There have been 17 reported cases of young people around the Bridgend area of South Wales taking their own lives, in just over a year. I’m not sure if this number can be considered an epidemic – the police emphatically deny that this is the case, although some members of the community involved would argue that clearly it is. Epidemic or not, it is apparent that there is a problem in South Wales.

What could be the cause of so many young people in one area committing suicide? That is the question on everybody’s mind. It has been confirmed by South Wales police that a number of the young people involved were using an internet social networking site, popular with teens around the UK.

Many have blamed the media and it’s so called “sensationalist reporting” where is this so called sensationalism? I have not seen it in any newspaper that has reported these tragic deaths

The last victim found was Jenna Parry, 16. A look at her Bebo site entitled “RIP Jemma Parry”, tells a tale in itself. There are so many messages from people devastated by her death. Heartbroken friends and family fill her page with dedications, declaring their love for her and stating how much they miss her. Dedications are posted daily. This is understandable in some ways, of course her family and friends want to be close to her and to share their grief. It seems that internet sites now play a big part in the uniting of grief. But, there are also dedications on Jemma’s site from people who never knew her at all, yet they wish to comment on her death. This seems a little odd to me.

Did these young people’s tragic endings get them the attention that they craved but never received when they were alive? If this is the case, it seems a bizarre sense of reasoning. Once dead, they are no longer in a position to appreciate this attention.

Did these young people feel unloved and undervalued in their short lives? Do we as parents let our children know how precious they are? How valued they are? Do we spend enough time making sure that they know that we believe in them? Encouraging them to realise their ambitions and chase their dreams? Or do some of our young feel trapped by society and their lives? Do some tragically just see unemployment or a low paid job and breeding as their lot?

I read so many comments and hear so many people talk about our young full of condemnation, scorn and disbelief. Reports of achievements in the newspaper are either belittled, treating with suspicion or just completely ignored. Yet, reports of crimes committed by our youth get far much more attention, even if it is not positive. Are we teaching our kids the wrong message here as a society? It seems that we are saying try hard to achieve something and you will get scorned or ignored, do something bad or illegal and you have our attention.

A poster here recently said something that made so much sense. Our youth should be the responsibility of the whole community and be made to feel valued and empowered. Attitudes need changing throughout every generation of our community, not in just our young.