Student summary for HSC CAFS Course.

1. BY ALLY AND DOM  YOUTH

21. NEWSPAPER ARTICLE #1 Cyber bully wanted victim killed By Evelyn Yamine August 29, 2008 12:00am A TEENAGER is under investigation over alleged death threats made against another teenager on the internet. Detectives said a group had been formed on the MySpace website which threatened and intimidated a 17-year-old youth from Tweed Heads. It is also alleged the author of the website forum was encouraging people to kill and bash the alleged victim. Have you been the victim of cyber bullying? Tell us below Police were alerted to the cyber bullying on Wednesday and spoke to a 16-year-old from nearby Banora Point. The youth was released yesterday without any charges being laid but police said their investigation was continuing. The site containing the alleged threats has since been pulled down. "Any sort of bullying, whether it be in the playground or over a computer, is not acceptable and we take these matters very seriously," Detective Senior Constable Tim Young from Tweed/Byron local area command said. "Victims of bullying should not suffer in silence. I urge all victims to tell your teachers, tell your parents or to contact police," he said. This newspaper article is an example of the numerous cases of cyber-bullying happening to teenagers. It is clear that constant abuse will deteriorate the youths self esteem and sense of identity.

22. NEWSPAPE ARTICLE #2 Teens say no to sex and drugs By Andrew Chesterton December 09, 2007 12:00am KIDS are turning away from marijuana and more of them are abstaining from sex as today's youth become more conservative. Previously unreleased data from the State Government's biennial YouthSCAN report has revealed the number of people aged between 10 and 17 who smoke marijuana has fallen from 36 per cent in 2003 to 23 per cent in 2007. The report, compiled after three-hour interviews with 600 young people across NSW and Victoria, found nicotine use had also dropped slightly. Just 37 per cent of young people reported smoking cigarettes, compared to 38 per cent of those surveyed in 2003. The report reveals young people are also waiting longer before they have sex. Less than two-thirds of sexually active young people reported having sex before they were 16, compared with more than three-quarters of youths questioned in the previous survey. Members of the NSW Youth Advisory Council - staffed by young people and founded to advise the State Government on youth policy - said high-school students were becoming more aware of the dangers of drugs and more empowered to say no. "Young people are just so aware now,'' said council member Samantha Dawson, 20. "You can say, without doubt, young people are more mature, more aware and definitely more educated, whether that education has come from a school, or from parents, about drugs.'' Ms Dawson said better education about sexual relationships removed the pressure some young people felt to have sex. "The thing young people do now is to discuss these things with people,'' she said. "Then they can make informed decisions on whether they are ready.'' NSW Minister for Youth, Linda Burney, said young people in NSW had successfully overcome peer and commercial pressure and were making their own decision on the issues of drugs and sex. "Since becoming Minister for Youth I have come into contact with so many young people, and I've been very impressed,'' she said. "I think young people today have more pressure on them than any past generation. "So I'm really pleased with these results, and I'm very proud of young people across the State.'' The YouthSCAN report also found young people measured success by material possessions. For 19 per cent of young people, money is more important than character when measuring success. This article is evidence that through increased education and awareness of sex and drug taking, adolescents have become more knowledgeable. Adolescents are more aware of the dangers of drug taking and early sexual activity, this then ensures that they are not endangering their health or sense of identity and self esteem.