Recession, the Commission On Children at Risk Report, Connectedness and Authoritative Communities

Summary

---

Among the distinguished alumni of St. Albans School are Al Gore, former vice-president of the United States; Bill Oakley, former executive producer of "The Simpsons"; Donald Graham, chairman of the Washington Post; Jesse Jackson Jr., United States Congressman; and Jeffrey Wright, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor ("Angels in America," "Basquiat" and "Syriana").

Quoting from the commission's findings, [Vance Wilson] writes: "The crisis in American childhood comes from a lack of connectedness: first to other people; second, to moral and spiritual meaning. Neuroscientists increasingly believe that the human child is 'hardwired to connect,' not only to other people, but also for moral meaning and openness to the transcendent. Connectedness is best learned from groups of people, that is, social institutions, organized around certain purposes. Many of these institutions have disappeared in the lives of children." According to the report, "lack of these connections can predispose children to depression, anxiety, substance abuse and thoughts of suicide."

An advocate of authoritative communities, Wilson remarks: "Our school should bear witness to the power of an authoritative community." He is, however, quick and honest to point out: "The moment I express such a hope, however, I must recognize that for 100 years, even as decade by decade our admissions have expanded the school's reach racially, culturally and socio-economically, we nevertheless have had the privilege of choosing the boys who enter our communities. Most communities have no such advantage."

Dr. Kathleen Kovner Kline, child psychiatrist at Dartmouth Medical School, the lead author of the study, said: "We found that a child's environment and community can have an incredible effect on the development of their long-term mental and emotional health."

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Recession, the Commission On Children at Risk Report, Connectedness and Authoritative Communities

Special to the AmNews

As we plunge deeper into a recession, the scarcity of jobs becomes even more evident to the general populace looking for employment, as well as for high school graduates and other students who will be out of school for the summer nex...

See the full content of this document

---