups.
• Conversation and even simple social interactions don’t always flow naturally for this tech-savvy group. Consider offering simple social game and mixers as a way to attract and involve this young adult age group who has little experience with spontaneous socializing. Think coed, no previous experience kickball!

Philosophy Cafes for Regular People

Christopher Phillips, a former PARADE magazine writer with a master’s degree in philosophy from Cal State, Dominquez Hills, is considered the Johnny Appleseed of philosophy ever since he founded the Society for Philosophical Inquiry. Now before you begin to think this doesn’t relate to our profession, continue reading. The more than 300 active Socrates Cafes operate in public places such as libraries, cafes, bowling alleys, and even in a Las Vegas casino. Cafes usually focus upon one question per session and use a facilitator to ensure that all attendees have an opportunity to contribute. People are free to say whatever they like, but the emphasis is upon exploring the “why” behind their comments with attempts at rational explanations and/or supporting evidence.

Some of the comments and insights from participants include:

• ”you don’t have to know anything to attend”
• ”it’s like those late-night dorm discussions that used to happen spontaneously”
• ”it’s a time when people are re-thinking long held assumptions”
• ”it’s a chance to exercise my brain; something I don’t get at school or from my neighborhood” from a thirteen year old boy who regularly attends in Las Vegas

Please Note: Phillips indicates that the number of Socrates Cafes has nearly doubled since 9/11; he believes people are “looking for answers in an increasingly complex world” (Source: Wilson, C. “Socrates taken to the masses”. USA Today. 5/31/2005)

Underlying Trend(s): The Socrates Cafes suggest that

• there are people who lack opportunities in their everyday lives to carve out time to talk about things with any sort of depth and
• they may also lack a group of people who would share the interest in doing so.
• Email, solo carpooling, and TVs in most every room of a house are just a few of the underlying contributors to the limited time, interest, or necessity for “civil exchange”

Potential Application(s): Parks and recreation might consider

• rather than holding, at least initially, public hearings on important community issues, why not schedule a series of “I Hear You, You Hear Me” discussion groups
• think intergenerational opportunities for creating connections with philosophical discussions about “whose childhoods were more challenging” or “was life better or worse before the computer”
• create community discussion options and opportunities; consider how successful the libraries have been with the “one book, one community” approach

Pepsi Says Goodby to EDGE

Apparently, there is no half and half. Pepsi axed its “half of the calories” product called Edge while Coke keeps trying to find a market for its C2 drink which also contains half of the calories of regular Coke. Apparently, the idea of choosing among no or low calorie soda, full calorie soda, and a soda with half the calories just doesn’t work with consumers. Pepsi originally developed Edge when market research indicated that 60% of people are “dual consumers” meaning that they switch back and forth between full calorie and diet sodas. (Source: Macarthur, K. “Over the Edge: Pepsi sinks mid-calorie cola. Advertising Age, May 21, 2005)

Underlying Trend(s): There are a couple of underlying trends that can be garnered from this announcement such as:

• too many choices can confuse consumers
• we find the concept of “moderation” difficult, i.e. we are either “on a diet or not” or we are either “strongly in favor of something or vehemently opposed”

Potential Application(s): Possible applications for parks and recreation may include:

• when reviewing policies for food concessions and vending machines and try striking a balance between healthy and non-healthy, it may be better to go with stark differences, i.e. no-fat chocolate milk rather than reduced fat, fresh fruit rather than sugar reduced snacks, etc.
• try not to become too creative with the names of different programs and camps that are actually variations on similar activities; it may just cause more confusion among participants than warranted

More McWatch© - There are a number of simple observation activities that are included within McWatch© - they are great for staff brainstorming, planning sessions, or trying to predict the future of your organization. If you’d like a copy of the other activities within McWatch© – just email me and I’ll send them off to you.

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trendSCAN is created by CPRS by Leisure Lifestyle Consulting of Sarasota, FL. Comments and questions can be directed to Dr. Ellen O’Sullivan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please feel free to share interesting trend information with her as well.