Americorps option

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 25, 2008 - 12:13.

I was one of these statistics....by following what my peers were doing, I coped with college stress by drinking constantly and having casual sex. After my freshman year, I started taking yoga and joined a women's support group, but still had no idea how to handle---having an apartment, dealing with money, getting to the grocery store without a car, cooking food, fixing the hot water heater, doing Lots of school work, and boys.

Midway through my sophomore year, I dropped out of college. Shortly after, I joined Americorps and did a year of civil service. It was hard work, but we had lots of training, clear guidelines and expectations, and an understanding that what we were doing was helpful and important. I'm back in college again now, and I feel worlds more confident, comfortable, cable and focused.

I don't think that a high-school wellness class would be particularly helpful or easy to execute. But an expansion of Americorps could be wonderful, since people tend to learn those skills without even knowing it. So if your worried about your child, I would recommend them taking time of to do that, or perhaps a NOLS wilderness course.

BTW, in Germany right now its mandatory for all young people to do one year of civil/military service, anywhere in the world.

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