YDev Times

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 pos...

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...

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 ...