SWIM TEAM

Oo Ahhhhhh!! So, on November 11^th I did an event, that I helped the swim team at the YMCA in Smithfield Rhode Island for their swim meet! During this time I helped set the tables up, also directed people in where to go and also I helped out at the food stand. It was so much fun I, because I got to see what happens at a swim meet for the first time. There was a lot of movement when the swimmers need to go for their lane. Also, I got to help make it a safe space for them, because we took care of all the youth, like when they were hungry or need anything from their parents or from us. I really appreciated the fact of them letting me volunteer to see and help them out by letting me see how truly passionate the swimmers are at doing their races. The accessible aspect of the event helped create a safe space for everyone that came along. I enjoyed being in " the background" of this event because it helped me observe and soak in the joy of all the young humans that were there. They were self-sufficient which made my "job" easy. I am hoping to help them out soon, because it shows me how they interact with others and also observe them come together as a team and help each other out.

http://www.ymca1.org/swim_team.html

https://www.usaswimming.org/find-a-team

https://www.teamunify.com/swim-team-management-software/

Open House

As an event I went to the Open House at Rhode Island in North Providence on November 18th to help with the Youth Development booth. I was there with other students to make Youth development be aware by people who came to the Open House to see what there is at Rhode Island College. I went to the Open House at 12:30, to help by setting up and to get to see what the other booths that were around the gym. We as Seniors as Youth Development majors spoke to different people who were interested in what truly our major is all about. This was fun, because we got to help different people out with their elevator speech for the YDEV 300 class so they were ready to do it in class. Also, to see them talk to other people and help them to get a full understand of what YDEV is about in a short amount of time. I feel like this connects with a couple text we have learned in class; Caring, Leading with and more. These two are only some that are intertwined with this event, because we are leading the student that want to know more about the youth development program by giving them information that with help them decide if it’s a good fit for them, but also letting them not feel like it a nervous thing to do, because we were all just having a conversation to the student that were wanting to know more. So, we wanted to lead them with information that will help them decide what they want to do at college.

http://youthinactionri.org/

http://www.ric.edu/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.facebook.com/RICYouthDevelopment/

I was in one of the pictures but I don't have a twitter account so I can't get it from there.

Ideology!!!!

I was shocked! My numbers were 13 for A, 12 for B, and 11 for C all of them were close. It makes me feel like I am a balance person, but at the same time I thought I could be more of a positive Youth Development. I feel like this was a great way to understand each part of the sections. It also allowed me to see the youth through everyone’s else eyes and how they view the youth. I was think about who I want to be and what each part I could take out of and learn from by the styles of how children were raised. It is the best way to understand everyone that you are around is, because you can understand it on a deeper level.
Where my values lie, I feel like I am a Critical Youth Development. When it say, "A focus on how youth engage with and impact their communities and culture" (Youth Development ideology Horoscope). This is such a huge part of the youths life, because communities and culture influences them through life and lead them in the path.

INJUSTICE!!!!!!

My experience of INJUSTICE!

For me this took a while for me to think about if anything happens for injustice. I worked at an "unnamed" [confidentiality] program for year and some months. For the last few months that I worked there I gotten least hours than someone who just started working there for a few months. When I asked for more hours, and I got them. But they only gave me hours I can’t do, because I had classes at that time.

REACTION!!!:

I soon found out that a new staff member got more hours than me I was pretty shock on the fact of she got a lot more day than I did. Even more so, she is younger than me and not even out of high school yet. I knew we need more staff and we had a messed-up schedule, but I thought we would have redone it and then input people that we just hired in those spots. It’s still shocking because when I started working there I only started with a couple days and then worked my way up, but this staff member got five days and more right off the bat.

WHAT I DID:

I looked at the schedule the first time and I was okay with it. When they made the new schedule with the new staff member one it. That’s when I asked about giving me more hours and why did the new staff member have more days than me. That when she stated that they are trying to get someone to leave because they are doing a good job and they are trying to show that person that they are giving them least hours. That’s when I asked to do it but then they told me the hours and I told them that I can’t because they are giving me hours that are during my classes.

IF THIS HAPPENED AGAIN:

I really hope I that the skills and the knowledge I have from working and talking to our staff I would help to not have it again. If it does happen again, I am willing to ask if we can start a new schedule and get everyone’s times they can work. I am here for the children and the other staff members I talked to told me I should be there person that come to mind, because I wanted to stay for the longer run. But I would ask if they new help wit the scheduling I would even take it over. But me asking them to make it fair and equal of when people got hired is fair. I would do this until it was right, because we were here for the youth and want the days they we deserve.

OTHER PEOPLE:

 I feel like if it happens to other people it would be different situation and how they took it. I talked to other people about my situation and the compared their injustice. I feel like I’m going completely different reaction wise, because everyone was pissed of and I was thinking more positively.

CARE

Reading:

After reading Mapping Interconnected Care I felt like a few things that stuck out to me is. The first That popped out at me is the snack factory, and the morning routine. Like when she drew a spatial map. The teacher made a routine with the snack and her other habits that make student ready to learn but also have a treat. I would keep me on my toes because I have something in my belly.  Also another part is she want to understand what her students are going through, like why are you sleep, or just giving a snack because they were hungry. The way she mentions “feeding the family” is such a huge impacted on the students even though the teacher may not know.  Even when making schools a “safe space” and a “second home”. That means a lot, because I felt like that when I was in school because I can feel like I know I can do something I love.

My Internship:

YMCA offers many different choices to the children that come to our programs. I feel like our programs allow them to show how to care in different way that are valued. By have different choices for children they can pick what they truly want to do by expressing on through caring about the activity. So, therefore they are stuck or not enjoying what they are doing.

Improve:

The thing that that we should improve at my YMCA is the children to start care about each other and the staff. The big issue for me is when they ask WHY when I’m telling them to get into a group or to go to the gym for free play and etc. . I was even talking to my director and she agrees with me about they are asking WHY way too much. She put a thought in my head about if something dangerous happen they would not understand what they need to do because they are just asking WHY all the time. The only thing we all say to the children is that we get told what to do by our boss or it’s on our schedule.

Youth Work Autobiography

Why Youth Work??

My journey to YDEV is when it all started when I was little, and did before and after care as a child. I only did after care and summer camp when I was younger. I never thought about being with children, I thought more about become an ultra sound tech for pregnant women to enjoy see a bundle of joy. I had my first job at the same before and after care as a staff member, when I was in high school all the way until I left for college. When I wasn’t doing so well in the major I wanted to do. I really thought about what I enjoyed and it was being around children. I always got call the baby whisper even when I didn’t know what I was doing. I thought because I loved children so much why not try to get a job that has children and to change my major to YDEV to give it a shot, because I never knew how much I loved being with children until I got accept into the YMCA that I am right now.

Youth In Action

"LEADING WITH...."

Youth In Action is the YOUTH that we want them to lead through being a leader. The YOUTH can make a change throughout the years, by changing how we live. We hear different stories about the YOUTH. Based on that YIA wanted to gather the youth to tell them what issues were being told so they can change or help by coping with the issue. Also, YIA want to create an environment so they have a place to go to when they are stuck or want to create a better place for them self. This is how YIA what to build the YOUTH by leading them with support and letting them help every step of the way. This is how YIA is leading them in the right direction.

PLAY!!!

Before & After school program

I am currently working at my YMCA in Smithfield. Which these first few weeks have been crazy, because we have been short staff but we are managing in group size. It’s been tough for the kids, because there are some children that are new to the program so they don’t know the staff’s names and other children’s name. We have been trying to be on a schedule so the children and get use to the routine, but it hard when sometimes we have to change it with the weather or if anything is going on at the school. We try to play group games and group crafts so we can bond. Also, we try to encourage everyone to play. As counselor I agree with Henry Jenkins, “We watch to observe how others perform, to learn new skills, to appraise our own performance, or simply because we do not yet feel in the right spirit to play” (pg. 4). Right now, we are really enjoying going outside everyday if the weather is good enough.

Jenkins, Shall We Play

Summer Camp

I have worked two summers now, but at two different YMCA’s and different shifts. The first time I worked all day and the second time I only work am and pm. Comparing these two camps the play was very different like just in space wise. Both YMCA had swim, sports, relax time. We all ways brought them into their groups so they could start the day. As a counselor I saw the kids build relationship and different learning skills that they never did before. Also, I sometimes had to sub to do all day camp, I got to eat lunch with the kids and interact with the different kind of play they did. Even more so I got to interact with the different age groups to because we separated by age so it was even enough for each counselor.

Baby sitting

I have babysat since I was old enough to watch my cousins by myself or was watched by my aunt with taking care of my cousins. In the beginning I really don’t want to call it youth work, but I feel like once I was older to come up with games or talk to the kids I watched. I got call by my mom and everyone else since I started I am the baby or child whisper. I now mostly now babysit for the YMCA and we play all the time and maybe here and there we read books when they want to. Also, sometimes I’m doing the dramatic play when I dance to music to make one of the babies to laugh. But also, I watch other children interact or I pretend with them if I’m eating yummy ketchup that they gave me to eat. 

Stereotypes of Youth

THREE STEREOTYPES OF YOUTH

·       We come to know youth as incomplete, in-transition, finding themselves, hormone-driven, emotional, inexperienced, and always in opposition to the adults in their lives. (pg. 1) Bogad

·       They (Youth) don’t trust them! (pg. 268) Steinberg

·       “Youth problem,”“At risk” (pg. 269) Steinberg

WHY

·       Media; (tv, magazines, the internet, and more!) Here is my blog post I did with Bogad when I was in her teenager and media class.

o    https://teenagersandthemedia.blogspot.com/2017/05/bogad-framing-youth.html

·       Assumptions about who youth are and what we, as adults, should expect of them. (pg. 1) Bogad

·       Popular images of youth created a suspect society driven by desire and the ability to

terrify adults. (pg. 268) Steinberg

·       Generations: 50s, 60s, 70s, ……… The 20s these years change over time, but adults relate back to their youth, and they say it's not how “I was brought up back in the day.

 SHARING TIME

·       I never actually got treated not equally, most of the adults around treated me more like an older person because they always thought my age was older than I really was. I talked maturely for my age and never really got disrespect or mistreated from adults. I’m very thankful for people treating me equally because I feel more well rounded. If I can really think of one, then I change my statement and post in the comments below.

SEVEN characteristics for Youth Work

Youth Work is an educational practice;

            “Primarily educators who engage with young people in the diverse setting, using different methods and activities to stimulate informal education and learning” …. (pg. 2) I was an individual who was engaged in the environment, and the voices around me when I was in school and still is. Also, when creativity and diversity in a classroom are so important when I was in a classroom and how it should be still now.

Youth Work is a social practice;

            How to seek to, “Prioritize working with groups to nurture cooperative association amongst young people.” (Pg. 3) When I was a kid, I had a hard time engaging with other children because I didn’t feel like it was the easiest thing to do. But as a Youth worker, I have experience seeing the different values, attitudes, and behaviors with others.

Youth Workers actively challenge inequality and work towards social justice;

            How it takes place in the “Context of social injustice, often with young people and others who are on the margins, excluded by several personal, cultural and structural barriers.” (Pg. 3) No matter what the challenge is, we want to support each other.

Where possible, young people choose to be involved;

            Being interactive with you based on helping them with homework or playing an activity with the youth, because we want to be involved with what they are doing around the community. “Our view that youth work and informal education not only takes place in the environments” ….. (Pg. 3)

Youth Work seeks to strengthen the voice and influence of young people;

            Youth workers have several options and want to express on how the environment is the right time and place. We as youth workers have a job to shape a positive atmosphere where the children feel safe to prompt their ideas.  This will allow children to feel "Empowerment, participation, active citizenship and democratic engagement." (Pg. 4)

Youth Work is a welfare practice;

            We as youth workers practice, “Alongside its primary education role, promote ‘well-being and safety of young people.'” (Pg. 4) It’s when we give them a place to have fun but also feel safe and want to have an opportunity to experience social and behavioral part of their life.

Youth Work works with young people ‘holistically

"We work primarily with kids because they are young" (Pg. 5). Which I feel like we are as youth workers are ordinary problem solvers, that want to help guide the young people in the right direction. But it also depends on how we approach the situation based on the social and behavioral.

         These seven characteristics; show me what I do through the YMCA in Smithfield. We as youth workers want to apply certain part of these features to our daily routine like; I realized that I touch base on each and even parts of the social practice when the children want to play a game, but they don’t know how to ask. I as a youth worker help them go through the process on how to ask.

Sources:

*Google images

*https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JcBFAuLc-0bWpWMmJ2XzJZLXc/view

Who I Am

WHO AM I

Freshman year of high school I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and when time went on I had ups and down on the different ways to cope. Also figure out ways to understand what starts my anxiety, and it’s mostly the unknown

What Having Anxiety Feels Like

School V.S. Creative

For 17 years I lived in Windsor Locks which is a small town!

Special education has a place in my heart, because I was in special education from kindergarten to eighth grade. I feel accomplished when I got tested out of it for my speech and reading skills. I was tongue tied until kindergarten, so then I had to work on my speech. Also I just had weak reading skills and I was very behind where I should have been.

This link is to my other blog I did in the summer for GEND 354

About ME:

Teenagers and The Media Blog