ProBono Magazine- Issue 1 'The Brink Of Adolescence'
17th August, 2024
A student-led magazine discussing real-world issues ·Taking one step at a time, pro bono!
Dear Readers,
This is ProBono Magazine! ProBono, which means "For the Public Good" in Latin, is a magazine born out of a desire to delve into the issues that shape our lives and world and make a change.
Our first issue, "The Brink of Adolescence," dives into the ups and downs of being a teenager. This first issue aims to give our generation of people something to relate to and for other generations of audiences to understand our struggles. We aim to explore everything from identity struggles to societal pressures, sharing stories and insights that will resonate with you or someone you know while providing advice and possible solutions for our problems.
ProBono aims to contribute to society by raising awareness and sparking conversations about these important topics By providing a platform for diverse voices and perspectives, we hope to educate and inspire action. Our goal is to foster a sense of community and responsibility, encouraging readers to get involved and positively impact their lives and beyond. We want to create a safe space for people to feel, grow and help make a mark on the deteriorating state of our planet!
Thank you for taking the time to read. Your support means the world to us. Let’s learn, grow, and create a more compassionate world together with gratitude,
The world is too big for you to focus on something tiny like a bad grade. Stop overthinking, because let's be honest, you're only making life harder for yourself. Don't let those dark thoughts take over because one day, even today, you can see so much more beauty in your world rather than what you're taught between four walls
article by Srushti
Adolescence, ahh. The tricky and especially awkward years of one’s life. It is when boys shower with axe-body spray and girls find solace in the heart-wrenching lyrics of Billie Eilish ~ ‘But the old me is still me and maybe the real me’ and everyone seems to be in a perpetual state of existential crisis. It’s a time of braces and acne, of feeling both invincible and deeply insecure, of navigating the treacherous waters of social media and peer pressure.
Amidst these growing pains, adolescence stands as a very critical period in a person's life during which they go through loads of changes, both physical and emotional. On top of these immense changes, teenagers are expected to be flawless, have perfect grades, and have a good social life. It’s impractical and impossible
In this particular article, we’ll be discussing some of the many pressures exerted on teenagers.
‘Breaking down, I hit the floor, as the crowd was chanting MORE!’ But alas, we’re not Taylor Swift, to do all this and more with a broken heart for this unrealistic expectation takes a bodily toll on these juveniles and overall creates a virulent environment.
During these formative years, the social environment shapes one’s cognitive skills needed in adulthood. So it’s crucial to create a safe and nurturing space More on that later.
Anyways, it’s evident that society has built insane standards and expectations in these past few decades that are affecting the growth and development of teenagers.
Adolescence is already tough as it is, so why make it more difficult?
One of the most problematic practices nowadays is comparing children. Comparing adolescents with each other about their grades, extracurricular activities, etc. generates a feeling of self-doubt and significantly erodes one's self-confidence. This could spiral into facing difficulties in trusting oneself.
We can’t always live life preaching ‘Aal izz well’ when it really isn’t, right Rancho?
Nowadays, teenagers are overwhelmed by the constant pressure to excel in academics and various extracurricular activities. And what’s worse is that when this stress is not managed well, it can lead to serious problems like depression. Don’t get me started on the stigma surrounding depression, maybe that’s a topic for another time wink wink
To continue, teenagers are filled with the fear of not wanting to disappoint their parents or be a failure to society
When ‘Dude, if you fear the future so much, how can you live? And how can you focus on today? I've got strange friends, Man. One of them is living in fear, and the other one is not living at all!" - Rancho.’ isn’t just a line from a movie and becomes realityminus the not living part…
Academics are another area where teenagers feel great pressure to reach the point of excellence and gain admission into top colleges.
I KNOW HOW MUCH THE COLLEGE ADMISSION PROCESS SUCKS AND I HATE HOW IM GOING TO BE DOING IT SOON.
Society has glorified engineering and MBBS. Due to this, almost all students are expected to choose one of these courses while other career options are shamed Lakhs of students study day and night for the JEE exam and NEET exams, yet only a few thousand can secure a seat. What’s worse is the leaking of the papers,
which ensures the seat for those who probably don’t deserve it- which puts everything in perspective you know? Whether all this is worth it It’s one thing to genuinely want to be an engineer and a doctor, but it’s another to be forced. A teenager can only prosper in the environment they feel the most satisfied with. It should be challenging, yes but at least it should be something they want to do.
‘Do you know why I come first? Why? Because I'm in love with machines. Engineering is my passion!" - Rancho.’
Adding to the leak of papers, reservations are another problem nowadays. Students who work hard day and night to score a decent number still dont get into their dream college only because another student who doesn't score half as well, belongs to a lower caste. If the caste system can be abolished throughout the country, why is it being practised here? Maybe because of political reasons, I’m far too young to understand but- it sure does add to the pressure we teenagers face.
The students who study all day long to satisfy their families and society may succeed, but this has a horrible effect on their mental and emotional development and social skills They’ll develop bad relations with hobbies, deeming them to be useless and whatnot. It’s a scar they’ll have to carry for years.
We’re at a stage in life where nothing an everything that we do seems to not suffi the expectations of not only our parents quite literally everyone around us and scares me, it scares all of us. It’s not ea for everyone to understand the amount pressure put on us at this stage in life. I such an odd age 15, is it not?
We are expected to know everything about the not old enough to make these decisions. We’re adults and yet treated like children. It’s the age where everything we do agitates us and those around us, but if we go silent it’s a problem too What can we do though? It’s messed up that we can’t do anything but just do what we’re told, and stay silent, but is that it? Do we need to wait years for a glimpse of happiness? Perhaps time will tell.
I may sound cliché, but maybe we can find joy in the littlest of things, romanticising life does not mean suddenly changing your mindset, it means you’re starting to become grateful for your progress.
Realising that we don’t need to please anyone but ourselves might be the key to life, I am not wise nor am I someone to say. Little progress is still progress and that is what we need to focus on.
We can’t all have suicidal thoughts every time an inconvenience occurs because ‘we’re the faces of disappointment.’ Dream that little dream of yours and make it happen, live in New York, and have that main character moment because death is awaiting but life is here. SO LIVE TO THE FULLEST!
photo by: Afifah, Probono Maagazine
“It makes me feel like maybe humans and animals do relate more than we realise. They may not speak, they may not understand what we say, or maybe we do not understand theirs. Taking this picture made me see the true beauty of the simplest of things every animal feels, human or not – love and care. It's something we can't understand, but at the same time it feels like everyone resembles each other. Do they have similar thoughts as us?”
We’ll be discussing the different pressures within the grades of high school, the pressures of being the best, getting into college, being extraordinary, meeting expectations, getting praise, regardless of how good someone is in any area, there always feels to be something that is left out, these different pressures of having to be better everything we’ve all faced, or are facing (existential crisis for real). First going over the reports from Harvard University (bit ironic).
Some reports from Harvard show that some triggers for anxiety are caused by anxiety about performing well on a test, peer pressure, Interpersonal struggles, body image problems etc…
These problems in high school are said to bloom and be triggers for anxiety in teenagers, along with other global problems like climate change and war which may trigger anxiety in children based on their understanding of the world (boy, do we high school journalists get it). I don’t really understand it, we are led to believe so many things and we are asked not to question it, yet we do. We question everything..everything that we do wrong, everything that we do right – maybe it’s because of the sort of expectations our elders hold for us. It’s not even only about academic pressure, we’re expected to understand and be ‘mentally prepared’ for everything that they throw at us (to anyone who thinks they are ready, word to the wise, we never are)
Teenagers also often suffer through problems with trauma that may be suffered in their childhood and leave a presence onto them growing into their teenhood, this accompanied by the pressure of academics and other types of peer pressure (sometimes, the past can stay in the present). It’s hard to forget stuff, it’s hard to move on and honestly, if it’s something we grew up enduring, let's be honest, we all live in the constant fear of experiencing it again.
Ahh Indian households – do I even need to elaborate? Their expectations for their children are on a whole another level. We’re expected to be the BEST at literally everything (it’s crazy). Firstly they put us in a competitive environment from the early stages of our learning process Is that even efficient? I believe I speak for many when I say this, it just increases our anxiety and honestly just sucks. Always yearning to be number one, constantly wondering if we’re enough, comparison with the ‘toppers’ (to be honest, maybe we have better lives than those poor guys),
y p g y g
In my opinion, no one
You have a lot of potential beta!
Some other things that help to influence the pressure of tenth graders involve that teenagers often feel that they need to be making too many decisions about their future too early without truly be able to grasp what they really want to do in life, this is found in 52% of tenth grader, while another 33% are completely uncertain, neither agreeing or disagreeing to this. (Hard to make decisions at such a young age) My personal opinion often tells me that stress is something that often overtakes people in high school, leading them to addictions that they may not be too proud of, in fact may cause triggers for them to land themselves in some unwanted or rather unneeded trouble, making it seem like they're in the wrong while rather sometimes, people just feel like they need a kind of relief, though wrong, though not justified… sometimes it feels like that's the only way to get an escape. Can we blame ourselves? Social media influences us in ways we cannot even comprehend, or maybe we can but we choose not to do anything (yeah I don’t really know why). Some teens may have it worse, family issues that they cannot do anything about leading them to places they really shouldn’t go – drugs, alcohol and other inappropriate practices
Another thing I have to have to mention. College (the horrors of all our nightmares). College often feels like you have to solve world hunger just to be considered for a semi decent college (honestly why do they test us so much?), back then it just felt like studies were enough but now its academics, extracurriculars, SATs, APs, ACTs, Summer programmes, initiatives and that one x factor everyone talks about but no one knows what to do about. A topic for another time maybe.
Overall it can be seen that people in the tenth grade or in high school nonetheless feel as if there is more than just academics that cause pressure into the mind of an adolescent, these factors can obviously involve familial matters, trauma from before, peer pressure from the wrong crowd of people, not knowing if they can make their parents proud, trying to do better… and overall just trying to be a good person can get to someone, to the point where they really wonder if this is all really worth it, this is really how their life should go, if they should take a different route… or even if they should try their luck (go for it, could work)
a fun read for anyone who loves love! You know you’ve seen this movie before and now you should read the book!
the perfect summer book filled with summer romance, jealousy, friendship.
showcases the life we all strive to live and what we must endure to get to it A fun realistic and relatable read are you a procastiinator? well this is the book that may cure your probelm (if you choose to read it that is).
Fro msprinkle’s splashestoFireplace ashes
lyric written by Taylor Swift, in song ‘You’re On Your Own Kid’
Growing up is an emotional roller coaster. You may be joyful at times, depressed at others, and uncertain about your existence at times
I've always questioned whether doing that is typical
Everyone gets to decide how your life will be when you're a teenager, especially if you're a girl. They get to judge you based on the things you eat and drink, the people you hang out with, the kinds of clothes you wear, and the amount of time you spend alone. When you're a teenager, parents start to make mistakes about you and determine whether or not you'll be a positive influence on their child.
The parents who have supported you unconditionally throughout your life also evaluate you based on the opinions of society.
When your parents don't genuinely understand how you feel or what you want, it hurts a lot. In these situations, you end up in an escape-proof prison, which is social media.
Social media addiction is a silent killer. The little spike in dopamine it causes in your body may make it feel amazing at first, but the happiness is fleeting. Social media is a platform where you may interact and engage in any activity, regardless of your age. If you were active on social media when you were younger, you are aware of the negative effects it may have on users and how you may have compared your life to that of these purported influencers with flawless lives. As we observe we become aware of how someone's life is influenced by what they post on social media and experience a rapid increase in dopamine in our bodies. Comparing your incredible life to their supposedly perfect life, as shown by their social media posts, is the worst part.
It felt like a sudden transition from my eleventh birthday to my high school years because, as a girl, I had people monitoring everything I did. Sometimes you even forget what you did because you were thinking too much about everything and overanalyzing it all till you realized how awful it was all.
When you get to high school, all of the people who have never shown you any concern in your life suddenly have a lot of odd expectations for you, and it's your responsibility as a teenager to live up to these expectations. However, no one understands how much load you bear at such a young age.
It's said that when you're young, nothing is stressful and everything should be enjoyable;
whoever said otherwise hasn't been a teenager who is accountable. Even with all that weight on your shoulders, peer pressure is an additional strain. The friends closest to you are largely to blame for this, but if that's not the case, perhaps they aren't truly your closest friends after all.
They are easily persuaded because they do not know what is right or wrong, and even if they go, there is a noise in their head that causes them to do the wrong thing despite their awareness of what is occurring. When young people get on social media, they compete with individuals they don't even know They watch the high points of others' lives and feel insufficient. This constant comparison can cause melancholy and anxiety, making people feel inadequate.
You begin to feel imprisoned in a cycle of attempting to meet everyone's expectations while also dealing with your own imperfections. You want to fit in, be liked, and perceived as successful. However, the more you strive to satisfy these standards, the more you lose sight of who you truly are. You develop a version of yourself that is influenced by the views and judgements of others rather than your own ambitions and objectives.
Then there's the pressure from parents. They want the best for you, but they don't always realize it Their expectations can be daunting. They want you to excel in school, participate in extracurricular activities, maintain a positive social life, and keep out of trouble. It's a lot to manage, and feeling like you're failing in any of these areas may be terrible.
The toughest thing is when you try to tell your parents how you're feeling and they don't understand. They may disregard your emotions as usual teenage angst or tell you that you're exaggerating This might exacerbate feelings of isolation and loneliness. You begin to believe that your feelings are unimportant, that you simply have to keep going along and pretending that everything is fine.
But this isn't okay. It's tiring to continually put on a brave front and act as if you've got it all together when you're actually coming apart. You require assistance, understanding, and someone who will listen without judgement. You must understand that it is acceptable to be unhappy, and that you are not alone in your feelings.
Growing up is difficult, and it's acceptable to suffer. It's alright to be overwhelmed and seek assistance. It's fine to take a break from social media and focus on yourself. You do not need to have everything worked out right now. You just have to take each day as it comes and learn that you are enough exactly as you are.
By Aditri
The piece was created to visualize the internal battles that adolescents may endure, often feeling trapped or suffocated by the demands and changes during this critical phase of life. The underwater setting emphasizes the sense of isolation and the difficulty of reaching out for help, highlighting the need for awareness and support during this vulnerable period.
photo by Hansikaa ProBono
The fence in this image symbolizes the isolation many teenagers feel, representing the emotional distance they experience even when surrounded by others. The blurred building reflects the sense of disconnection and the struggle to find belonging, while the grid pattern of the fence emphasizes the barriers contributing to loneliness.
The open sky suggests hope, indicating that beyond these feelings, there’s potential for connection. The gaps in the fence represent opportunities to break free from isolation and reach out to others. This image captures the tension between the desire to connect and the fear of vulnerability, reminding us that it’s possible to overcome these barriers and find a place to belong.
“What’s wrong”, they say. “Well, a lot of things”, but can I say that? What would it make of me to speak of free mind with anyone I wish to? A fool, or a tired soul? These days are so dull. The bright colours that were everywhere during 2019 are now just shades and dull nudes If only I could scream and run down the stairs as I used to, or jump in puddles without worrying about everyone, and everything.
My biggest friend during my childhood was my imagination I would make up friends to play and talk with, going so far as to act as though I were a girl in university buying things for her dorm while at the supermarket with my mother. Maybe everyone who looked at me thought I was mad, but I was so happy, I couldn't care less.
Would have never hesitated to laugh with my friends or ask my parents for anything I wanted. I could have been eating a lollipop from the local store and I’d be on top of the world. It is a pity that that very friend that made my life so bright is what became my ruination.
Our lives were paused for two whole years when the covid hit, and even though I’m grateful to our government for taking such intensive action that the covid rapidly became a mere fever rather than a life-or-death ailment, I wish I could have lived like a kid for a little longer.
During the quarantine, the days were long and hazy. More like fever dreams, now that I’m thinking about it. The days, filled with the emptiness felt from the online classes we had, and the emptiness of the rest of the day, were empty
My only solace during that time wasn’t my imagination, but rather the golden hour of the sunset, where my entire room was painted a vibrant orange. The sun’s rays peeking through my curtains warmed up the places they contacted like a warm hand would have. Even then, my imagination helped me deal with the loneliness I felt during that time
Now, I feel like a void. And I know so many others feel that same way. The world around me is no longer bright or happy The harsh words we’re told at school have spoiled what little joy I used to find in attending school, and now, even my own knife seems like a good friend because it’s the only thing that has seen me for who I truly am
My friends all have their own friends who take up significant parts of their lives, so large to the point where I consider my own significance. Am I really worth as much? I mean, I did fail that spelling test in first grade, and I still remember how disappointed everyone was after that. So, am I really important? I try to be nice to everyone I see, but it feels like I’m lying to myself about who I am. I’m not sure of who I am at this point All I know is that there are so many expectations others have of me, and the conscious thought of me not being enough.
I only have myself now, cause I don’t know myself enough to trust myself with other people. I don’t know myself enough to promise anything, and I don’t know myself enough to decide the worth of my existence apart from a few coins.
But, I can’t say all that to that one person who decided to ask right? So I’ll say, “I’m doing good. What about you?”. And whi might be a lie, I know that we won’t turn into the paranoid peo were during the covid, and I won’t be going back to those d locked up between four falls. I also know that dying is never answer because no matter how hard it might seem now, ther always be something better in the future You just have to wa dream.
‘High school The Musical’ HighSchoolExperience a not so
Perhaps I was naive, maybe I was blind to realise but, how could it be so different? How was it so stressful? After all, didn’t the movies that I grew up watching not show me that High School was a walk in the park filled with adventure and fun? It so did and we all just believed it. We were, we are and I suppose we always will be expecting more from our lives than we ought to. Coming of age movies such as the High School Musical trilogy, Teen Beach 1 & 2, 10 Things I Hate About You, and so many more have always showed us what society expects or rather predicts how a teenager’s life should be.
It’s ironic, isn’t it? Generations before us have also gone through the stage of being adolescent, confused souls and yet they expect something entirely different from us. Jeez, give us a break. Don’t get me wrong, I am out here having my fair share of fun as well but it is just not what they depict. Its not all fun and drama, its not skipping school every other day and still then graduating with outstanding grades, its just. not. perfect.
In fact, it may as well be quite the opposite These movies say that a normal Highschool student has certain standards that need to be met in order to have this said ‘normal Highschool experience.’ I personally prefer to call it the ‘premium unattainable Highschool life,’ or maybe attainable if you were American and lived a life such as theirs, or are we delusional?
Its a chapter that may be forever locked, trapped in a sunken hole never to be seen again (okay maybe that’s a little dramatic) let’s be honest, between all the deadlines, projects, tuitions, classes, homework AHHH writing this alone makes me want to bang my head against the wall because I am reminded of all my pending assignments When DO we have time to unleash and say ‘WHO CARES? I’M GONNA GO TO THE ERAS TOUR!’ Well, our parents do, they care. Are we broke? Yes. Do we live in India? Yes. Do we even have the permission to go do whatever we want?? NOO. That’s the worst part. Its a system we’ve been hardwired into that all we do now is sit and just think while comparing our ‘pathetic, boring lives’ to movies, shows and what not.
‘All for freedom and for pleasure, nothing ever lasts forever. Everybody wants to rule the world.’ One can look at this lyric of this beautiful song from tears for fears and ponder differently about it. I say it summarises the entirety of our adolescence. We work and work hard everyday to attain this freedom, pleasure and all the highs in life that we were told about - but for a limited period of time before we fall into the trap of life. The long hours of work, hardly calling old friends….not really the picture perfect life they show right? I get it, we can’t break this cycle we termed ‘settling down,’ a loop that just goes on for generations to come, but why? Truly, nothing does last forever and all good things will come to an end whether that be abruptly, gradually we will never know. The truth is everybody cannot rule the world because 90% of us can’t even control our own lives. I wonder, however, how does anyone ever truly get a hang of their lives? Am I too young to understand this or did I understand it a little too quickly?
Gabriella Montez said
‘Do you remember in kindergarten how you’d meet a kid and know nothing about them but 10 seconds later you’re playing like you’re best friends because you didn’t have to be anything but yourself?’ That hit me like a truck.
Regardless the context of the scene - this may be the only part of the entire movie that made me feel something, that made me think. What happened to that energy? When did we all start following the status quo and is it even needed? I do not have an answer to these questions now and I know not if I ever will, but that is probably because even after thinking extensively about this, I too am guilty of encouraging society standards in some way or the other, trying to fit in them never actually changing. I am no one to question this or is that just ingrained in my head? Unspoken rules everyone is expected to follow, these near impossible expectations and fake scenarios these movies were based off on? They do not do justice to what all our generation of people actually do, instead they give out false hope and slowly crush young minds
We all want to be the main character of our stories but we do not realise that we already are.
As I said, its OUR story, and as unpredictable the script is going to be, we can always edit the pages we’ve already written. Let’s change what’s happening right now rather than comparing our lives to inaccurate representations of the teenage. We are at the brink of adolescence, an age that never come back again and I have to say, the movies and shows are right about one thing.
Live while you have the chance to, and not when you have the time to.
Amidst all this stress, find your calm in the chaos and let the bad moments just be - occasionallybecause if you don’t, your life definitely will and it’s okay
Gohar Khan is one of the most influential people and honestly practical people ever (or at least he seems to be!). You might’ve seen his youtube shorts about study tips, dos and donts many times and we gotta agree he’s right. His videos are mostly based on study tips, university application formats and anything related to your academics really. Need help to have that academic comeback? This is right for you!
HELPLINES
Credits
Editing
AarushiSingeetham
Additonal
Everything, every element was used from pictures found on Pinterest, Google, Landing Space and Canva, apart from the photographs and artwork and articles made by or from the ProBono Team. Canva and Landing Space was used to design this magazine.
