Recruiting Our Youth

Our youth are ground zero and capturing their imagination is the crowning achievement for any solicitor, recruiter or marketer.  They represent the next wave which companies will rely upon to sustain themselves and grow.  Therefore, they are being solicited non stop by corporations like McDonald’s, Nike, Coke, Apple, Samsung.  Others soliciting youth include the armed services, colleges and universities. But still, others soliciting youth - on an abhorrent level - include criminal street gangs, sex traffickers, drug pushers and other ‘underworld’ elements.

If we, as interested adults involved in the welfare of children, do not think it necessary to have our own recruitment plans, we are terribly mistaken. 

And it is important to me, in this article, to discuss all of the elements, even the criminal, soliciting our youth to show the similarities in how they target our young people and what we can learn. 

Let’s start with major companies and then discuss the seedier elements. 

Corporations that employ youth marketing typically involve capitalizing on the personal insecurities of young people in which real or false needs are exploited.  Marketers take advantage of youth dissatisfaction and present fake solutions which most often are not mentally, financially or physically advantageous to youth.

Now here are two gang recruitment tactics:

Seduction-Legendary mythology of a gang’s leadership and lifestyle creates aspirational goals in the minds of youth.  The gang’s activities are depicted in a glorified and exciting way as a means to create interest.

Deception-Youth may be tricked that the gang is just a ‘club’ or convinced by their recruiter that they are neglected, unloved and maybe unwanted at home by family, the school system and/or the community at large.  They identify and prey on the needs of the young person’s natural inclination to belong and feel accepted.
Consider also a couple techniques of sex traffickers:

Sameness-Traffickers typically share the same background, ethnicity or culture of the victim to understand how to exploit their vulnerabilities.

Security-Traffickers lure victims with false promises of safety, security and even a loving relationship.

Recruitment and solicitation works well when the solicitor identifies an area of weakness.  Isolation, neglect, dissatisfaction, poverty, diminished esteem, sadness; these can all be indications of vulnerability for young people.  Predators look for these to identify ways in which to begin grooming their recruits. 

Likewise, advertisers employ researchers and psychologists to use their in-depth knowledge of children’s developmental, social and emotional needs at different ages to understand how to strategically market to them.

Now, it should be our goal, as responsible adults involved in children’s lives, to identify these same traits and areas of vulnerability.  And instead of exploiting them, we must engage youth with opportunities to strengthen these areas of weakness. 

So, we too must be solicitors, but we must solicit for the little leagues, the youth organizations, teen clubs, mentor programs, literacy centers, girl scouts, 4-H clubs, etc.  We have to pull our young people into safe spaces where they can access unique opportunities wherein belonging, love, acceptance, structure, responsibility, confidence building, organization, skill development and mastery are all included.

We have to be as focused in our recruitment as the streets and corporations are for the minds and energy of our young people.  Employing credible messengers, individuals who are relatable, is a key that must not be overlooked.  We cannot be so self centered as leaders to think our leadership, organization or personal style is the perfect fit for every youth.  Be wise and make referrals where appropriate.  There are so many great organizations within our community that there is something for everyone.  And if we find there is not, we should create it. ​

We cannot deride our young people for who or what they are not, if we are not willing to put in the work to train them.  And since we cannot lead from the couch, get up, get out and get involved.  We must exhaust ourselves in our efforts to penetrate the minds of our youth with the keys that we know are necessary for success and contentment of mind. 

Thanks for visiting my blog.  To listen to the Nurah Speaks episode on this subject, use the following link:  https://soundcloud.com/nurahspeaks/ep-68-recruiting-our-youth.

Subscribe to Nurah Speaks on Spotify, ApplePodcast, SoundCloud, Stitcher, CastBox or wherever you stream great podcasts.

Feel free to share your comments and insights on this subject.  I am eager to know your thoughts!

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