Teens in Action, Video 1: To Survive and Thrive

This initial program in the Teens in Action series features two hosts who employ a corny metaphor about the Swedish warship Vasa to suggest that young people can avoid capsizing their lives through adding various balancing features, such as courage, responsibility, cooperation, and respect. To Survive and Thrive explores challenges faced by families with teens, serving up vignettes on adolescent issues such as peer pressure, sexual desire, and power struggles with parents, while also outlining family enrichment activities for togetherness and “taking time for fun.” Some of the illustrative segments seem a bit peculiar (outside of a sketch comedy series), including one girl who clutches a stuffed animal and talks about drugs, and a boy who dresses as a silly Einstein-like character and later drunkenly harasses another girl. Overall, however, the program does present some solid ideas about working with parents, while also assuring teen viewers that they are not alone in their sometimes confusing pressures and concerns. A strong optional purchase. [Note: also newly available in the series are: Cooperation and Communication, Responsibility and Discipline, Building Courage and Self-Esteem, and the two-part Drugs, Sexuality, and Violence: Reducing the Risks.] Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)