Mentor Text Talk: Kids Meet A Kid in Recovery From Addiction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl_7qSgrf3Y

This mentor text is done from the YouTube channel HiHo kids. HiHo Kids, or simply HiHo, is an American YouTube channel owned by Cut based in Seattle, Washington. This channel provides many varieties of videos starring kids trying food, meeting people, and more. (Wikitubia) This specific video highlights kids meeting a teenager who is in recovery from addiction with alcohol and drugs. The main reason I chose this text was because it hit home for me. My family has a reputation with addiction and just as these kids don't realize, I didn't understand the "land of drugs" and would've never been able to have that discussion with the people around me. The author puts two very differnet worlds into the same room and wants a conversation to be made between the two. No one expects children and drugs to be in the same sentence and they are usually things that are mutually exclusive conversations. What examples do you have either in your life in general that are two totally separate worlds that would be awkward to bring together?

The composition of being asked questions about a sensitive subject in your life by people who are known to be the most ignorant and pure can be eye opening in many ways. Their abstract questions can open the door to thoughts you may have never thought about before. It makes the speaker very uncomfotable and forces him to be vulnerable in a way that no one else could really do for him. He feels the need to sugar coat the experience when in his head he is thinking of a very dark and scary scenario. The use of children in this scenario conducting the interview creates instances where the answers to the questions require evaluation from the older audience to truly see what he means because the simplistic version directed for the kids is so broad and rooted.

Usually interviews are a one way communication that only affects one person, but this has the effect to both parties. Children learn about the world of drugs and have that lesson early on with whatever questions they desire to be answered from an experienced user. Usually that talk to kids is all about not doing drugs, leaving no room for questions but in this scenario the speaker is being completely truthful and even saying when he was on drugs he felt good but still held that message that addiction brings you to a very bad place in life. For the speaker it is not only a reminder about his experience with addiction, but a chance to look at kids who he doesn't want to see down that path and realize that was once him. The learning and growth goes two ways and there are not many instances where that happens. In a world that is vastly changing and kids are learning more at a younger age, I think it is important for them to be exposed to things like this before they learn the hard way.

This light hearted encounter may stick with them forever and seeing that something so serious can be taken wholeheartedly in a non-gloomy way is hard to replicate. Serious matters as this always have that downcast lighting, sound and tone. The uniqness of having the upbeat children and vibrant sights is creating an area where addiction can be discussed without feeling like he is in therapy or being lectured to. There is no amazement from the interviewer or apology of his hard life that is typically done with sceanrios like this. Only happy kids that learned and helped the speaker grow and be open about his mistakes.