A Young Adult Wasteland.
I'm 20 (soon to be 21).
So I don't count as a teen anymore, and in most cases, I don't count as a "youth" either. But I find more and more that I don't fit into the "adult" category either.
I've been trying to look for programs in my community (arts, writing, and then anything really, just to see if there was something). What I've found are loads of programs for kids, though that is to be expected. Next there are "youth" programs that have varying ages but usually end at 18. The next level up from that are "adult" programs, but those seem geared toward people in their thirties and up (and quite a lot are geared toward seniors specifically).
There are NO opportunities or programs for people my age in the area. Kids get all the learning experience, middle-aged folks get all the hobbies, and I'm left with no peer group to work with. It is frustrating.
Same thing when I went about looking for literary magazines I could submit to. Lots of magazines for young writers. Many, many opportunities. If I had just found them when I was a few years younger, I would've had a chance to break through. Now I'm stuck finding genre magazines (which I'm sure is an issue faced by all genre writers).
I'm looking at my local library, and they don't even have a space for middle agers. Anyone between 19 and 49 are out of luck, because no one cares to have programs for them.
I feel frustrated and misrepresented in my community. Why is it that there's nowhere for us young adults to turn?
I think that came off more as venting - I was going to make a point in this post, but it's pretty late, so I guess my brain isn't functioning that well.
So I don't count as a teen anymore, and in most cases, I don't count as a "youth" either. But I find more and more that I don't fit into the "adult" category either.
I've been trying to look for programs in my community (arts, writing, and then anything really, just to see if there was something). What I've found are loads of programs for kids, though that is to be expected. Next there are "youth" programs that have varying ages but usually end at 18. The next level up from that are "adult" programs, but those seem geared toward people in their thirties and up (and quite a lot are geared toward seniors specifically).
There are NO opportunities or programs for people my age in the area. Kids get all the learning experience, middle-aged folks get all the hobbies, and I'm left with no peer group to work with. It is frustrating.
Same thing when I went about looking for literary magazines I could submit to. Lots of magazines for young writers. Many, many opportunities. If I had just found them when I was a few years younger, I would've had a chance to break through. Now I'm stuck finding genre magazines (which I'm sure is an issue faced by all genre writers).
I'm looking at my local library, and they don't even have a space for middle agers. Anyone between 19 and 49 are out of luck, because no one cares to have programs for them.
I feel frustrated and misrepresented in my community. Why is it that there's nowhere for us young adults to turn?
I think that came off more as venting - I was going to make a point in this post, but it's pretty late, so I guess my brain isn't functioning that well.