It's been shocking to see the wave of looting that has spread across England lately though sadly I have to say I'm not entirely surprised - all the right ingredients for anarchy have come together recently as a pseudo-justification for anybody who wants an adventure on the streets. It's up to the government, the press, the Metropolitan police, the banks etc to regain their moral authority, but there's something that can be done to help young people find adventure and challenge in socially acceptable ways: adventure education. Not dumbed-down "adrenaline fixes" but real adventure based on learning skills and matching them to challenges and peer groups. Its no wonder that climbing walls are so popular, but there's so much more that could be done with better funding for bouldering venues and coaching at the realistic level for young people to continue developing outside "taster" sessions - bouldering ticks a lot of boxes for example - sociable, cheap, exciting and pointless, just like all the important things in life.
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