As mentioned in an earlier post (http://olenepal.org/our-stories/ya-literature-workshop-phase-i-nagarkot/), OLE Nepal has started the initiative to create content suitable for Young Adults. As a first step, a seminar was organized on December 22, 2010, in Kathmandu to discuss the various issues, problems, and challenges faced by young adults in everyday life. The seminar was attended by eminent authors, artists, teachers, students, social workers, parents, and others related to the literary field.
The program began with OLE Nepal's Founder and Executive Director, Mr. Rabi Karmacharya, welcoming the guests and giving a brief introduction to OLE Nepal's pioneering activities in ICT-integrated education. This was followed by a short demonstration of the digital library, E-Pustakalaya. Then Prof. Churamani Bandhu, a prominent writer and a member of OLE Nepal's digital library advisory panel, presented a paper on the state of young-adult literature in Nepal. This was followed by another panel member and prolific author, Mr. Vinaya Kasajoo, shedding light on the importance of young-adult literature, as well as on various issues such as youth psychology, emotional state, and socio-psycho-economic factors affecting today's youth. Then the floor was opened to all participants to share their thoughts on what writers should address in this new genre of literature.
All participants agreed that there is a dire need for literature content created for young adults. Several participants suggested that topics such as growing sexuality and experiences with drug usage during adolescence should be addressed, in stark contrast to the traditional approach in Nepali society of not discussing such issues. Many youths today are addicted to drugs such as marijuana, brown sugar, LSD, sniffing glue (huffing glue), and acid. This has come about due to consumer goods such as glue being easily available in the market and pharmaceutical products being sold without prescriptions.
The older generation seems to have been caught unaware of this development. They tend to regard cough medicines as only medicine and do not recognize the danger of their children ingesting such pharmaceutical drugs in large quantities. While young adults tend to be aware of a drug’s ability to get them high, they do not understand the dangers that come along with ingesting products easily found in their household medicine cabinets. Regarding sexuality, participants opined that since girls discover that their physical changes occur faster than those of boys their age, it is important to make girls aware that such changes are not unnatural. Without much information or adults to turn to for answers, girls are more likely to be introverted and become victims of bullying and eve-teasing. These changes, coupled with the existing gender discrimination girls face in Nepal, mean that adolescence is the most difficult period for a girl to go through without being mentally and emotionally scarred.
As marginalized genders get empowered, it is also important to prevent violent backlashes against them. Young adult literature should deal with complicated issues such as the third gender and how they fit into our society. YA literature, being a new genre, has the capability to break away from the traditional boy-girl relationship or the old concept of what it means to be a woman or a man. It was also made clear that while presenting such social issues, literature should create an atmosphere that is not too far from reality. Older authors may not understand how new technologies and greater access to consumer goods have affected today’s youth. New-age problems such as cyberbullying, the perils of amateur pornography, and sharing private information on social networks need to be kept in mind.
Others pointed out that there is a real need for historical fiction. Many young adults struggle with identity crises; on the one hand, they believe they are adults, yet adults around them treat them as children. This, coupled with a lack of historical knowledge, tends to negatively affect teen aspirations and spirits. Some teachers present at the seminar felt that knowledge of historical figures should be depicted in literature so that young-adult readers not only feel a sense of patriotism but also have proper role models they can look up to. Further, such historical content will help put the achievements of young adults in perspective.
Many social workers present pointed out that teenagers tend to be rebellious by nature. They often commit illegal acts such as making graffiti in public areas, using firecrackers, and attempting other acts of vandalism. This type of rebellion is caused by their frustration at not being taken seriously by adults in authority. It has been found that a well-reasoned response goes further than just telling teenagers what they can and can't do. In this way, literature should allow them to better deal with these emotions and show them alternative paths where they could direct their energy for constructive purposes.