Quite often young people are conditioned into saying what they think adults want to hear rather than expressing their true thoughts and feelings on a particular subject. Through fear of not wanting to be judged, combined with the concept of 'young people aren't supposed to have opinions', makes it all too easy for young people to remain silent. It is often that adults are not really interested in young people's opinions as they are seen as minors, without life experience and therefore what they have to say is insignificant. It is this view that needs to be challenged.

A result of this internalisation of personal thoughts and feelings can lead the young person to behave in an 'expected' way. They begin to 'stereotype themselves' in that they behave in such a way they feel adults expect them to act. This is also typical of media representation, as often certain groups of young people are portrayed in a stereotypical fashion to reinforce the latest news scandal.

An example of this internalised stereotyping, can be seen in the following conversation between an adult and a young person:

"What do you do in your spare time?"
"Hang out on the streets with my mates. Jack cars and smoke weed".

However, quite often the reality is:

"Hang out with my mates. Play football and get bored because there just isn't anything for us to do".

This living up to expectations and providing the adult with a stereotypical image of themselves is intended to shock and provoke reaction. However the media and some adults encourage this, as by labelling a young person provides an open invitation for that person to 'live up' to that label. If they have already been judged and labelled, then why would they feel the need to try and better themselves. They may as well act as outrageously as they possibly can for attention, which is evident in the above example.

The reality example lacks 'street cred' and fails to conform to the stereotypical image of young people that some adults and the media represent.

Images of young people portrayed by the media can leave us with many misconceptions. For example a young person wearing a hooded top, baseball cap and baggy trousers can conjure up a negative image. However if we stop and think about how many people around us actually wear these clothes it is evident that not all young people dressed in this way are criminals and this is just an over generalisation reinforced by the media. Based on this generalisation we can ask how people react when they come into contact with people who dress in this way and is their initial reaction a negative one.

Mouth That Roars breaks down the stereotypical image that the media instills and addresses stereotypical internalisation by working through the young persons initial 'shock theory' to the core of who they really are. Mouth That Roars is not denying that the reality for certain young people's lives isn't about doing things that are socially acceptable, but for many it is quite often the case, regardless of their social and economical background. As part of our training programme, Mouth That Roars addresses these issues and prior to filming MTR works through these stereotypes. By challenging the young person's need to live up to society's perception of them, MTR is able to get to the core of what the young people actually really want to say and therefore brings to the surface what their lives are really like.

For instance, if their lives are difficult and unstable at times, why is this? Is this the way they want their lives to be? Perhaps they want to change their lifestyle but feel that they can't openly admit to that. We want them to be able to describe their lives in the way that they feel is accurate and more importantly the way that they want others to perceive them.

Solution
A media exchange program enables these outcomes to have an affect on a much wider public audience. This program does not only provide a forum for these young people to be heard, it also enhances life skills. Offering communication skills, teamwork, leadership, technical skills, literacy and computing skills, this process also aids in self-development and self-confidence. Enabling young people to reflect on their lives and recognise positive areas and the areas in need of change, the program also provides employment opportunities and guidance with further education placements.

For more information regarding Mouth That Roars and the work it carries out click here.