'Minority' give youth a bad name

The majority of Jersey's young people are good

A Senior Youth worker for St Helier says adults have a misconception of teenagers as trouble-makers.

Mark Capern says the actions of a minority in Jersey can give the whole generation a bad reputation.

"A lot of our young people are good and when we look at the numbers involved in crime or anti-social behaviour, it is a very small minority," Mark said.

He also thinks the way the media sometimes portrays the youth of Jersey can create a moral panic.

Mark Capern was responding to research published in the UK that suggests many British adults dramatically overestimate the number of young people involved in crime.

He has been a youth worker for 15 years and doesn't believe youth crime has got worse in that time.

"I have to say I don't see any difference from what was happening 15 years ago, I think the way the media pick up on some of the stories now creates a real moral panic sometimes," he said.

Mark also doesn't think the issues facing the islands teenagers have changed in the time he has been a youth worker.

"It is the same issues out there we were addressing with young people 15 years ago.

"Issues around drug and alcohol use, around sex and sexual health and around relationships," he went on to say.

But Mark also explained that there is increased pressure on the islands young people for good results but that the Youth Service are working with them to manage the pressure.

"There is a pressure on them to succeed and there is some work to do on pressure and stress and managing some of that," he said.