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Gaining Community Member PerspectivesOnce we had compiled all of our secondary data sources and reviewed them for the most pertinent information we were ready to start interviewing service providers that worked in Pittsboro in order to gain their "outsider's perspective" of the community. Our secondary data, together with our informal impressions from time spent in the community, informed the questions that made up our interview guide for the service providers and the types of probes we should consider during the interviews. We pretested our initial interview guide with our preceptor, Maria Hitt, and made minor adjustments using suggestions and feedback from her. Our revised interview guide was used with all of our subsequent service provider interviews. It included questions on services provided, Pittsboro as a community, and adolescents in Pittsboro.
Since we wanted to get a picture of what life was like for teenagers in Pittsboro we compiled a list of service providers that interact with teens in their work. We interviewed people that worked in the schools, the court system, the health department and various other social service agencies. These included two middle school nurses, one high school nurse, the director of minority affairs for Chatham County, the substance abuse counselor for Chatham County, a health education teacher at Northwood, the director of Chatham Together, Chatham County's recreational director, the youth pastor at Pittsboro Baptist Church, a Pittsboro family physician, a juvenile court judge, and the health educator at the Chatham Health Department. These service providers and agencies were identified as key informants as a result of multiple discussions with the Chatham Coalition for Adolescent Health and through weeks of researching agencies that have consistent and extended contact with teens. A complete list of people that we interviewed is included in Appendix B.
The types of agencies/institutions represented in the interviews focused on areas of research the team members identified. These sectors include government and policy, education, health care, religion, recreation and community. The rationale for selecting these particular sectors and agencies was based on observations and research of Pittsboro's past and current issues in addition to discussions with Chatham Coalition for Adolescent Health members.
Each interview that we conducted was tape recorded with permission from the individual being interviewed. There was also a note-taker at each interview to record comments and non-verbals during the interview. We chose to transcribe all of our interviews because of our goal to perform inductive research. By transcribing, we had a written record of the entire interview and were able to revisit the transcriptions as necessary throughout the community diagnosis process. We were able to pull our themes directly from the transcriptions and incorporate many quotes into our final document as well as the community forum, helping to ensure that we presented a description of the views and concerns of our respondents as accurately as possible.
Because Pittsboro has such a long history and has retained a small and stable population until recently, it has remained a deeply rooted community. Although outsiders are attracted to the area, it is still very much populated with families who have lived there for generations. This deep-rootedness has led some providers to express concern over their inability to move the town council to consider or lend support to new ideas and programs. Despite this frustration, other providers mentioned that one of the strengths of Pittsboro is its comparative openness to considering new ideas and a diversity of views and backgrounds. In comparison to other towns in Chatham County, Pittsboro was identified to be the most liberal and accommodating area. One provider attributed this to Pittsboro's proximity to Chapel Hill and UNC because only 17 miles separate these two areas. Another strength identified by providers was the ability of Pittsboro's residents to overcome racial, political, and religious divisions when there was a crisis, and to work together to solve it and help each other.
The majority of providers interviewed mentioned lack of recreation as a concern. Often, the respondent listed the lack of options as no movie theater anywhere in the county, no public swimming pool, no YMCA, no recreation center, no malls, no game rooms, no pool tables, and nowhere for teens to hang out. Service providers mentioned that teens have been discouraged from congregating at the library, the local eating establishments, and most antique stores downtown. Those adolescents who can drive go often to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, or Durham; however, those who do not have access to a car or are underage, and do not participate in after-school activities, have little to do in the afternoons or on weekends. Although there is a teen center that is open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons as a place for teens ages 11-15 to hang out after school, few service providers were aware of this recreational option. On the policy level, providers mentioned that the recreation issue is being addressed through the Parks and Recreation Plan, a recent election issue. This plan would provide for land acquisition and development into county parks, with facilities catering to a variety of recreational interests.
Providers also mentioned the lack of commercial industry in Pittsboro as a concern because it also limits the opportunities of adolescents in the area of finding employment. Except for the few positions open at a handful of chains such as Hardee's or Pizza Hut, adolescents must leave town in order to find a job. Therefore, many younger teens or those who do not have cars are not able to find employment.
Several of the providers interviewed identified this lack of opportunities as the main determinant underlying a high rate of substance abuse and unsafe sexual practices among Pittsboro adolescents. One provider even suggested that if something were not done soon, Pittsboro would eventually become an unsafe place to live. Secondary information from the police department, newspaper articles, and the health department, confirms that drug abuse and trafficking is, indeed, one of the issues facing youth in Pittsboro.
Another issue facing Pittsboro identified by service providers was that of growth and development. Chatham County, in part because of its close proximity to the Research Triangle urban areas, is facing what many refer to as "unbridled growth". Many "bedroom communities" to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham, and other cities are springing up throughout the county. Although the growth is most intense in the northeastern part of the county, it also affects Pittsboro. Of specific concern is the widening of 15-501, one of the highways going through Pittsboro, to four lanes, and the creation of a bypass around the town. Some providers predict the bypass will render Pittsboro a "ghost town", while others foresee it resulting in significant growth and development, since commuting to Chapel Hill and Raleigh will become much more efficient.
Education was another issue discussed frequently among service providers. Among providers working in county schools, there was a general sense of dissatisfaction regarding policies they must work under. Among providers outside the education system, there was a general question regarding the quality of education provided to Chatham County residents. Chatham County educators and educational administrators appear to be most frustrated with school policies regarding abstinence-only sexual education and school accountability, both of which they feel cause great harm to at-risk adolescents. Two other providers referenced the systemic emphasis on good test scores, known as school accountability, that precludes giving at-risk students the time and attention they need to make healthy choices.
Other comments concerning quality of education may be related to the impending teacher crisis. Chatham County teachers are paid supplements significantly lower than in surrounding counties. This fact, coupled with the imminent resignation of many dedicated school teachers, means that it may soon be very difficult to fill vacant positions with high quality teachers, and to retain them in employment. This issue is only exacerbated by the overall growth in the county, which necessitates new schools and more teachers. Pittsboro providers discussed the need of the local school board, largely composed of older members whose children have grown up and finished school, to recognize and respond to the growing needs present in the school system.
One of the challenges on which there appears to be disagreement is that of racism or racial tension. Pittsboro is around 20% Black with a much smaller percentage of Latinos than other towns in Chatham County. Overall, it seems people agree that racism is not as much of an issue in Pittsboro as it is elsewhere; however, there is a question as to whether or not it is still something that needs to be addressed. Pittsboro's history is certainly replete with racism: its effects are shown all the way from the institution of slavery present at its founding; to the white supremacist groups formed at the beginning of the 20th century supporting Black disenfranchisement; to the current town presence of the "all-white swimming pool". Regardless of Pittsboro's history, however, one provider told us that racial issues were something that adolescents really came together around. Another dismissed the possibility that there might be racial tension in school, and still another stated that the racial tension wasn't any different than you might expect anywhere else in the South.
Another issue explored was the influence of faith communities on adolescent norms and behaviors. Providers seem to agree that churches are a primary way Pittsboro residents define their own communities of identity; however, they know little about area churches and the actual impact they have on Pittsboro. The extent of teen involvement in these faith communities is also unclear.
A further challenge identified by providers is that of changing values, both in adolescent culture and in the town and nation as a whole. They credit society's and families' declining values and norms as one of the reasons adolescents seem to be more seriously involved in substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and crimes.
Providers, especially those working with teens seem to universally acknowledge that adolescents are good, creative, and energetic at heart and advocate for resources to be devoted and tailored to them. However, there appears to be very little exploration of the idea of teens being a useful, vital part of a community. No programs were found which seek to mobilize adolescents to identify and help resolve problems in their communities, or come together in other forms of social action. Interventions and programs targeted toward teens tended to be more reactive in terms of keeping them out of trouble, than proactive such as recognizing and utilizing their potential to serve and benefit the community. One service provider is currently trying to reverse this trend by forming a teen advocacy group for this very purpose.
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