engleski

Perception of the future - from the perspective of adolescents with war experiences

War and destruction have marked every family, every child in the war zones and around it. Every community on that district experienced some losts (home, property, death, missing persons, lost ideas, relations, feelings, dreams about the future). Like most of "modern" wars, in this case "civilian targets" were the most vulnerable targets. By now we already know many risks to which these vulnerable groups were exposed during the war and after the war (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and its longterm consequences). The author will deal with some "intangible risks" in the population of adolescents, concerning two most important tasks of that period: finishing the processes of individuation and separation. What about these tasks when the moments of personal crises (in personal growth and development, such as period of adolescence) appear in the same time as social crises (such as war destruction)? This is exactly the group from which we expect to be "grown up soon", and not only to play the roles of adults, but to act as adults as well (and if possible to feel good with that responsibility). According to Jasper (1993.) person often chooses between integrity and cooperation (by "integrity" he means: being sage, independent, authentic, and by "cooperation": compromising, imitating, adjusting...". Exposed to a parent's pressure, demand or expectation, child or adolescent would mostly choose to be cooperative (because he/she loves his parents and want to be loved, accepted, and want to meet these expectations as good as possible, even if it means risking and endangering his/hers integrity). If a child or an adolescent if often in a position to hurt or endangered his integrity, he will be in a trouble (he would want to cooperate inspite of unrealistic, overdemanding expectations). These "injuries" are, unfortunately for most of the parents invisible (not like broken arm or leg, or bleeding nose). Most of adolescents don't talk about these injuries, at least, not verbally. They rather choose to talk through different signals (psychological, physiological). These signals are usual "cries for help" addressed to the adults. If adolescent's significant others do not recognise these signals, or worse, if these signals are interpreted as "lack of cooperation" and followed by punishment, child could choose to "hide" them and to express them elsewhere (but not at home). Certainly, by not seeing theme, we will not make them disappear. And what about their integrity, or capability to keep a balance between integrity and cooperation? Are they capable for "bringing up for living together", tolerance and non-violence conflict resolution? Should they deny or suppress their feelings of distrust. Are we, as a community ready, open minded and mature enough to help ourselves and our youngsters to get the insight to these experiences and cope with them in order to heal our emotional wounds and get ready for intercultural experiences. According to author's experience this war generation of adolescents was faced with extreem pressure for cooperation, pressure for growing up quickly, overnight, taking care for younger siblings and often for mothers and grandparents, while fathers were absent. In the presentation the author will try to enlight some of these issues according to the experience of training social work students and group work with adolescent refugees.

adolescence; adolescent refugees; integration; cooperation; intercultural experiences

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