Hey guys, I don't know if this has been suggested before, but i was just thinking if we could have a thread section for LGBT youth as opposed to the "LGBT Later in Life" section. I'm sure that there are many other teens, and stuff we have in common to talk about. What do you guys think??(*hug*)
In my opinion, I don't think that section would pull in enough unique activity to constitute it being its own subforum. The LGBT Later in Life area is an incredibly unique section because it offers a sort of 'safe-haven' to older LGBT folks who might not feel like their later-in-life issues fit into the general support sections. While us young folks are keen to jump into almost any area and start chatting, I feel like older folks might be a bit more reserved, and seeing that EC has a subforum specifically for them might encourage activity from them. That subforum has sort of become its own small community within the community of EC because a lot of the issues posted about in that subform concern mainly older folks (marriage, children, divorce), and it helps to have a network of older folks to talk to who have first-hand experience with those issues, instead of the 'young' advice you might get in the general support forums. On the opposite hand, I feel like this entire forum (website) was originally tailored (but not exclusively) to the younger generation, or at least it was not meant to be age-specific. Adding additional age-specific areas may create a divide between future community members. In my eyes, most of the threads in the general support areas are about 'young' topics (relationships, coming out to parents, school, new experiences, sex, etc.), so in my opinion, there's no real need for a "LGBT Earlier in Life" subforum. That's just my initial two cents, but as always, I'm sure other users will post some other interesting points to consider.
^I agree Sides...sometimes other teens...how do I put this lightly: We ain't very bright, so honestly I like it when adults be given school advice, they can put some maturity in it, you know?
Pretty accurate, I think. EC, historically, was started as a community for people under 18 who were not permitted at an 18+ community. So, by design, focus, and definition, it was aimed at teens. While the focus has expanded and now includes family members and those later-in-life, the majority of the members and posts are still more focused on teens than on any other single group, so there really wouldn't be much accomplished by making a "teen-only" section.
What you could do, in lieu of having a Teens subforum, is start a thread under the same theme. ---------- Post added 21st May 2014 at 09:49 AM ---------- I'm not going to weigh in on whether there should or shouldn't be a teens subforum. I don't really feel one way or the other about it. I just thought I'd offer an alternative suggestion.
I agree with all of the above. EC is dominated by young adults, so I don't think we need a separate forum.
Uh...That's not really true. I mean, I don't see many teens in terms of age. Mostly, it's someone who's 25 or 33 or something way older than me. Even though this was aimed towards teens, there's not really a lot of teens on here. I mean, I'm kinda new so I may just need more time on here, but I think that forum is a good idea. Or maybe we can do something different? I don't know.
"Young adult" can be interpreted many ways, but regardless of how you interpret it, I still think there are a plethora of people age 13-23 (what I consider young adults) on this site. You may not have been around long enough to notice all of the young folks, but there are a ton. Though having a youth LGBT subforum would make it easier for young people to meet and support each other on EC, that's not what EC is about. EC is about finding good support, and older people are often in a better position to give better, more appropriate support than specifically young people.
This is probably biased in a lot of ways but I personally take advice from members older than me more seriously than advice from those who are younger than me. And some of that is a no brainer. I'm more likely to take the 25 year olds advice on eating out my girlfriend compared to a 14 year olds advice on the matter. A teen section would make teens who don't want other teen advice feel pressured into being in that one section, and that one section only.
