Parents have a role to bring up ‘backbone’ of villages

By Ilia L. Likou 02 February 2017, 12:00AM

“Young people are the future of families and villages.”

We often hear this. In some villages, this is true but for some it’s not.

On the outskirts of Apia, incidents involving the youth are often negative. 

And we often wonder why these young people are caught up in these negative stuff instead of doing something useful.

What is the cause of all the problems faced by the youth and who is to blame?

These are the questions we always ask. People have different opinions.

Meet Posesala Posesala, 22, from the villages of Nuu Fou and Lefagaoali’i, Savai’i.

He believes the issue goes back to the parents.

“I believe it starts from the home,” he told the Village Voice.

“It starts from within the home, between the parents and their children; they should be able to have that special bond where the parents should talk to them about everything in life.

“Nowadays the young ones think they can do whatever they like. When the parents try to talk to them they don’t want to listen.”

Mr. Posesala went on to say for some youths, their lifestyles have been heavily influenced by outside forces.

“Most youths, especially in the urban areas, are influenced by the lifestyle so that when they reach the age of 21 they do whatever they like.

“But that’s not how Samoan youths should live, that’s the lifestyle of a palagi.

“We grow up in a country where we ought to respect our elders and for as long as we are living under our parents roof, we follow their rules. That’s how it was back in the day.

“That’s how our parents were brought up and look at them, they have become successful because of this belief.”

Moreover Mr. Posesala said this is the work not only parents should do but the community as well as organisations.

“I work at the Samoa Soccer Federation and this is one of our responsibilities, to capture the young ones who don’t go to school anymore, bring them into the federation and start training them to have a better future,” said Mr. Posesala.

“We believe the young people are the future of our country so we have programs that will help them start from grass roots to help them get a better future.

“This is the kind of work that we do and I believe we all have to play our part to support the young people of Samoa.”

By Ilia L. Likou 02 February 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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