Pittsboro Community Forum
ReferencesOne of the weaknesses of this analysis is that we were not able to interview any adolescents directly. Therefore, we can only comment on differences we have perceived between insiders and outsiders views of adults in Pittsboro. Through our observation and work with teens in the Teen Center, as well as through other information we gained throughout our research, we have good reason to believe that the insider view of Pittsboro adolescents is significantly different from that of adults. In particular, we are regretful that teens did not have a chance to provide an alternative to the widespread view among providers and adults that they are "self-centered" and "immature". We feel it is important the adolescents get a chance to reflect on and express the ways they see themselves contributing to the community of Pittsboro. One of the major recommendations to emerge from our findings is the importance of seeking out the voice and perspectives of adolescents in Pittsboro, and involve them in the process of creating opportunities for themselves.
Throughout our interviews with service providers and community members, we discovered that there is little disagreement on what the issues are which are facing adolescents in Pittsboro. Everyone we talked with identified recreation, opportunities for youth, transportation, and growth and development as things which needed to be taken into account. The major differences came in how these issues were interpreted, and in people's ideas of how to go about solving them.
One of the things that became increasingly clear as our research progressed was that the community of Pittsboro wanted to remain independent and distinctive. Several service providers who lived outside Pittsboro expressed frustration to us at not being able to get things done, and people not wanting to change. However, it appears that much of the opposition service providers feel may stem less from an unwillingness to change and more from an unwillingness to be changed and shaped by outsiders. The fast influx of people from surrounding cities is a real threat to native Pittsboro residents, and well meaning and enthusiastic offers of help from those perceived as outsiders (even those who have recently moved to Pittsboro and are living there) may be resisted.
In a recent Pittsboro meeting exploring the possibility of beginning a YMCA in town, many of these concerns surfaced. The meeting was attended by administrators from Chapel Hill's YMCA, who were offering to partner with Chatham County to create a Pittsboro branch. Although a previous study indicated that Chatham did not have the present resources to independently support a YMCA and everybody at the meeting strongly felt the need for a YMCA, meeting participants were reluctant to accept Chapel Hill's offer of help. Part of this reluctance stemmed from previous tension with the Chapel Hill YMCA; however an even larger part seemed to stem from a fear of "Chapel Hill expanding to absorb Pittsboro", as one resident expressed it. Even when assured that a Pittsboro YMCA branch would have its own board and take on the character of the community, participants were reticent and wary.
This tension was felt very keenly by us as outsiders, especially during the last few months of our research. Though welcomed by service providers as partners and resources, we were unable to establish much trust with many community members themselves who had seen too many Chapel Hill university students come in for short research or intervention projects. We sometimes felt rebuffed when we offered ourselves as resources to community people.
This has implications for those wishing to mobilize the community around adolescent issues. The tension between long-time "natives" and service providers or newer transplants with strong ties to Chapel Hill or other surrounding cities may lead to an atmosphere of distrust and uncooperativeness, even when these two groups may be interested in the same issues and outcomes. This can be misconstrued as "small-mindedness" or "old boys philosophy" by outsiders, and at the same time be seen as "trying to take us over" by insiders.
The service providers we spoke with were, on the whole, more politically "progressive" and interested in gaining support for policies and programs which reflect their political or philosophical leanings. Although the community members we interviewed also identified themselves as "progressive", they made it clear that there are very different groups within Pittsboro, who hold very different opinions. A proposed policy such as comprehensive sexuality education, which is one of the focuses of the Chatham Coalition for Adolescent Health may meet with a great deal of opposition among some of the more conservative community members or churches who would otherwise show a great interest and commit a lot of energy to improving life for adolescents in Pittsboro. To truly elicit the help and support among the different groups (both progressive and conservative) in Pittsboro in order to work towards a common goal, organizers may have to be very careful to find some common ground that all groups can agree on (such as the need for more youth opportunities), rather than focusing or making central issues which would be more controversial. This may or may not be possible.
Service providers we interviewed seemed to underrate the impact of racism in Pittsboro, often responding that it was not a big issue or did not seem to come up very much. "I don't see it as too much of a problem right now. There is always going to be separation," responded one provider. Another, who even knew about the all-White swimming pool, downplayed the impact of racism in the community:
I'm sure that it exists but it isn't blatantly rampant, other than the all-white swimming pool - but I think that's like an old tradition that just has remained. I'm sure that we have the same kind of racial divide that you have anywhere I've every been in the South. And that certainly impacts everybody, and I think that there probably is racism. But it's not like we have incidents or marches or protests or people killing each other or beating each other up, you know, like real flagrant examples of racism. I think it's much more kind of under - just sort of an undercurrent of life, that people just sort of accept.
However, by taking a look at the racial history of Pittsboro, as well as through talking to certain community members, it becomes apparent that the issue of race relations is one which not only affects adolescents, but also has a big affect on many efforts at community collaboration. The opposition community members met with when they tried to organize to change the "all-white" pool, shared one community member, was so strong and persistent that they gave up. This indicates that racism in Pittsboro is still a force to be reckoned with.
The Teen Center is one example of the less blatant but still significant effects of race relations. Board members expressed both their desire to see the diversity of the community expressed in the Teen Center attendees and their frustration in doing that. The students attending the Teen Center the previous year were mostly African American, which meant that many white children did not feel included, according to some community members. After a change in directorship, many of the African Americans stopped attending. Although there is more of a mix of teens attending the center now, attendance as a whole is extremely low. At the recent fundraiser, the only African American in attendance was the director (as opposed to the previous year when the majority of the fundraiser attendees had been African American). Board members expressed some of the complexities of the situation during a focus group:
But part of our goal is supposed to be to help facilitate acceptance between different groups of people, whether they're white and their families have been here forever and they're Hispanic and they have no real experience with the culture or if - to really get everybody to understand that being different is okay. But the problem that I see mostly is that young people are more willing to say, "Oh, the differences are okay, you know, this Black, he's my friend." But then when it starts moving beyond that, then the parents start freaking out. And so it's a real struggle, because some people in this community probably would not approve of, you know, sort of intermixing of races, and I mean, those kinds of things, I mean, they would actually disprove very strongly, and so it's very touchy.
It seems like the stance here, and it hasn't been like that everywhere I lived it, it's safest to keep to yourself, and don't get too involved, you know, stay separate. That's the way you can have a nice life. And if you get too involved, and if you stick your neck out, you're asking for trouble.
Several of the community members attending the forum in April also chose to talk about race relations as an issue facing Pittsboro adolescents. They spoke of their frustration at the community silence involving the current issues related to race relations, as well as the immense difficulty they perceived in being able to organize any meaningful kind of community forum to discuss the issues.
The implications of the race relations issue for service providers and those wishing to organize the Pittsboro community to address adolescent issues is that it cannot be ignored. It is present, deeply rooted in history, and appears to affect much of what goes on in the community as well as relationships and opportunities of adolescents. The recent influx of Latinos may serve to bring the issue more to the surface, but in any case, it is something which needs to be recognized and talked about, both by service providers and community members.
Finally, as evidenced by the platforms of candidates running for local election last November, recent Chatham Chatlist discussions, local newspaper articles and casual talk, growth, development, and related taxes are huge issues in Pittsboro right now. As previously mentioned, Chatham County is growing by leaps and bounds and many community members are afraid of becoming "another Cary". The issues involved are both emotional and divisive, and have the possibility of obscuring the needs and issues of adolescents in Pittsboro. Service providers and others who are interested in mobilizing community resources to make Pittsboro a better place for adolescents need to recognize and validate the immensity of the growth and development issue, and find a way to relate and integrate it into adolescent-related work.
It is our recommendation that the community work toward collaboration around the issue of teens. Results from our work in Pittsboro over the last six months, which includes our interviews, attendance at community events, volunteering at the Teen Center, informal conversations with and observations of community members, and our community forum point to the need for organizations interested in teen issues to work together to improve life for teens in the city. The Teen Center Board, for example, might benefit from joining forces with groups within the county's health and recreation departments to increase the reach, publicity, and number of activities available for adolescents. By also collaborating with non-governmental groups, the Teen Center could work towards procuring more resources for equipment and activities. And, by forming partnerships with well-known and respected organizations to promote the Center, the board would ensure positive exposure and, it is hoped, attendance.
We highly recommend that collaborative efforts around teen issues also involve the Chatham Coalition for Adolescent Health. Because health is influenced by a myriad of factors in a teen's daily life, including recreation, education, and environment, we propose that organizations working in these, and other adolescent-oriented areas, team up with the Coalition for Adolescent Health in a non-categorical approach to improving the quality of life for teens in Pittsboro. It would be an asset to the Coalition's board to have members representing the various groups. In effect, this cooperation would not only bring in a variety of perspectives, it would unite agencies and individuals across the city in the cause of improving life for teens. In addition, it would address the disparate nature of the relationships between existing groups interested in helping Pittsboro teens.
Pittsboro's residents represent its richest resource, and we recommend finding a way to incorporate community residents into the discussion around adolescent issues. Just as there appears to be a lack of collaboration between some of the service agencies involved in providing resources for adolescents, we have found a corresponding lack of collaboration in the community as it relates to adolescents. This is evidenced in the lack of communication between those community members interested in a Pittsboro YMCA and the Teen Center Board. Both these groups are dedicated to the same final goal, to increase recreational opportunities for younger adolescents. If they work together, they could possibly create a synergy that would enable each to reach their goal more efficiently. There are also many active churches in the Pittsboro area. Although we suspect that many of these churches have their own programs for adolescents, an ecumenical community coalition of churches and members to focus on adolescent issues could be a very powerful way of addressing some of the themes brought up through our Diagnosis.
As a way to mobilize community residents, we would suggest the formation of a Pittsboro specific coalition to address adolescent quality of life as a whole. This coalition could work in partnership with the Chatham Coalition for Adolescent Health (CCAH) but would be able to identify and target broad issues that a diversity of residents agree on (such as opportunities for youth), rather than potentially divisive issues (such as teen sexuality).
One of the most consistent findings throughout every stage of our Community Diagnosis was the need for adolescents to have their own voice about their role as members of the Pittsboro community. Teens seem to have very little control over community decisions that involve them, and very little chance to contribute in a visible and productive way to the community as a whole. All the evidence we have suggests that this lack of control and involvement does not represent a deficiency on the part of the adolescents so much as it represents wider community norms and barriers which limit teen participation and discourage their voice from being heard.
One of the specific ideas of how to facilitate more of a teen voice and presence in Pittsboro (emerging from the community forum) was to have a school forum in which teens got to speak about things that concerned them. Having this event take place during school hours would remove the transportation barrier currently preventing teens from coming to events planned for them. If parents as well as the school board attended this forum, it could be an incredibly effective way for their voice to be heard by a variety of listeners. If non-school forums for the purpose of giving teens a voice are planned, we recommend word-of-mouth advertisement that begins at least a month before the forum, as well as transportation which can take the adolescents directly to the venue. Another way to facilitate teen voice in Pittsboro is to form a teen coalition in Pittsboro. They could either be included as a separate but partnering counterpart to an adult community member coalition, or sit side by side on a multigenerational Pittsboro coalition. A version of this idea, forming a teen advisory board, is currently being pursued by Maria Hitt, our preceptor and the chairperson of the CCAH. This could be an excellent way for the CCAH to listen to and reflect the current concerns of Pittsboro teens in their programs and advocacy. If this teen board is formed, it may be important to let its members select and pursue their own goals related to their quality of life, even if these do not fit into the primary concerns of the CCAH members.
Finally, we would suggest that semi-structured after-school programs be made available at venues such as the Teen Center or Horton Middle School. These programs could provide teens with both a fun place to relax and play and also a structured, facilitator-led time of coming together to collectively identify concerns in their lives and community, reflect on what is at the root of these concerns, identify workable ways to address these concerns, and then work together to actually translate their plans into action. By working through this cycle, teens will not only be able to contribute in tangible and visible ways to Pittsboro, but will become empowered to take control of their own lives and the issues which affect them.
Adolescents are not only the future of Pittsboro, but they are an important part of its present. They represent a dynamic and energetic portion of the population. Although they are undoubtedly learning important skills and knowledge for use in the future, they are also full of potential to make a difference now. They are in need of more community attention, recreational and employment opportunities, and community resources directed towards them. Just as important as providing resources and opportunities for adolescents, however, is recognizing them as a valuable and indispensable community resource and encouraging their empowerment and contribution as full and valuable members of the Pittsboro community.
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