Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/335216
4 JUNE 25 - JULY 1, 2014 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM High 93º Low 70º PM Thunderstorms Some people call them Generation Y and others call them Generation Me. I'm referring to the people who are populating our middle and high schools right now. They are the last of their generation, which began around 1984 and ended with those born in 2004. Much ink has been given to their predicted contributions to society. Author Jean Twenge wrote Generation Me, and, considers them to have the traits of confidence and tolerance, but also identifies a sense of entitlement and narcissism based on personality surveys that showed increasing narcissism among Millennials compared to preceding generations. This lack of caring seen in today's teens has many wringing their hands and shaking their heads in despair. Stop already. Today's youth are no different than those who have come in the past. They are just dealing with more stuff at a faster rate than any other generation has had to. Technology has brought the world to the door steps in all its goodness and badness. But even with that, their are still amazing students out there who do amazing things every day. So, this week, Bill Bowman gave me his space so I can bring you some good news about the Me Generation. Myself and Jerred Sanders, the operations officer of Up & Coming Weekly, spent all of last week with about 45 members of the Me Generation. (Thanks Bill for your support!) These students spent all of last week, in its grueling heat and humidity, working to help others. And, no, they were not in trouble and they were not forced to do it. They did it because it mattered. They did it because reaching out to people who need help was important. They did it because one small group of kids decided that it wasn't about them. And, that's the good news. Today's generation isn't all about themselves. They look around them and they see a world in need. They see people hurting. They see people who need cared for and they want to help. A lot of us do as well. But we never take that step. These young adults did. Instead of opting to take a trip to a camp or the beach, they asked where can we help, who can we help and who will help us? The students with the spark came from Green Springs Baptist Church's Undone Student Ministry. They invited their friends from Cape Fear Baptist and Mount Pisgah to join in. And, then, they spent five days working. They cleaned yards and raked pine straw. They hauled away years of trash and debris. They went in places that most adults wouldn't step foot in to lend a hand to those in need. The princesses with perfect hair and makeup were so much more beautiful with sweat running day their faces, hair bunched in a ponytail and dirty hands reaching out in love to their fellow man. They helped to feed the hungry by giving a day at the Second Harvest Food Bank, doing more in one day than food bank officials say most groups do in three. They went to the Red Springs Mission Camp and again, worked themsleves out of a job completing eight projects, when camp officials thought they would only finish half of them. They went to the Baptist Children's Home in Pembroke and brought such love and kindness to the children there, that leaders at the home drove back to Cumberland County to let their children spend the evening with the students. You can tell me today's youth are going to hell in a handbasket. And I can tell you they are not. For I have seen their hearts and I have seen their faith — and I've seen them put both on the line to help those in need. Have you done the same? Some Good News About Today's Youth by JANICE BURTON STAFF Calendar.......................................14 Concert.Connection....................20 Free.Wheelin'.Feelin'...................22 Horoscopes/Advice.Goddess.....23. Classifieds....................................24 Games..........................................26 INSIDE PUBLISHER'S PEN PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Janice Burton editor@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS OFFICER Jerred Sanders accounting@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com ART DIRECTOR Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erinn Crider, Shanessa Fenner, Heather Griffiths DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/ OFFICE COORDINATOR Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Aurora Alexander aurora@upandcomingweekly.com Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com Kristy Sykes kristy@upandcomingweekly.com Beverly Pone beverlypone@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per per- son. Subscriptions can be purchased for $30 for six months or $60 for 12 months, delivered weekly by first class mail. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. High 89° Low 70° Thunderstorms 7 Forecast available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Monday June 30 Tuesday July 1 High 88° Low 71° Cloudy 24 / Thursday June 26 High 96° Low 70° Cloudy High 85° Low 71° Scattered Thunderstorms High 92º Low 71º PM Thunderstorms Friday June 27 Saturday June 28 Sunday June 29 Fayetteville's Weather Forecast Call 910.354.1679 JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher, Up & Coming Weekly. COMMENTS? Edi- tor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200.