YDev Times

Many people already know that teachers can make a huge impact on a child's development, however,  school aged child does not spend a majority of their time in school. Based on 2010 estimates, over 10 million youth participate in after school programs annually. So who runs these programs? the answer is youth development professionals, they are the coaches, mentors, counselors,  tutors and more. Many people believe that after school programs are nice but not necessary, while the truth is the exact opposite. Not only do these programs prevent problem behaviors, they also help a child develop the skills necessary to be successful in life. This means that they develop and improve their academic and social skills whilst in these programs. Youth development professional make just as much as an impact as a teacher, but through different vehicles, such as purposeful play, care, social justice and more. To sum it all up a youth development professional is anyone that works with children ou

Earlier today I stopped into the Gender Studies department to watch a movie during free period. This weeks theme was to highlight the struggles of female gamers and designers. The movie highlights that women often face forms of sexual harassment and cyber bullying while playing multiplayer online games. They will often be verbally assaulted and some will even receive threats of rape and death. Those who have spoken out against these atrocities have become huge targets for these threats in particular. Even female game designers are under heavy fire for the content of their games. One women in particular was receiving hundreds negative comments because she featured a gay couple in her game Dragon Age Two. In order to advocate for themselves female gamers have crated blogs to highlight the issue, such as www.FatUglyorSlutty.com   in which the designer posts all of the negative comments she has received on an online platform. The designer of www.notinthekitchenanymore.com will post re

The Youth Development industry is composed of four core anchors, Purposeful Play, Care, Community, Social Justice.  Today i will explain two of these concepts, Purposeful Play and Social Justice. Purposeful Play is the concept of using play as a method of teaching. The games utilized in this method can be educational or they can explore new and difficult topics. For example games like Where the wind Blows can be used to learn about each other and build a sense of teamwork. Games like ZIP ZAP ZOP ( a game where children get into a circle and have to pass the words zip, zap or zop, through gestures) can be used to improve focus. Games like Step into the circle ( a game in which students step into the circle if the relate to a statement being read) can be used to introduce difficult topics like poverty, racism and more. This can all be achieved while the kids are having fun with their peers and youth workers. Social Justice really refers to advocacy. Youth workers will advocate for

After completing the YDEV ideology assessment, I have learned that I most closely identify with the Positive Youth Development Ideology. This means that I value the natural "assets" youth possess and that I want to foster and promote a safe space in which they can evolve and explore them further.  The term assets in this context is referring to a child's skills, abilities and talents. These are considered to be internal assets.  Environment, family structure, social status etc. are all considered to be external assets. As a positive youth development worker, my focus is on providing a safe space and opportunities where youth can experience different situations ( a positive external asset), in the hope that it will help them develop and nurture their internal assets.  Overall I have learned that I am an individual that takes the skills and abilities that a person already possesses and helps that individual learn how to use them to better themselves. I do not try to change

Rhode Island College has many different courses and various levels of degrees. This can often make advising a challenge. While many advisers require students to make individual appointments, YDev students get the benefit of group advising, in class or during free period. Group advising allows you to receive help from your peers when deciding which courses to take and when. For example if a social work class is heavy in writing and reading materials, you may not want to take the same time as introduction to writing. Your peers could help you decide this, because many have already taken the course or have made that mistake. This directly relates to the article "What is Youth Work", in it the author describes how youth development professionals often prefer to work in groups, especially when working with the kids. This allows them to build bonds, work in teams, learn about each other, and develop new skills. Another special thing about group advising is that you get to help ne

Throughout my life, I have been fortunate enough to not have experienced injustice in terms of corruption or inequity as defined by Webster dictionary. Although  I have experienced oppression and racism, very recently. I live in a predominantly white neighborhood, in which there is a popular walking trail. One day my mother an I decided to go for a walk, trying to meet our fitbit goals for the day. For the most part it was a pleasant day. The sun was shining, it wasn't too hot or cold, and we had walked pretty far. The trail is mostly secluded and surrounded by trees. It does however open up to a local park. While walking through a car passed by and shouted racial slurs at us. My reaction at first was shock. I could not believe that in 2017 I would still be called a n*gger, in such a repulsive way. I then became angry and contemplated confronting the teens in the car, which was now stopped at a stop sign. Instead I realized that it was better to take the high road and continue my w

After reading  Mapping Interconnected Care, I really resonated with three forms of care teachers provide their students. One way is providing snacks to the students, in this particular case the teacher originally thought that her class was boring and so students would fall asleep. She then reflected on it more and considered the students lives outside of the classroom and realized that they may have had a long night and they just need a snack. The second way was providing a clean space, essentially telling the students that you deserve a clean environment to learn. The third is very interesting because it connects a teachers appearance/ identity to her career. This teacher identifies as queer, and that is reflective in her style and hair cut. This allows other students who identify as LGBT to connect with her and open up about any problems they may be facing. I have found one example of care in my after school program called C.O.Z., if they had a student that was misbehaving or having

Our programming is broken into three phases: Core, Immersion, and Collective   Core works with youth to tell their story and deeply listen to others stories. Youth place their multiple identities and communities under the microscope and examine their role and impact in creating a world they want to live. Focused on emotional development and identity in youth leadership. Immersion explores facilitation and peer education. Focused on social development, youth discover what strengths they bring to a group. Youth design and facilitate workshops on student centered learning and community health for their peers and for adults working with youth. These workshops aim to educate and build mutual respect. Collective programming celebrates legacy and stewardship through a member owned model. Youth sit on the Board of Directors, assist in fundraising efforts, and begin to create change at the policy level. During this phase youth make meaningful links between passion and career. Youth

Throughout my life, I have always had the desire to help others. I would often help my mom by babysitting my sister, I would help my dad by cleaning up the house, I would volunteer to clean up parks or help at a retirement home, or I would help set up dinner for the holidays. Naturally, this desire helped shape my career path, by the time I entered college I knew that I wanted to be a teacher or social worker. While searching for a college I kept reflecting upon my first job, which was working at an after school program called C.O.Z. (Child Opportunity Zone). I realized how much I truly enjoyed working there and interacting with the children. During this time, I also began to second guess weather or not teaching was the correct choice for me. While visiting Rhode Island College I came across a booth that was set up on accepted students day. It was full of people who declared a major in Youth Development, I found their recounts of the me major very interesting but I was worried about

Throughout my childhood, I found myself in three youth spaces. I was a YMCA member, I went to school, and I was in a Photography club for a short while. In all of these spaces play was seen as a form of entertainment and as young student, I often had to receive permission to engage in it. In his article Shall We Play, Jenkins references this. He states that this ideology that is often reinforced in modern school systems is in fact harmful to students because play is a form of learning. By reinforcing this idea of permission, children may not realize when  it is appropriate to play and effectively let themselves explore, take risks, and learn at their own pace. As youth workers we must assure youth that play will not yield negative consequences and encourage them to engage. As an adult, I have also worked in many youth spaces; such as an after school program called C.O.Z, a field experiences in Frank D. Spaziano Elementary School and Anna Mccabe Elementary School.  Both the C.O.Z progra

In her article titled, Framing Youth, Bogad explores the socially constructed concepts surrounding adolescents today. Due to the history surrounding the social construction of teenage hood and  main stream media today, youth are often considered to be hormone driven, risk takers, and immature. The chapter describes that when the term Adolescents was accepted as scientific category by experts, youth were characterized as  “...awkward, vulnerable creatures, innocent victims of raging hormones, rampant insecurity, and fervent idealism (which often bordered on arrogance), characterizations that were apparently linked to puberty and a lack of experience” Palladino (1996). The problem with this characterization is that it provides no distinction of any of the teenagers it categorizes. Youth are lumped into one big group and viewed as less capable, intelligent, and mature. They are effectively outcast-ed , with no hope of redemption until the day of the eighteenth birthday or in som

Having a Profession in Youth Development is often compared to teaching or at times even social work. While there are many similarities, a profession in youth development is comprised of many unique differences. In the first chapter of the book mentioned above, the authors identify seven key distinctions. The first is that youth workers are not confined to traditional school outlines and procedures, leaving them free to provide a very informal education. Youth workers will often utilize group activities and games to conduct educational lessons. For example, when I wanted to teach a group of sixth grade girls about nutrition, I developed a series of games that allowed them to have fun, build communication and team work skills, and learn the materials. I took it one step further by utilizing the school environment in a different manner, like using the oven in the Staff’s break room to make treats such as fruit pies and English muffin pizzas. As a Youth Development professional, our