To be successful, youth need something to love. We need something to live for. Adults can help us strive to discover what exactly makes us happy. Teens need a passion to fill the gap in our lives that is created by a lack of enjoyment. Instead of removing the negative influences that fill this void, adults ought to aid us in replacing harmful habits. When one thing is removed, it needs to be substituted to maintain balance.

The Vashon Youth Council recently helped me discover that art is my passion. Originally, I started my art business, Starshine Art, as a simple way to pay for debate camp, but it has provided me with a kind of joy in my life that nothing else has been able to do. I have been mentored by the adults at the youth council and have not only learned more about responsibility — the adults in my life have taught me who I am as a person. I know who I am. Creating something that is unique is, for me, a greater rush than any drug. I’ve found my passion. My life is balanced and I am happier than I have ever been.

Throughout my early childhood, a career with extreme monetary benefits was always encouraged. People would say, “Be a doctor! Be a lawyer! Be successful!” I know, though, that I won’t enjoy those careers, and we ought to be redefining the word successful. Is it based on money? Morality? Happiness? In our society, the question that teens are asked more than any other is, “What do you want to do when you are older?” I’ve recently started responding, “I want to smile.” I want to enjoy my life. After discovering what makes me happiest, I know that my dream is in reach.

Our community suffers from a surplus of teens who don’t know how to be happy. It is inherent of people, though, to attain pleasure, however possible. Teens have turned to drugs and alcohol, mistaking them as a source of joy. I honestly don’t blame them. Without something to love, without anything to work towards, without dreams, how else can we enjoy life?

The solution is simple. Remove the idea of punishment from your mind. Being completely realistic, punishment doesn’t work. A slap on the wrist may solve the immediate problem in your mind, but in the long run, punishment only feeds the issue. Help youth find something to love. Help us dream.

­— Emily Gripp is a junior at Vashon High School and program coordinator for the Vashon Youth Council.