Designating October as "Adolescent Month" in the territory, Gov. Charles Turnbull has called on Virgin Islands adults "to educate ourselves about this group of young people, and as parents and community leaders [to] give increased attention to their development."
Defining "the young adolescent" as 10 to 15 years of age, Turnbull, a career educator, noted that there is a distinct development period between childhood and full adolescence "that has been little understood" and little recognized for its significance.
Except for infancy, he said in his proclamation, individuals in that age range go through "more extensive physical, mental, social, moral and emotional changes" than at any other time of their lives. The attitudes and values youth develop during these years "largely determine their later behavior," he said.
