Combined Survey Results for selected questions. Please refer to results of individual sessions for comprehensive responses to all survey questions. Also, please note that some questions did not appear in one or more of the session surveys, usually indicated in this report as “N/A”.
 
 

I am	Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Male	8	7	7	11
Female	13	13	13	8

What do you generally do after school? (Check the major activity)

Activity	Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Stay at home by myself	4	6	4	3
Stay at home with other members of my family		1	1	1
Stay with a relative or another adult		1		1
Hang out with friends	2	4	3	3
Take care of family members		1
Go to work (up to 10 hours per week)	4		3	1
Go to work (11-20 hours per week)	4	2	4	2
Go to work (More than 20 hours per week)
Other (See text below)	7	5	5	8

Other... Session #1
1. I go to chearleading practice.And other related events.
2. cheerleading practice
3. sports and organizational meetings
4. After school practice ie ROTC, Soccer, Track
5. i get tutored, work, or stay with family at my house
6. I go to band practice or other extra-curricular activities
7. after school activities

Other... Session #2
1. doing volunteer stuff with United Way, Girl Scouts, or other meetings, sometimes I babysit.  then i do homework
2. School related activities and other individual activities
3. band practice 2 times a week
4. Usually, I tutor, volunteer, or conduct school-affiliated club meetings after-school.
5. i not in school

Other...Session #3
1. volleyball, or basketball practice
2. I go to swimming practice 2 hours every day.
3. after school i have colorguard, dance( ballet tap exc.) school club meetings and volunteering
4. homework
5. i skateboard im in a punk band where i sing and play guitar and i hang out with my friends

  Other... Session #4
1. do my home work talk on the phone
2. extracurricular activities as well as service projects
then i go home and other members of my family are there with me usually
3. I participate in sports and clubs after school.
4. I stay at school doing different activities like band and softball.
5. Do homework, ride 4-wheeler, hang-out
6. homework, practice, go to ensemble and group rehearsals and meetings
7. cheerleading, dance, and church
8. I go to dance class after school two days a week and the others I stay at home
 
 

7.  Do you think there are enough activities for teenagers in your community?
 
 

Result	Session 1	Session 2	Session 3	Session 4
Yes	2	3	8	1
No	18	16	10	18

 
 

8.  What extra-curricular activities ARE you currently involved in? (Check the 3 most important to you.)

Activity/Session	1	2	3	4
Organized team sports (basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, softball, soccer, etc.)	7	9	5	7
Friday dances	0	0	0	3
Music (including school band, personal music lessons, personal pleasure, or other musical group)	7	10	2	11
Arts and crafts	3	1	2	1
School Plays (Drama)	3	0	7	1
School Club(s)	12	0	12	10
Volunteer work (church, hospital, nursing home, assist elderly or needy individuals, other)	12	14	7	3
Homework support classes (including tutoring, mentoring, and/or seeking personal assistance)	5	6	2	1
Teen talk sessions (To discuss issues with other teenagers)	1	2	0	0
A safe place in my neighborhood to meet with friends	3	4	6	2
Recreational activities (swimming, biking, hiking, skateboarding, shooting hoops, etc.)	5	9	7	5
Other	5	5	7	6

Other choices - Session 1
1. friendships
2. boy scouts and jrotc rifle team
3. you need places where kids can sit around, smoke cigareettes and listen to music.  nothing else just a place to chill.  just a big room with couches and a bad ass stereo
4. ROTC
5. spend time with friends

Other choices - Session 2
1. cheer on an co-ed all-star team with students from other schools in Madison county
2. school clubs (lit mag, honors societies, enviornmental)
3. I involved with a service club at my school, (BOX). We do different things around the community and also resemble a fraternity.
4. I spend time with my boyfriend and get into long conversations that are about these subjects we have dicussed today.  I am also working on going to the Presidential Classroom in Washington D.C. for a week
5. chores

Other choices - Session 3
1. church
2. going home and taking a nap
3. school football games (attending)
4. ballet tap moderate jazz
5. karatee
6. church on Wed. nights
7. r.o.t.c.

Other choices - Session 4
1. scouts, track
2. i write for the huntsville times teen page to try to discuss teen issues through journalism
also,i write for my school newspaper with the same intent
3. JRotc Drill team and Color Guard
4. newspaper and yearbook staff for school.
5. church and dance
6. Dance classes
 
 

Other... Session 1
1. ROTC

Other... Session 3
1. helping younger children of the community
2. church

Other... Session 4
1. i would like to be involved with more service org.
i would also very much like to be involved with a group that could help make things better for the youth in huntsville. i know in my heart that the only way things will get better is through faith in God...it would  be wonderful if there were some type of group that could talk about this with others
2. More than just a place in my community, a place for the entire city so I can meet people from different schools
 
 

11.  What do you fear or worry about the most during your daily routine?

Session 1
1. being killed by my ex-boyfriend
2. one of my friends are very sick and i'm afraid he may pass away will i'm at school
3. being on time
4. all the things i really need to be doing besides what i am doing
5. that i wont have enough time in the day to do all the things i need to get done. and go to school and go to work
6. nothing really
7. will i be getting into trouble with the school for something i didn't do . they say its just because of the people i hang out with
8. we had a bomv threat the other day in school
9. car breaking down
10. whether or not i will be able to accomplish everything that i have planed for that day
11. am i going to get in trouble to day?  should i skip school?
12. Physics
13. i fear something bad happening(car wreck, raped, something happening to loved one), I worry about test, homework, etc.
14. that something really important will go wrong or something bad at school will happen; fight
15. finding time to do everything i need to do
16. english or math
17. that something will happen to me or that something will happen to my loved ones

Session 2
1. Nothing really bothers me about my daily routine.
One concern would be ticking someone off that i do not know for a reason that is unclear to me and end up in a fight about it.
2. Being caught up in a bad situation.
3. that my grades aren't going to be good enough to get me through undergraduate and into columbia law and become an attorney in nyc, which is my dream.
4. I fear what's going to happen at school, if my family members are ok during the day
5. Not meeting dead lines or missing something important
6. That I’ll either not have enough time for everything and homework or that i'll get too stressed out to do anything.  or that i'll come home from school and my car won't be there (because of my brother) so I can't do everything I need to
7. not enough time to do everything
am i doing everything right?
8. Falling asleep during class or being so busy that i forget to do something
9. homework, grades. I often get overwhelmed withthe things I must do
10. In miy daily routing, I usually worry about my time management.  Failure is the key fear.  I am scared I will forget an important activity such as volunteering or calling people.
11. safety in whatever I’m doing
and what my family is doing
12. i fear nothing
13. Not much.
14. I fear or worry about nothing
15. having time to get everything done.
16. Somebody might be following me.
17. -- What people think of me at school, church, etc.
-- Trying my best to succeed in school.
18. getting rapped again or getting beaten
19. nothying specific
20. doing good in school

Session 3
1. That I won't get far in life because of the way the media sterotypes the high school that I attends
2. when i'm going to get my homework done, and if i'm gonna pass a class....
3. My future and my girfriend
4. nothing!!!!
5. being killed or losing friends
6. doing somthing wrong
7. being tired and running out of time to do homework or study for test
8. my friends and my homework and my cat
9. I fear that I might get jumped on by a group of girls
10. At school,  well what would happen if someone brought some kind of a tool that could hurt me or a classmate, or student.  At home, someone could break in.
11. doom
12. getting to work on time
13. nothing really
14. being interrupted by non members that are just trying to start trouble
15. how  much homework i'll have

Session 4
1. what will the next day be like
2. i worry about the people i love getting hurt
also i worry about my grades and how others feel
3. Conflicting events in my schedule. Oh the pain.
4. I worry most about being abel to fit all my interests and activities in the time I have while also trying to not neglect my studies.
5. I worry a lot about grades and being accepted for who I really am, not who I pretend to be.
6. Who looking for me and if i'm going to make to college to play b-ball.
7. If at school - bad grades, fights
At home - doin somethin wrong
8. how to do all my homework and go to work
9. hurting someone's feelings
10. Getting in trouble in school
11. completing all my tasks
12. stressing out and dieng and society
13. that it's going to be all i ever do and i'll fall into a routine and never get out and go insane become a hermit and then i sit up and get my car keys and drive around wasting gas looking for something to do
14. School, my grades, and getting into the college I want to go to.
15. messing up
16. I worry about how I'm going to all of the things I need to do in sucha short time frame.
17. I'm afraid that I haven't finished everything that I need to do...like I'm always forgetting something.

Result/Session	1	2	3	4
Yes	17		15	14
No (if not, please explain below)	4		4	5

No... Session 1
1. we had a bomb threat one day
2. there have been a lot of shootings lately in the publlic school systems here and in other parts of the country
3. everyone has their days. some days you have nothing to worry about, and then some days if a fight breaks out, you never know what will happen
4. i do sometimes but other times i don't b/c people will stand in groups and not let me by until they stare at you for a couple of minutes

No...  Session 3
1. i don't feel safe around the faculty they just look for something to get you in trouble for
2. sometimes
3. violence
4. u dont know whats about to happen , u have to look around to make sure your safe

No... Session 4
1. i worry about rape and fights escalating to murder
2. Some people look and act like they are about to go crazy. Teachers don't know what is goin down.
3. there is to much vilance
4. because i have been beaten up and thretened by several people and the school authorities will not do a thing about it....they say "ok i'll look into it" and they do jack...because it still goes on
5. i have heard of to much bad activities such as smoking and fights to fell safe
 
 

13.  Please describe 2 or 3 steps that, if taken, would be effective in reducing drug use by teenagers.

Session 1
1. Better drug awareness
2. education, education
3. giving kids something else to do
4. teen awareness
5. harsh sentences
volunteer servicce at drug rehab
6. strict penalties and police officers in schools
7. get the dealers off the streets
8. let them talk about it freely
9. more p;aces to hang ort
10. higher penalty
destroy availability
11. make it legal.  people won't do it as much if they were allowed to.  allow people like a couple pounds of pot or year, but not too much.  legally limit their use.  but don't eliminate it
12. Education
 Patietice
 Taking time to help out students
13. make unacceptable and parental support and action
14. metal detectors or frequent checks
15. give them more places to hang out and more things to do
16. locker searches
 car searches
 known consequences
17. reduce flow of drugs
 raise cost of drugs
18. more awareness and more things to do

Session 3
1. Well you have to crack down on the source in which the drugs are coming from, that will reduce the amount of drugs in our community
2. more drug tests!! a lot of adults don't know for sure who does and doesn't do it.  the tests have to be sparatic, so people won't know when not to do them
higher penalties.
3. Stiffer penelties,  busts more often
4. more after school activities with agreeable people;
management classes so alcohol and drugs aren't used to deal with things
5. giving periodical drug tests;   observe students' actions
6. don't talk about it to kids when they are young that way they might not know drugs are around them most teens go looking for drugs they aren't pressured
7. #1  outlaw drugs all together
 #2  Keep drugs for medical uses only
 #3  Add things for alternatives of drugs
8. keep them busy and they won't have to use drugs for fun
have someone they can talk to so that don't have to use drugs as a way out
9. more programs and effective, voluntary rehab
10. more drug education in schools
11. I think that they should have drug tests, and metal detectors.
12. higher penalty and daily beatings
13. -catch them while they are doin it and get them ina rehab to stop doing drugs
14. teach them right at home
15. i dont care
16. out law it
 have cops everywhere to stop it
17. don't give them a hard time....be more understanding

Session 4
1. #1expel them
 #2 tell them what could happen and what the consequences could be
2. more alternatives instead of drugs
 more faith in God
 more involvment in other things
3. 1)Scare them straight.
 2)Have more crack downs on users and sellers.
3)Make extrememly stricter laws, such as 10 years in a federal pennetentury for every gram of marijuana.
4. There should be more education about the affects on their lives and more support groups for those who feel that there is no other way out.
5. educate people at a younger age about what drugs do to you;
have rehabilitated abusers come to the school and tell their story.  Have them tell what they went through with addiction.
6. get younger faster police because the ones that we have now are to slow
get more police
7. take offenders to mental hospitals or rest homes where people have o.d on drugs and let them see not what could happen but what they will become
8. Checkin
9. stricter laws, locker searches and car searches
10. penalising dealers
11. find out who is selling to teens and bust them.
 take drugs off the street
 help teach teens about the dangers about drugs
12. better counselors
 don't dramatize drugs, use straight facts to convince
 legalize marijuana
13. something else to do    better morals/caring taught at a young age and on through
14. #1. teach them all the correct affects about specific drugs....and use teachers who know from experience and haev stories to tell
 #2. have teens who have had experiences talk to them
 #3. and have much stricter laws to punish people envolved in drugs
15. Make it harder to get drugs into the schools.
16. stricter laws.
 More awarness to teens.
 Class that can show the major concequences
17. could legalize some, or fine.
18. (1) more education on drugs
 (2) stricter penalties
19. I just think that if there was more activities that were fun and open to all individuals then I think that there would be less drug use.
 
 

14.  Please describe 2 or 3 steps that, if taken, would be effective in reducing the number of teen pregnancies.

Session 1
1. teen awareness
2. peer education
3. teach in school at an earlier age about pregnancy
4. condoms in bathrooms
5. free condoms
more info about consequences
6. free condoms.  try to make them realize what's it really like to be pregnant. and it's not fair to the teens parents to take care of it
7. Education
Provide condoms
8. teach students to abstain from sex and that it is not "cool" to sexually active, nor is it attractive
9. no sex instead of safe sex and better statistics
10. educate teens on the effects of teen pregnancy
11. teach NO sex
 teach how hard it is
 show what you miss out on
12. enforce the use of condoms very heavily

Session 3
1. Offer teen sex education in all schools and offer birth control to any teenager that feels that she needs it
2. prayer back in schools, more people would have morals, less pregnant people!  (check the statistics...it works)
3. codoms in school
4. exert the pain on them that they would recieve if they were having a child
5. earlier sex education,  better knowledge and use of condoms
6. more sex ed
availability of sex protection
7. hand out condoms;  offer sexual education classes
8. birth control
9. #1  Have TV commercials stating that teenage sex is bad.
10. have positive programs where teens can get together with close friend and have fun but not sex
11. better sex education, better availabiility of protection and birth control, better values at home
12. sex education
13. one don't sell condoms to them, make them more knowledged about how you get pregnant.
14. distribute condoms at school
15. condoms,
16. dont have sex
17. there's not much you can do. I mean, if kids want t odo it, then it's there choice
18. i'm not sure

Session 4
1. #1tell them the consquences
 #2tell them how hard it would be
2. more religious reinforcement
 more sex ed
3. teach more awareness
 give out birth control
 whatever
 it's their own choice. No matter what you do.
4. We should not only make their options known to them about how to prevent it, but again have groups to deal with the presures that lead kids into these situations.
5. 1. educate people on pregnancy.
2. Give teen girls some one to talk to and care for them (big sister groups, etc.) so they don't think they need someone to love them.
 3. Have them watch the Miracle of Life video.
6. hand out condoms or put them in the restrooms at school for 25 cents
thats all you need to do
7. Protection
8. give out birth control
9. watch out for certain people and what they're doing and make parents watch their children more
10. birth control
condoms
11. sexual education
12. hand out condoms and give more anonamous examinations for birth control
13. 1. encourge the use of condoms and pass them out if nessicary and explain the emotional troubles that coem with it
2. leave abortion and adoption up to the mother only....and encourage pro-choice
14. Teachers need to really talk to people about the affects of sex at such a young age.
15. show preventive ways
 Give places that a person can go to seek help.
Show what the hard times of life are like when teen pregnacey happens and all the oppurtunities a person misses.
16. it's choice..there's really nothing you can do.
17. 1. more information on what it's like to have a child
 2. more available information on birth control
18. I don't know if there really is any way to reduce the number of teen pregnancies...it really is a teenangers choice and if sex is what they choose to do then there really isn't anything that you can do about it-I just think that encouraging abstinence is the best way to go.
 
 

15.  What do you think schools should do to prevent students from skipping school?

Session 1
1. Have more interesting classes.
2. allow smoking,off-campus lunch
3. make school interesting and fun and also give smoke breaks, i know alot of people who leave fust to smoke
4. more openness at school
5. make class more interesting and stricter parents
6. allow smoke breaks at school
7. make more excitine
more time for lunch
8. smoking breaks!!!!!!  imeanit
9. Make school more intersting
10. off campus lunches.  most students just want to leave for about 30 minutes or so
11. give them at least one break during the day
(other than lunch)
12. don't worry about it, if the kid skips and fails-they deserve it, otherwise, more power to 'em
13. make classes more interesting

Session 3
1. They should have more police officers and better security officers in the schools. At Johnson there are two that doesn't do their job the way they should
2. make it more fun
3. put people in in houses
4. nothing, if a student wants to skip his/hers education its their choice
5. tighten up on security
6. make it funner
7. Add stricter rules for skipping.
8. when they come to school they must personally sign in
when they live school a parent must be there to sign out and have some type of identification
9. make curriculum more based around individual need,safer, and more interesting
10. make it a law
11. Hi-tech security.
12. not forcing them to go hey lets face it not every one functions the same were all differrent and some people dont belong in shcool if they mess up its there fault
13. nothing
14. more security
15. dont care
16. have teachers at every hall way
17. put security in places they are needed

Session 4
1. explain the importancy of an education to the students
2. teens will do this no matter what you tell them..all you can do id try to motivate
3. Bust em everytime.
4. Becoming more strict is not the complete answer, because it may cause teens to rebel more.  Their reason for skipping should be found out and delt with in a kind matter.
5. 1. Have tougher consequences.
2. Stick to those consequences, no excuses. Senior or not, even if the whole senior class leaves the same day, they skipped they should face consequences.
6. they should let the senoirs that pass the graduation exam have more freedom then the rest
7. stop putting so much pressure on them as individuals to be as smart as anyone else many leave because of embarrassment but hide it under an attitude
8. Call parents
9. nothing if a student doesn't want an education don't force it.  if they do go to class they will probably be disruptive.
10. call parents when student is abscent
11. make it fun
12. better trained counselors that aren't bogged down, don't leave the talking up to parents
13. give us some sort of long break       a later school starting time!!  more social skills!!!
14. have teachers who are fun and know alot about what they are teaching.....and they should not make required cources....leave the course choice to the kids.....the ones who do not take the good ones will be weeded out
15. Make school more fun, so people would'nt have to skip school.
16. More security and stricter punishment for those caught
17. stricter penalties
18. I think that if there were more activities during the school day then I think that students would be more willing to come to school...and I also think that if there weren't so many rules then I think students wouldn't be so stressed about going to school...if they could be themselves they would feel
 
 

16.  What should your community do to make it a better place for teenagers?

Session 1
1. Pay more attention to us,because we are people also.
2. don't prejudge us as bad
3. be more open for teens
4. less drugs
less crime
5. let us hang out downtown with cops harrassing us
6. Give teenagers more hangouts
7. see what they think
8. better places to hang out and more things to do
9. give them more places to hang out safely!
10. place to go, tolerate our eccentricities
11. have a set curfew of midnight

Session 3
1. It should make more activites availbale...i.e Southern Adventures
2. talk to us and see what we need
3. have more places for kids or teenagers to hang out
4. give us a place to go and hang out
5. there is nothing they can do if teens don't want to cooperate then they just wont
6. arrest the police
7. they should clean up and have more activities where teenagers can get together
8. more places to hang out, programs where kids and elders can talk and listen to each other
9. they should build more places for us to go
10. build community service hang-outs   where you have games you rent out and use them in that building.  Have one in every neighborhood.  We had them where i used to live.  It was very effective and everyone used it.
11. pool halls baby
12. make places fo us to go that are protected by really cool cops that arent strict and stupid
13. stop calling the poloce sayin theres a drug deal going down and your just standing there
14. build a skatepark for the love of god
15. listen to kids ideas
16. stop drugs and drug dealers from being on the streets

Session 4
1. have more areas to play sports and hang out
2. encourage everyone to be good people..make being a good person seem like the "cool" thing to do..thats the only way some of the more image-concerned people will respond
3. Keep the cops off their backs
4. There should be more activities that are open later so kids have a place to go when they are out at night.  Also, there needs to be made some way for teenagers to disprove their bad reputation.
5. They need to have better places for us to hang out together. if there were places where we could hang out, legally there would be fewer violence attacks, etc.
6. my neighborhood is'nt bad
7. Listen to us
8. the community is fine
9. have more police to patrol
10. make it safer
11. more forums for diversity discussions
programs that give knowledge and education a positive light
12. something to do clubs
13. add rec centers and skate parks and book concerts and don't discriminate loiterers unless it's privte property
14. Get the drugs off the streets.
15. Make a safe place teens can meet and help crack down on all the illegal activities that occur in a neighborhood
16. make hangout places
17. provide more place for them to go
18. start giving the teenagers more say in what they want to do.
 

17.  Do you have any other comments, observations or suggestions about teen activities and support in your community?

Session 1
1. my community is very open so you are able to do as you like
2. require community service to graduate
3. we need more that are FREE
4. let skaters shate around more becausr they are teens with nothing to do also
5. provide more recreational activity places for teenagers
6. My community need more teen activities
7. more teen groups like this
8. we should have more committees to help the teens in the city
9. respect teens, educate them, listen to them, and give them adequate space and they will turn out fine.

Session 2
1. I believe should be given a true fair chance and be based on the stereotypes left by previous generations. Those generations are the parents that bash us today and I do not believe that is fair. More parent and teen activites should be made as well as places for teens and parents.
2. get teens more involved
3. The more people involved the better
4. there are plenty of activities but teens just don't know about them.
5. a lot of teens DO want the things we discussed tonight, but don't have the time to help out in creating them.
6. there are many teen activities in huntsville the hard part is taking the iniciative to get involved.
7. have activitues that will brin the city together more often. the whole community will benefit more than you think
UNITY
8. The community has improved in providing access for teens who wish to be involved.  However, the outreach is limited to students of privileged families.  For instance, many volunteer activities are accessible only if the teen can find his/her own ride.  Teens should be able to be involved with the community without relying on insignificant details like getting a ride.
9. there is absolutely nothing offered to any of the teens in madison other than school activities to my knowledge-if there are some offered they obviouly are not made public enough  for  me to hear about
10. i suggestion  everyone be involve in something like sports goups church activties
11. There isn't a whole lot of it.
12. No
13. There might be activities for youth in my community, but if there are, they don't tell me about it, or tey don't tell but a few select people who never tell anyone else.
14. I hope this group gets off to a good start because this is what huntsville and madison really needs.
15. I just wanted to reinforce the importance places for teens to safely hang out inexpensively.
16. Don't judge teens by the way they dress or whether they smoke... I smoke and look like a grunge person that is a low-life....I make straight a's
17. I think hazel green needs more activities for teens to participate in
18. I think more teens should get involved in the community

Session 3
1. I think that the community is doing good with the teenagers. I think they should just listen more to what they have to say
2. no
3. More varied school sports.
4. more programs like this!!!!!!!
5. make more hang out spots for us
6. no
7. not really

Session 4
1. always try to motivate and encourage all students...everyone needs love and encouragement
2. We need more teen involvement. Adults should open their minds.
3. Teen support at home needs to be uped and parents should not only expect the best from the kids but help them to acheive it.  Teens also need to be involved in the decision process of the changes for the community.
4. There are many teens involved with United Way and American Red Cross, it's just the matter of getting people who don't care, to care. But what's going on is good, there should just be more of it.
5. Need more
6. no
7. I think it's a big help and a big improvement
8. basketball
football
9. TEEN COUNCILS IN THE SCHOOLS, SCHOOLBOARD, MAYOR'S OFFICE
10. a care council!!
11. No.
12. Make activities that all can participate in.
13. no
 
 

18.  Would you like to help develop community activities for teenagers? (If yes, please print your name and phone number on the signup sheet before you leave today.)
 
 

19.  What will you tell your friends about this "Teen Think Tank" activity?

Session 2
1. I will tell my friends about how this was a great chance to get my voice heard by someone other than another teen and the wall. This think tank is a great way for other students to get their voices heard.
2. I will tell them it was a learning experience for me and that I hope it made a difference.
3. it was fun and informative, and i feel like i had a chance to voice my opinions about this town
4. I personally like this activity and would tell my friends that they should get involved with this activity if it comes back.
5. It is a very good project and hopefully something will change.   If it ever comes back they should try it.   It's fun and you meet many different people.
6. i think its cool and it's a good idea for meetings  but sharing computers isn't great and it gets tedious to wait for results
7. It was incredible, meeting with kids my age to discuss issues that are important to me.
8. That i worked on computers with several other teenager to answer questions on the problems facing Huntsville and Madison
9. it allows teens to voice their opinions. we actually have a say which is very pleasing. we are contributing to society
10. the Think Tank was very informative and helpful.  It helped me realize what issues are important to other teens in the community.  This was a very eye-opening experience and will help me to continue to accept and understand more ideas.
11. it was a great opportunity to voice my opinion and i am for once confident that everything i said will be heard and acknowledged as something with value
12. it was something to do
13. It was a fun experience, and it made me consider several issues I had previously given little thought.
14. I will tell them that it is good.
15. Of course. This was so cool!
16. They need to give you a call because they need to voice their  opinions also.
17. That it was fun and influential
18. It was fun, quite enjoyable and useful
19. it was interesting and i hope to do it again
20. It was interesting and I got to give my opinion about problems

Session 3
1. I will tell them that I honestly believe that my opinion made a difference
2. it was a fun time. It lets the people know what we need.
3. i would say that it was a good experience that you can do to show what you feel
4. It's a very good idea
5. It was interesting
6. that it was a great experience and i am glad to be a part of it
7. thumbs up
8. it was a good way to get a point across
9. It is a great experience and I strongly like it.
10. i will tell them that i am grateful i was selected to attend and it was one of the best opputunities and if i can i would love to do it again
11. that its awesome, leaders in our community are actually starting to listen to what we have to say, and some adults do care, they're not all pissants
12. I would tell them about how interesting it was and how people in our community care about us
13. it's awesome to participate in
14. (Comment deleted because of uncomplimentary reference to another think tank participant.)
15. that it was a good way to express your ideas in the subjects that matter to you the most
16. its realy cool and if they get the chance they should try it
17. it was good
18. I'll tell them that this is a good support group that will listen to your ideas and won't think they're stupid
19. that i enjoyed it because it gave teens a chance to tell how they feel about everything going on in the community

Session 4
1. it is a great program and is very fun
2. i will telll them that i feel like i have made a difference and that our voices can be heard...you just have to tell people that you want to be heard
3. It was pretty cool. You get to see what other teens have to say about these issues.
4. I will tell them the wonderful experiejnce I had and what I found out about how other teens feel about these important issues.
5. It was a great experience and really helped me get my views in the community to be heard.
6. to volunteer next time
7. it was awsome. we were heard without having to feel stupid and it was nice to have our peers hear our ideas and vote on them we have been heard i will also tell them if they did't go to stop complaining and get involved and do something about it or shut up
8. Interesting
9. it is fun and educational and can solve many of huntsville and madisons problems
10. It wasn't too bad and it was fun on the computers.
11. yes
12. that it is a productive, thought provoking, and hopefully effective activity
13. that it was fun and a good way to make a difference and learn what other teens thought
14. i'll tell them it was interesting and fun
15. That it is a great experence.
16. That it was a fun activity that got me more aware of the problems that are occuring in my community
17. it was informative and knowledgeable
18. it was very interesting and i learned a lot
19. it was fun and a good experience
 
 

20.  What do you expect will be the outcome or results of your recommendations at this teen think tank?

Session 2
1. It will show the community that we are not all mindless drug addicts like they believe and that we should be given a real voice that will be heard. This voice will be heard when  we grow older but we should be able to practice it now.
2. I guess these results will go before the heads of the community and the mayor to help make decisions that involve the youth of the city.
3. The mayors of Huntsville and Madison will finally know what teens here think and want from the area...like we need more stuff to do.
4. hopefully we can get teens involved more activities in their community.
5. Hopefully more things to do in Madison and better management of problems.
6. hopefully positive and they will make some sort of change
7. I would like to be optomistic about it, but I'm afraid that whoever reads this will do just that...and nothing else.  I would really like to see at least one tiny change in our community in regards to teens and our problems
8. The mayors will read the information as well as newspapers and began a process of develpoing a solution
9. they will be thought over and be put into use
10. Hopefully, Mayor Spencer and Mandura will study and analyze the results of the Think Tank and put some suggestions into effect.  They should realize that there are always people willing to help.
11. better rights for teens and a more stabile community and school system in the future
12. things will get done
13. I expect that our ideas will be briefly considered and then ignored.  This is in part to the several ignorant and unrealistic people participating in the session.
14. I think that they will come out fine.
15. I hope my thoughts will be of some good use to the good people who are trying to provide teens with a better future.
16. Hopefully the mayors and other officials will realize what teenagers really want and need.  Progress for the youth of the future would be nice too.
17. I think it will greatly change our city
18. I hope some of my suggestions will be carried out and something will be done
19. i hope my ideas will be considered
20. consider our opinions

Session 3
1. I think that the people in charge will understand what we are talking about and would be more active with us
2. mayor will read the good ones, or the ones most oftenly talked about, think about it, and maybe hopefully incorporate the good ideas into thhe make up of huntsville.
3. people will look and do they better to see what is need.
4. maybe they will come to use i am not sure what will happen
5. nothing, except for some politicions bragging about it
6. I hope they will be used
7. laughed at and thrown away
8. i hope they wil be used to make the world a better place
9. I think (or at least hope so) that they will be taken seriously.
10. i think they will be used to better the community
11. I think they will help the leaders understand what we see as important, and what we see as effective solutions to serious problems.  I think they will open up a new way of doing things worldwide, a new enlightenment era
12. yes
13. I would hope that they would be used
14. nothing
15. i have no idea
16. nobody will care about building a skatepark
17. I think that they will be listened to and will be respected by and will try to have some kind of influence on the people who make the rules
18. hopefully something constructive

Session 4
1. they will be sent to the mayor to decide about teens in our society today
2. i hope that they will be take seriously because i am sure everyone here has unique important ideas...everyone's imput is important...you may need to read in to some of the ideas
3. Probably ignored. Just like all those other surveys we take in school. At least I know that some other teen has seen my ideas. That's all that matters. Adults can't stop the revolution.
4. I believe and hope that they will be looked at carefully and soemthing will be done about them, not just passed off as ideas from kids who don't know what they want.
5. I hope they will be shown to government officials, so that things can be done and improved using the good suggestions that the teens came up with.
6. i hope takin forreal
7. even if they are not heard by adults at least my pears have something to think about
8. People will consider it
9. the information will be looked over  by officials and dealt with.
10. People will consider them and compare them to others.
11. it is fun
12. given to the different people and organizations that have the financial means to make changes
13. I hope they will be considered and some changes will be made.  and this thing will spread to be a nation wide solution to some problems
14. hopefully a lot.....
15. I think it will be put to good use.
16. they will be read and considered and if it is like the past city officials will say steps are being take to achieve new goals but nothing will really happen
17. i don't know...
18. I hope they will be taken into consideration by city officials and community leaders
19. hopefully our ideas will be put to use and things will be changed.
 
 

 Questions and Choices in Original Order
(Note: The questionnaire for the survey was modified several times during the four sessions of the Teen Think Tank; therefore, this set of questions and choices does not map exactly to the combined responses as presented in this report. However, these questions have been included for clarification of some of the multiple-choice responses that have been abbreviated very much in this report.)

1.  My school is:

1.1  Bob Jones High School

1.2  Buckhorn High School

1.3  Butler High School

1.4  Grissom High School

1.5  Hazel Green High School

1.6  Huntsville High School

1.7  Johnson High School

1.8  Lee High School

1.9  Madison County High School

1.10  New Hope High School

1.11  Sparkman High School

1.12  Home School

1.13  Private School

1.14  I am currently not in school.

1.15  Other school or situation (If none of the above, please check the box and enter school or explanation.)

2.  My year in school is:

2.1  8th grade

2.2  9th grade (freshman)

2.3  10th grade (sophomore)

2.4  11th grade (junior)

2.5  12th grade (senior)

2.6  Not Applicable

3.  Mode of transportation to school. (Please select the option that represents the majority of the time.)

3.1  Walk

3.2  Ride the schoolbus

3.3  Ride with a parent

3.4  Ride with another adult (carpool, etc.)

3.5  Ride with another student

3.6  I drive my car

3.7  I drive my parents' car

3.8  Public transportation

3.9  Other (please describe)

4.  My age is:

4.1  13 to 15 years of age

4.2  16 to 18 years of age

4.3  over 18
 

           5.  I am:

5.1  Male

5.2  Female

6.  What do you generally do after school? (Check the major activity)

6.1  Stay at home by myself

6.2  Stay at home with other members of my family

6.3  Stay with a relative or another adult

6.4  Hang out with friends

6.5  Take care of family members

6.6  Go to work (up to 10 hours per week)

6.7  Go to work (11-20 hours per week)

6.8  Go to work (More than 20 hours per week)

6.9  Other (please describe):

7.  Do you think there are enough activities for teenagers in your community?

8.  What extra-curricular activities are you currently involved in? (Check the 3 most important to you.)

8.1  Organized team sports (basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, softball, soccer, etc.)

8.2  Friday dances

8.3  Music (including school band, personal music lessons, personal pleasure, or other musical group)

8.4  Arts and crafts

8.5  School Plays (Drama)

8.6  School Club(s)

8.7  Volunteer work (church, hospital, nursing home, assist elderly or needy individuals, other)

8.8  Homework support classes (including tutoring, mentoring, and/or seeking personal assistance)

8.9  Teen talk sessions (To discuss issues with other teenagers)

8.10  A safe place in my neighborhood to meet with friends

8.11  Recreational activities (swimming, biking, hiking, skateboarding, shooting hoops, etc.)

8.12  Other (Please enter one or more other activities)

9.  What extra-curricular activities would you LIKE to be involved in? (Check the 3 most important to you.)

9.1  Organized team sports (basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, softball, soccer, etc.)

9.2  Friday dances

9.3  Music (including school band, personal music lessons, personal pleasure, or other musical group)

9.4  Arts and crafts

9.5  School Plays (Drama)

9.6  School Club(s)

9.7  Volunteer work (church, hospital, nursing home, assist elderly or needy individuals, other)

9.8  Homework support classes (including tutoring, mentoring, and/or seeking personal assistance)

9.9  Teen talk sessions (To discuss issues with other teenagers)

9.10  A safe place in my neighborhood to meet with friends

9.11  Recreational activities (swimming, biking, hiking, skateboarding, shooting hoops, etc.)

9.12  Other (Please enter one or more other activities)

10.  If extra-curricular activities are difficult for you to participate in, check the reason(s) why:

10.1  Not interested in what is offered

10.2  No time

10.3  No transportation

10.4  Too expensive

10.5  Inconvenient time

10.6  I do not desire to participate in extra-curricular activities.

10.7  Other reason: (please explain)

11.  What do you fear or worry about the most during your daily routine?

12.  Do you feel safe at school?

12.1  Yes

12.2  No (If No, please explain why.)

13.  Please describe 2 or 3 steps that, if taken, would be effective in reducing drug use by teenagers.

14.  Please describe 2 or 3 steps that, if taken, would be effective in reducing the number of teen pregnancies.

15.  What do you think schools should do to prevent students from skipping school?

16.  What should your community do to make it a better place for teenagers?

17.  Do you have any other comments, observations or suggestions about teen activities and support in your community?

18.  Would you like to help develop community activities for teenagers? (If yes, please print your name and phone number on the signup sheet before you leave today.)