YDEV 352 Blog

 When you think about caring for someone, it's often superficial. Most people automatically think of the basic human needs like shelter and food or giving someone affection. Caring for someone is so much more than that. It's validating them as a person. It's making them feel heard. It's recognizing that people have different privileges based on a number of different things. The readings really shed a light on that. While educators or youth workers might not explicitly be discriminatory towards their students, we're all human and we have implicit biases. Some educators might not recognize that some students don't have access to internet at home so they can't do the online homework. Or that they're student isn't failing tests because they don't know the information, they might get anxious about taking tests. Caring goes so much deeper than we think and we all want someone to care for us. We have to start by caring about others. 

-  Our theoretically-grounded curriculum and approach grows from our belief that youth are thoughtful, creative people who deserve opportunities to practice leadership with supportive, professional adults by their side. - In this frame, young people are situated as individuals with emotional, physical, academic, moral, and social potential - As youth work leaders, they know who they are and what they believe. These quotes from the reading really stood out to me because it's what youth work really is all about. I had gotten the positive ideology and the first quote resonated with me the most. I do believe that youth spaces should be a place for youths to figure out their own path with the support of the adults around them. Youths are so much more than what we think of them. They have their own beliefs, thoughts and feelings that deserve to be heard just as much as anyone else. The second quote also stood out to me because youth have so much potential in all aspects of their life and...

 When talking about race and racism, it's a very hot topic right now. No one wants to talk about it because it has become so controversial. Growing up I was mostly surrounded by white people with the handful of people who identified as BIPOC. This is at the fault of my parents, it was just the demographic of the city we lived in. It wasn't until I got to college that I was surrounded by more people of color and it wasn't so much as a shock but it was something new for me. I think that as I got older, I've become more self aware of my place in society and the different privileges I have because of the color of my skin. I recognize that I can move through places that most BIPOC can't and I understand why that is, but I also can't. Racism dates back hundreds of years and even though there's been some progress, it's still an issue in so many places. The thing I don't understand is where this idea that white people are better than all other races. Who dec...

One more visible rule is that in the morning all the kids sit down for morning circle and they are allowed to pull up a chair if they can't sit on the rug. An invisible rule is that while some one is at the "take a break" table then no one is to talk to them so they must sit alone at the table. Another invisible rule is that even though this new teacher is a stranger to them, she is seen as an authority figure because she is the adult and they are the children. Another visible rule in the classroom is that if the take a break table doesn't work and the student is still misbehaving, they go to the buddy room until they are ready to rejoin the group. This rule is similar to how the classroom was when I was growing up. At first if a student was misbehaving, the teacher would separate their desk from everyone else whether it was moving them right in front of the chalkboard or having the student sit in the hallway for a few minutes. After that if they were still disrupting...

 One stereotype is the adultification of black girls. Black girls are often looked at as older than their real age and held to a higher standard than white children. Many times the assumptions people make about black women is projected onto young black girls. In the video they talk about how one experience was that in the sixth grade a young black girl was asked if she was sexually active by the school nurse. I remember I wasn't asked that question until 8th grade or even freshman year of high school. Even black boys are seen as criminals as young as 10 years old but a white boy would never be seen that way. Another stereotype is the "good girl". Where girls are seen as obedient and always did the right thing. This teaches young girls that they don't have a voice and they always need to do what they're told. Even the stereotypes of preppie vs greasers or hoods creates a divide among youth. The notion of someone who is good in school, generally white, comes from a ...

 Knew:   Going into reading this article, I know that youth development came as a response to the deficit approach. The country so concerned about trying to fix what they viewed as "problem behaviors" and created programs that tried preventing a singular problem. By doing this, they weren't addressing the basic things young people need as they grow up. I also knew that youth development was made to create a safe space for young people to be themselves as well as get the supports they need to be successful in all aspects of their life. Learned:  I learned about the different organizations that started putting youth development into action and how crucial they were to the movement. I also learned how important the Carnegie Report was to showing how support programs in the community play a huge role in youths lives. Also that the Deficit Approach was dividing youths into 2 groups; the youths already engaging in risky behavior and those at high risk, and everyone else. By cre...