THERE have been recent news reports on youths behaving badly, and I have also heard people labelling such young people as having no sense of direction in their lives.

I believe that every person has his own talents and capabilities, and he or she may be one of the late bloomers.

It is natural that people judge others by what they see, however superficial that may be, but as the old saying goes, do not judge a book by its cover.

We have to learn to adopt an open mind when it comes to interacting with others, especially our young people.

Our youths are our future.

What approach should we take when dealing with them?

My personal dream is to set up a club for our youths and work with them. It will engage them in healthy activities which they like, let them showcase their talents and provide counselling as well.

Hopefully, it will be a place that the youths are comfortable in, a place which they feel at home.

My reason for having such a club is simple. Young people are mostly attracted to physical activities such as street dancing and skateboarding. In fact, you can see them doing these activities during the weekends at public places such as the underground linkway to the Esplanade.

According to my friends who are school counsellors, many of their students are not achievers academically, but they are very talented in other areas such as the arts.

These students may be playful in class but when asked to do things they are interested in, they can be very focused and able to perform well.

I believe we need a different approach when dealing with our youths. Punishment such as caning, suspension from school or even making them stand on a chair may no longer work.

We need to make them feel comfortable enough to share their problems and worries with us. This approach is commonly used by counsellors and it seems to work when the youths see them as friends who genuinely want to help.

Of course, parents must also play amajor role in the upbringing of their children. A strong support from them would encourage the kids to work on their passion and the things they are good at.

On this note, I must say that I really admire the National Youth Council for their programmes for youths, and I hope that it will continue to do its good work.

Nur Suhardi Mohamed

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