Wednesday, September 27, 2017

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.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

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.


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. 



Wednesday, September 13, 2017

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.


·       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.








Wednesday, September 6, 2017

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 theContext 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, promotewell-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 peopleholistically

"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


Saturday, September 2, 2017

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


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:

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 me...