'Hanging out' can be fun and safe, teens told
'Hanging out' can be fun and safe, teens told
JAKARTA (JP): Dugem, which is now popular among teenagers, can
be fun and safe if care is taken, experts said.
Dugem, which stands for dunia gemerlap (dazzling world), is
the term used among teens for the way they spend their leisure
time, either on school days, weekends or holidays, as well as
places where they like to hang out.
It can be used to refer to their choice of venues, such as
cafes, bars, discotheques, shopping malls or other public places.
Amid concerns that such a growing habit among urban teenagers
can expose them to the dangers of drugs and AIDS, an activist
with the Indonesian Aids Foundation (YAI) said the trick is to
choose the right time, place and friends.
"Being responsible for yourself is the most important thing to
having safe and fun dugem," YAI program coordinator Mira Fajar
Avriati told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a discussion on
the issue with about 150 high school students at Bulungan Sport
Hall, South Jakarta, last Thursday.
Most of the participants were shy about publicly admitting
their dugem activities, claiming during the discussion that they
were well-behaved.
However, outside the formal discussion, many were more candid
and some said that they have visited dugem venues regularly with
their friends, mostly on Saturday nights or on holidays.
Mira also noted that there is strong peer pressure regarding
the trend. Many teenagers dugem because they are afraid of being
branded as "unsophisticated" by their friends.
Mira pointed out that dugem could make teenagers more
vulnerable to drugs and HIV/AIDS as they could meet people with
questionable backgrounds, including those who could expose them
to drugs and sex.
She noted that it is important for teenagers to understand
that dugem does not actually mean they should use drugs, get
drunk or freely have sex with their partners.
She provided a number of tips on how to have fun without being
exposed to dangerous activities.
Mira's suggestions included, choosing a place where most
people were from the same age group; carrying an identification
card; seeking parents' permission; always going out with
relatives, friends, boyfriends or girlfriends; and wearing
respectable clothing.
Yasmin, a student from a high school in South Jakarta said she
likes to dugem on weekends. She said that she will often dugem
with her friends, with her parents' consent.
"Apart from relaxation, I can also meet cute boys," Yasmin
chuckled, adding that she always returns home before midnight.
But Iva, another high school student, said she could never
dugem, especially at nights, because her parents imposed a curfew
on her.
"I never dugem. My father won't allow me," she said. (07)