Monday, September 25, 2017
Youth In Action's "Leading with..."
Youth In Action (YIA) describes "leading with" in one simple sentence from their vision statement, "YIA serves as an open and safe space where youth can voice their opinions and experiences..." Just by giving youth a space where they can feel safe to open up and have a voice is incredibly powerful and strengthening to youth. This organization also demonstrates "leading with" by building youth's skills in facilitation, listening to others stories, and digging deeper into their own personalities and all the different aspects of who they are as individuals. By having youth do this, they are opening up and discovering that they are much more than a box on a paper. When youth discover who they are, they automatically feel empowered and are willing to learn the skills to have a voice that YIA gives them through their various models of program learning.
My YDEV Story
After I graduated from CCRI in 2015 I transferred here to RIC as a Secondary English Education major. At the time, I had no thought of changing my major to YDEV, I did not even know what YDEV was. One day during my Educational Psychology class, a guest speaker came in and talked about the YDEV program - along with a few other things. I found the YDEV program to be interesting and definitely something to look into. After that class I put looking at YDEV aside and continued to focus on my classes and life.
Let's fast forward to late February of 2016. My second semester at RIC and it was horrible. I was doing awful in all of my English courses (I was taking three 300 courses) and I was extremely stressed out and had no motivation to do anything. These classes were putting my health at risk and I was not in a good mental state. One night I was going through my work from the past semester to store it away in case I ever needed it and I stumbled upon the YDEV handouts I received in Educational Psychology. Without even thinking, the next thing I knew I was on the YDEV RIC website and doing a ton of research on what YDEV was. All I did during spring break that year was contemplate changing my major to YDEV because it sounded more interesting and a way for me to still do what I wanted, work alongside people who have the drive to help change the future starting with the youth.
The week after spring break ended I booked an appointment with my advisor at the time and told her I want to switch my major and that is where she put me in contact with Corrine. By the first week of April I was no longer a Secondary English Education major, I was now a YDEV major and my future seemed brighter. It was the best career decision I have ever made.
Let's fast forward to late February of 2016. My second semester at RIC and it was horrible. I was doing awful in all of my English courses (I was taking three 300 courses) and I was extremely stressed out and had no motivation to do anything. These classes were putting my health at risk and I was not in a good mental state. One night I was going through my work from the past semester to store it away in case I ever needed it and I stumbled upon the YDEV handouts I received in Educational Psychology. Without even thinking, the next thing I knew I was on the YDEV RIC website and doing a ton of research on what YDEV was. All I did during spring break that year was contemplate changing my major to YDEV because it sounded more interesting and a way for me to still do what I wanted, work alongside people who have the drive to help change the future starting with the youth.
The week after spring break ended I booked an appointment with my advisor at the time and told her I want to switch my major and that is where she put me in contact with Corrine. By the first week of April I was no longer a Secondary English Education major, I was now a YDEV major and my future seemed brighter. It was the best career decision I have ever made.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
It's Play Time!
As a child, I participated in playing soccer (a few times here and there), I did gymnastics for 10 years, and I was a camper at the summer camp I now work for. People would often describe me as a shy child and someone who wouldn't stand up for himself. I think this was thought of me because I was normally alone all the time and friends were not my strong suit. I had very few friends and once I reached middle school, all my friends left and I honestly had no friends then.
As an adult and now working with youth, I have been working at the YMCA in their after school program and their summer camp. I have had various positions in their after school program as a youth counselor, a lead staff, and now a site coordinator. With the summer camp I was a front line staff my first 4 years, then I became a program specialist for one year, and this past summer season I was a specialist in their leadership staff surrounding around parent engagement and the sign in/out process.
Within my experience as being a youth worker, play is a huge part of how the after school program and the summer camp operate. I believe that the amount of play the YMCA operates on is an issue because when we try and add in programs that do not offer as much or very little play, we get angry children and concerned parents saying that they are not having fun in the program. I try and make a common line between play and serious time when I try and plan activities and run curriculum that has a mixture of the two, half where you have to sit and do work, and the other half where play happens.
As an adult and now working with youth, I have been working at the YMCA in their after school program and their summer camp. I have had various positions in their after school program as a youth counselor, a lead staff, and now a site coordinator. With the summer camp I was a front line staff my first 4 years, then I became a program specialist for one year, and this past summer season I was a specialist in their leadership staff surrounding around parent engagement and the sign in/out process.
Within my experience as being a youth worker, play is a huge part of how the after school program and the summer camp operate. I believe that the amount of play the YMCA operates on is an issue because when we try and add in programs that do not offer as much or very little play, we get angry children and concerned parents saying that they are not having fun in the program. I try and make a common line between play and serious time when I try and plan activities and run curriculum that has a mixture of the two, half where you have to sit and do work, and the other half where play happens.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Damaging Assumptions on Teens (Who Wish to Lead)
One of the joys about working at a summer camp is that the middle school to high school campers are able to partake in a program that helps them develop their skills of becoming a leader. This past summer camp season we had many new campers be in this program and I would often talk to them about their experiences of being in the Leaders in Training (LIT) program and what they found difficult about being in a leading role. The most common phrase used amongst the campers was "the counselors don't take me seriously." Being the curious person I am, I asked the counselors about their LIT and they said that the LIT does not do the same or act the same as they did when they were teenagers. As mentioned in the dissertation that I believe relates here is the mention of Throne and her playground culture study where she states "to learn from children, adults have to challenge the deep assumption that they already know what children are 'like,' both because, as former children, adults have been there, and because, as adults, they regard children as less complete versions of themselves." This stuck out to me because the counselors were assuming that these LITs were the same as they were when they were the LITs age. I had to explain to them that these teenagers are different and need guidance to become a better leader.
I also relate to these damaging assumptions put on teenagers because I was a teenager who did not fit the social norm of what a teenager should look like and do. I was always seen as different. When I would show interest in wanting a more leadership type of role, I would either be shot down or be given tasks that do not bring the leader in me out. I was referred to a lot as "insecure" or "anti-social" because I do have a more introverted personality, especially when I am first pushed out of my comfort zone. Having been through these assumptions and had conversations with teenagers now about the shortcomings of growing as a leader, I handle each person differently based on their interests, personality, and basic needs. Based on my experiences, I have never seen adolescence as "linear," I have always assumed that older generations had this preconceived bias over teenagers, not I know it is the older generation having assumptions about the adolescent age range.
I also relate to these damaging assumptions put on teenagers because I was a teenager who did not fit the social norm of what a teenager should look like and do. I was always seen as different. When I would show interest in wanting a more leadership type of role, I would either be shot down or be given tasks that do not bring the leader in me out. I was referred to a lot as "insecure" or "anti-social" because I do have a more introverted personality, especially when I am first pushed out of my comfort zone. Having been through these assumptions and had conversations with teenagers now about the shortcomings of growing as a leader, I handle each person differently based on their interests, personality, and basic needs. Based on my experiences, I have never seen adolescence as "linear," I have always assumed that older generations had this preconceived bias over teenagers, not I know it is the older generation having assumptions about the adolescent age range.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Seven Characteristics of a Youth Worker
Youth Work is an Educational Practice
Youth workers engage and teach young people differently than normal teachers. Youth workers find ways that are engaging and fun for the young people through methods that make it seem as if the young person is not directly being taught something. They also focus on where the young person is at developmentally and educationally instead of where they should be so the youth worker can focus their curriculum appropriately. I have changed curriculums around to fit the young people in my program whether that is by simplifying the rules to fit the age group, or taking out a while section that would possibly be too difficult for them. By altering the curriculum, the young people are better equipped to accomplish the task and feel proud of their work.
Through the young persons social groups, the youth worker can then test the young persons "values, attitudes and behaviors in the context of being with others." Doing so will show the youth worker how much of an effort it will be to have the young person stretch their comfort zone and find other people to interact with. This will also show who the young person is comfortable working with and interacting with since it will show who their friends are. Over the summer, my camp combined with a few different camps which brought in a massive amount of new children. All of the returning campers from my camp had to challenge themselves to make new friends as well as keep the ones they have had from previous summers.
A youth workers job is to take out inequality and injustice by bringing children together and show a sense of togetherness by not leaving any child out no matter the culture or other barriers. By doing lessons and using social practices, young people overtime will become more accepting of different types of people. As I said, my camp combined with two other camps. My camp is a predominately white based and the two camps that joined us are predominately black or other ethnicities. There were a lot of conversations with the camp staff as well as campers as to what is socially acceptable and what is not and how we can have a camp without prejudice.
Young people choose when to involve themselves and when to engage. Young people choose to go to certain programs whether or not they want to. As for a youth worker, it is our job to help them become engaged if they choose something newer to them. For example, when I was younger I chose to join a club that pushed me outside of my boundaries. I am typically a person who is shy around new things so when I joined that club I kept to myself. The youth worker that was there helped me get introduced to some of the other people and helped me find something I was interested in which helped me make friends and made me feel safer in the environment.
Most of the history of youth work has been to give young people their voice and to influence them to how some passion in their future. This means that youth workers informally teach young people about the world around them, the history of the cultures around them, and ways to make their futures better. This could be done in various ways through an inner city school after school program or by a community center throwing a seminar directed towards children and their future.
The typical person who is not in youth work perceives youth workers as being fixers to problems for all ages. While a youth worker will help with someone being anti-social, we primarily focus on the youth and their behaviors. Youth workers focus on the youth and we help in ways where the youth will understand, we are not fixers to every problem. E very holiday season since I joined the youth development major, I am always asked about helping youth and families. I have to tell them that I primarily focus on the youth and help them in ways that are not formally taught in the classroom and can be applied to their home and social life.
Youth workers engage and teach young people differently than normal teachers. Youth workers find ways that are engaging and fun for the young people through methods that make it seem as if the young person is not directly being taught something. They also focus on where the young person is at developmentally and educationally instead of where they should be so the youth worker can focus their curriculum appropriately. I have changed curriculums around to fit the young people in my program whether that is by simplifying the rules to fit the age group, or taking out a while section that would possibly be too difficult for them. By altering the curriculum, the young people are better equipped to accomplish the task and feel proud of their work.
Youth Work is a Social Practice
Through the young persons social groups, the youth worker can then test the young persons "values, attitudes and behaviors in the context of being with others." Doing so will show the youth worker how much of an effort it will be to have the young person stretch their comfort zone and find other people to interact with. This will also show who the young person is comfortable working with and interacting with since it will show who their friends are. Over the summer, my camp combined with a few different camps which brought in a massive amount of new children. All of the returning campers from my camp had to challenge themselves to make new friends as well as keep the ones they have had from previous summers.
Youth Workers Actively Challenge Inequality and Work Towards Social Justice
A youth workers job is to take out inequality and injustice by bringing children together and show a sense of togetherness by not leaving any child out no matter the culture or other barriers. By doing lessons and using social practices, young people overtime will become more accepting of different types of people. As I said, my camp combined with two other camps. My camp is a predominately white based and the two camps that joined us are predominately black or other ethnicities. There were a lot of conversations with the camp staff as well as campers as to what is socially acceptable and what is not and how we can have a camp without prejudice.
Young People Choose to be Involved
Young people choose when to involve themselves and when to engage. Young people choose to go to certain programs whether or not they want to. As for a youth worker, it is our job to help them become engaged if they choose something newer to them. For example, when I was younger I chose to join a club that pushed me outside of my boundaries. I am typically a person who is shy around new things so when I joined that club I kept to myself. The youth worker that was there helped me get introduced to some of the other people and helped me find something I was interested in which helped me make friends and made me feel safer in the environment.
Youth Work Seeks to Strengthen the Voice and Influence of Young People
Most of the history of youth work has been to give young people their voice and to influence them to how some passion in their future. This means that youth workers informally teach young people about the world around them, the history of the cultures around them, and ways to make their futures better. This could be done in various ways through an inner city school after school program or by a community center throwing a seminar directed towards children and their future.
Youth Work is a Welfare Practice
Teaching young people about their safety and their welfare is crucial because it teaches young people what to look out for in the real world and how prejudice affects different types of people. This also opens young peoples eyes to areas where there are not the same opportunities that some other young people get. These lessons were taught over the summer at my camp because there were a lot of campers who did not have the same opportunities that other campers have, even having a lunch for the day was one of the lessons.
Teaching young people about their safety and their welfare is crucial because it teaches young people what to look out for in the real world and how prejudice affects different types of people. This also opens young peoples eyes to areas where there are not the same opportunities that some other young people get. These lessons were taught over the summer at my camp because there were a lot of campers who did not have the same opportunities that other campers have, even having a lunch for the day was one of the lessons.
Youth Work Works with Young People 'Holistically'
The typical person who is not in youth work perceives youth workers as being fixers to problems for all ages. While a youth worker will help with someone being anti-social, we primarily focus on the youth and their behaviors. Youth workers focus on the youth and we help in ways where the youth will understand, we are not fixers to every problem. E very holiday season since I joined the youth development major, I am always asked about helping youth and families. I have to tell them that I primarily focus on the youth and help them in ways that are not formally taught in the classroom and can be applied to their home and social life.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
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