What is Youth Work?

     Youth Work is an educational practice.  Youth workers are educators who build relationships with youth and keep those strong relationships in order to create the conditions  for learning.  You work is also a social practice.  Youth workers adopt  casework approaches.  They also are able to test their values and behaviors in this field.   Youth workers actively test their values, attitudes and behavior.  Youth workers actively challenge inequality and work for social justice.  This is important in youth work because you're always going to be working with children of all different backgrounds and you just have to recognize that and learn to help them individually.  Where possible  , young people choose to be involved. Young people always choose to be involved, unless its school because then they have no choice.  Youth work seeks to strengthen the voice and influence of young people.  Youth workers have always been people who enable the environment they work in.  Youth always feel empowered and like they can fully participate while a youth worker is present.  Youth work is a welfare practice.  Finally, youth work works with young people holistically.  Youth work may contribute to the reduction of anti social behavior in a community.        

What is Youth Development?

Youth Development is advocating, supporting and guiding  youth to promote positive and social growth withing their communities.  

Our Youth

     A few years ago, during my Fundamentals of Education class, we were required to complete a service learning in a diverse school setting.  I always knew I wanted to work with older youth, so I decided to perform my hours at a High School in Providence, RI.  I was placed in a senior history class.

     Before entering the school, everyone in my class was talking about how nervous they were to be placed mostly in Providence, I could not deny this, because I, too was nervous.  The stereotypes that evolve from Providence are not good, so we were all nervous.

     My first day was not as bad as I thought, until lunch came.  My teacher invited me to eat lunch with other teachers in the teachers room.  She introduced me to her colleagues and then the talking began.  "The students here are awful."  "You should probably switch schools, its gonna be tough."  "These kids don't care about anything but themselves, don't take it personal."  These were all told to me by the teachers who taught these students.  A part of me became immensely scared.  Another part of me was aggravated and upset.  How could these teachers say these  things about these students?  I almost did not what to come back, I did not want to hear anymore of this.

     Well, I continued to go, this time, I skipped lunch in the  teacher's room.  I would walk around the school, checking out the art room, chorus room and other classrooms.  I learned myself these were not bad kids, they were misunderstood.  They had been stereotyped for so long that just had the tag of "bad student" labeled to them.  I got to know just about every single student in my class.  I learned that the students had very similar opinions of the teachers, they just did not get along.  The students kept saying they don't understand us, they don't know how to help to name a few things.  It was all just a matter of miscommunication.

    I told the teacher if you just listened to them for five minutes, you might actually understand what they want, or how they need help.

Resilient Kids

Resilient Kids is a Rhode Island based organization promoted to helping youth in grades K-12.  After watching the videos, I can't help but wish this was around for me growing up.   The organization focuses on reducing stress, facilitate learning and to and help with personal growth.  Growing up, we were never taught what stress even was, nevermind how to manage it.  It really wasn't until high school where stressed kicked in.  Junior year was the worst. Looking into colleges, preparing and taking the SAT or the ACT, getting ready of prom, taking drivers tests and still trying to maintain a decent average.  I feel this program would have definitely benefited me in high school.

I love the idea of the workers setting them up with a toolbox on "how to's" rather than just telling them what they're doing is wrong and telling them to stop.  Not everyone learns by being told what to do, so opening up the toolbox is expanding their horizons gives them more tools to use to help them cope in other ways. This is definitely an organization I could see myself working for.

Leading With Values

On November 7, 2015, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the "Leading With Values"conference, hosted at Providence College.   I learned about myself and about values I never knew I had.

The conference, keynote speaker was Constance Howes, J.D., Executive Vice President of Women’s Health, Care New England Health System.  Howes explained her many leadership roles she has held and the values she has learned throughout her career.  As a lawyer of seventeen years, valuing honesty and dignity were no surprise.  She holds everyone to a high level of honesty, and expects her colleagues to do the same with her.  Howes explained that throughout her life, great role models helped write her story.  These were the people she looked up to the most and who's opinions she valued the most.  Hearing her share so much about her life was so inspiring.  Her parting advice was "make and impact and step aside."  This really spoke to me, I thought about this all day and is something I surely will not forget.


The first workshop I attended was facilitated by Kirtley Fisher.  Kirtley is an Experience Designer at the nonprofit Business Innovation Factory in Providence, RI.  Her workshop focused on valuing diversity and its value in building effective teams. She explained ways to develop diverse relationships and teams.  The second workshop, was facilitated by George Nippo, Senior Director of Program and Academics, Year Up Providence. George's workshop looked at how our personal biases and experiences effect our leadership.  We examined cultural understandings and misunderstandings.  Both Kirtley and George opened up my eyes to many different values, I hadn't thought about.      

Leading With Values Schedule

My Influences

1. Drawing from the chapter and the discussion they offer on Authoring Life Stories (beginning on page 5), think about your own life story.  Make a list of ten people who have coauthored with you.  Remember, “the material that comprises our life stories comes from all directions, contributed by people who care about you, are indifferent to, and feel antagonistic toward the person whose life they are helping to shape."  After you list the ten people, pick one of them (caring, indifferent or antagonistic) and write about how s/he has helped you write your story.

 

 

The Ten Most Influential People In My Life:

 

1. Mom

2. Hannah

3. Jasmin

4. Ashley

5. Brandon

6. Angelo

7. Dr. Bogad

8. Harrie

9. Dad

10. Kristen

 

 



          Most of the people in my life have helped me write my story by helping me and guiding me to keep doing better than I already am.  They have pushed me to succeed at whether it was school, or my job.  However, there is one person that I entirely owe the person I am today too.  Brandon and I met at work, and I instantly knew we would be good friends, little did I know we were going to become the best of friends.  Brandon never puts anyone before himself.  He has a way of lighting up a room with smiles and happiness.  Brandon lives his life the way Michael Jackson lived his.  He is a peacemaker and something about him always settles arguments, not that anyone could even be mad when he is around, because he just has that presence.  Brandon makes me want to become a better person and to live life with no regrets.  I lost one of my close friends six months ago and no one has made me feel "at ease" with it, than Brandon has.  I owe a lot of my recovery from that and my happiness to Brandon.  He has taught me that no matter how low you find yourself, you can always be picked back up.  If it were not for him, I truly do not know where I would be today, or how I would've ever felt like myself again.  Brandon has helped me continue my story, where I didn't know how I was ever going to continue it, he has helped me get through the toughest chapter, to date. 

What's YOUR Sign?

While working on the Youth Development Ideology, I learned so much about myself, not only as a person, but as a youth worker as well.  I am a juvenile justice concentration, so it is no surprise to me that I most connected with the Risk, Resiliency and Prevention category.  I have always wanted to be a juvenile defense attorney, so I believe these truly do  go hand-in-hand.   The idea that teens brains aren't fully functioned, is my biggest support for the reason I want to be a juvenile defense attorney.  Youth don't need jail, they need help.  

We need to be giving youth the resources and showing them how do things versus telling the.  I learned this at my job at the Y, the minute you say clean up, seems like everyone understands, however the'll keep until you actually step in and start to clean up for them to catch on.   Youth need to be guided, not just given the instructions.