I make watching The Brits award show an essential part of my annual viewing schedule as I find it useful in watching popular culture trends, keeping up to date with music culture and seeing who are some of the key influencers of the young people I work with. I also have a passion for music!
This year did not disappoint. There was the usual array of bizarre clothing and hairstyles, typical rock'n'roll antics and language (carefully muted by ITV1) and, of course, the range of "thank yous" from the different award winners. Musicians play music for a reason - they're good at it, we really shouldn't expect them to be able to make speeches!
I am intrigued by Lily Allen's song, The Fear, which she opened up the show with. I have thought for a while how the lyrics are an accurate portrayal of popular culture, how there is a desire to be rich and famous regardless of what the cost is, and yet how this cost leads to losing a sense of personal identity or self esteem, of being 'taken over by The Fear'.
It seemed to me that this was a theme running throughout the ceremony. Lady Gaga was almost overwhelmed with her 3 awards, by the third she seemed to not understand why anyone would have voted for her. Yet her performance was flamboyant and unusual. I felt that she was living out Lily's song as we watched her journey through the evening.
The whole thing was hosted by Peter Kay, who tried to keep all the celebrities in their place, with plenty of quick quips and refusing to double kiss! An anti-celebrity celebrity.
With young people wanting to be famous more than anything else in life, it seems the only way forward is further loss of personal identity and self esteem. So how can we tackle this with the young people we know? The challenge is not easy or simple but it must start by helping them discover who they were meant to be. This means taking them back to the Creator, realising how he made them and the plans he has for them. Helping them discover what grace really looks like, how awesome it is and how releasing & empowering it is. The other thing we need to do is to give them opportunities to use the talents and gifts that God has given them. That way they learn to see how unique they are and learn what their part in God's kingdom is.
Hopefully by doing these kinds of things they will discover what their personal identity looks like and they will love who that person is. Easy to say.
Andy
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
How do we reach out to the 'Skins' generation?
So 'Skins' is back on our TV screens and teenagers and students all over the country will be once again rushing back to see the latest antics of the lives of the sixth form students in Bristol. Now in series 4, when it first started I found 'Skins' very awkward viewing. As a youth minister I think it is something vital that we need to watch because those we serve are watching it, but I wrestled with the content as being entertainment, so dipping in every so often seems to be enough.
'Skins' reminds me of a film I watched at the end of last year called 'Kidulthood', which came out in 2006. I watched this film because a 17 year old lad in my youth group said it was great and he felt it was a good example of what life really is like for teenagers. I found it really uncomfortable viewing as I watched a young girl at the start of the film being bullied so much that she chooses to end her life. The result gives the rest of the school a day off and the film follows how their day falls apart.
I found myself thinking if teenagers really are like this, we as the Church are miles away from really having a significant impact on them and how much we need to change to be useful.
But I also thought that I don't think all young people are really like those portrayed in 'Skins' or 'Kidulthood' but they would like to be. And that's the point. Our challenge is how can we help young people see positive alternatives as to who to aspire to be like?
We need to help young people develop positive ways of dealing with the difficulties that life sometimes face, not choosing ways which help them opt out or run away from the problems.
Andy
'Skins' reminds me of a film I watched at the end of last year called 'Kidulthood', which came out in 2006. I watched this film because a 17 year old lad in my youth group said it was great and he felt it was a good example of what life really is like for teenagers. I found it really uncomfortable viewing as I watched a young girl at the start of the film being bullied so much that she chooses to end her life. The result gives the rest of the school a day off and the film follows how their day falls apart.
I found myself thinking if teenagers really are like this, we as the Church are miles away from really having a significant impact on them and how much we need to change to be useful.
But I also thought that I don't think all young people are really like those portrayed in 'Skins' or 'Kidulthood' but they would like to be. And that's the point. Our challenge is how can we help young people see positive alternatives as to who to aspire to be like?
We need to help young people develop positive ways of dealing with the difficulties that life sometimes face, not choosing ways which help them opt out or run away from the problems.
Andy
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