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FILE
INTERVIEW
ADOLESCENTS DON’T WANT TO BE
GUIDED BY ADULTS
At what ages does peer education become signi-
ficant or is it more beneficial?
Peer education is significant in adolescence. The
main problem during this period is that youth feel
that no one understands them. Teachers have
difficulty in empathizing with young people and
since teachers represent authority, students
may not be able to explain themselves. No
matter howmuch parents befriend their children,
it is difficult to listen to the same music and talk
about the same things because of the generation
gap. Adolescents don’t want to be guided by
adults and they feel uncomfortable. For example,
if you warn an adolescent by saying “don’t do this
or that”, he/she will keep doing it because young
people try to find their own identities against
authority. However, if adolescents get the same
warning from their peers, they pay attention to it
so as to be accepted by them.
Can you give more details on how peer education
works?
Students from the same age group are chosen
and then instructed to give education to their
peers. This system is used in high schools.
So is it practiced in schools?
It is generally practiced in schools but it is more
common at high school level than in middle
schools.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PEER
EDUCATOR IS EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT
What is the procedure for choosing the students
who will give peer education?
They are selected based on the purpose of the
education. If you try to resolve conflicts,
you need to choose students who
can be intermediators. You have to
choose someonewhose advice
is taken seriously andwho can
treat others equally and establish
healthy communication. It is very
important to choose the right peer
educator. I would like tomake a
critical point. Let’s assume youwant
to use a peer educator to discourage
Peer
education is a more
acceptable, functional
and effective method and
we use peer education
frequently with our Young
Green Crescent
team.
yesilay.org.tr
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YEŞiLAY
•
October-November-December 2015