YDEV 352

The first event I attended for our class was group advising on October 24.  At this event, there wasn't many people but it gave an opportunity to talk to other ydev students and make a schedule for classes for spring 2019.  Group advising is important because having the ability to talk to other ydev students and get their feedback on a class, professor, etc.  I went to group advising to help other students choose their classes and be a helper wherever I was needed.  This relates to the work I do in ydev because everyone who went to advising participated in an ice breaker.  Ice breakers are a component of Purposeful Play and an important part to ydev.  Purposeful play is an ideology of ydev and ideologies form the basis of the work we do in youth development. 

After taking the ideology inventory quiz, my lowest score was a 7 which told me that I align most with Positive Youth Development.  For Risk and Resiliency, I scored a 13 and in Critical Youth Development I received a score of 16.  I've taken this quiz before and I aligned with Positive Youth Development which I think fits me best.  After reading the horoscope of this ideology, youth workers create environments that are positive for youth and allow them the opportunity to grow.  With this ideology, youth also have positive supports around them, feel empowered with their resources, voice, etc. and have a positive attitude.  At my job and in my internship, I feel as though I use Positive Youth Development because I display a positive, caring attitude and want the best for the youth I'm working with.  If I model a positive behavior, youth will take notice of that and want to feel empowered and positive about learning, school and relationships with their peers....

In my life, I have never personally felt an injustice or observed one. There is a lot going on in the world right now and I think people should not be judged for who they are. Throughout youth development classes and even social work classss I have been shown examples of injustice that are shown to me and it upsets me that people are being treated a certain way because of their race or gender identity, etc.  If I were to witness an injustice happen, I think I would say something about it whether that to be to the person who is talking about it or to someone who is experiencing it. Especially working with young people, it’s important to show them an example to stand up for the things you believe in and I want to advocate for the youth I work with.

After reading Restler's article, Mapping Interconnected Care,  I learned about the ways teachers care for young people.  The first story, talked about Sarah, who identifies as queer and cares for her students by connecting with them in the way that she dresses and the things she says to them.  She developed a relationship with them by openly talking to them and telling her students about herself.  She runs a support group and students know they can go to her to talk about things such as questions, they have, exploring their own queerness, etc.  Her caring comes from being able to connect with her students by relating to them and providing support. In the story of Michelle, she shows her caring ways by providing snacks for her students.  Not all the students get snacks all the time, and she only brings snacks two or three days a week to create a "safe space" for her students.  Some people might not think that providing snacks is creating a safe space ...

After attending the Student- Centered Learning Conference, I enjoyed the experience and learned new information I hadn't known before.  Throughout the day, I think the conference focused on putting students first and incorporating them into the curriculum.  In the workshops I attended, they were very informative and I think the research they are doing, is student-centered and providing a curriculum for students.  The first workshop showed us a video of students presenting topics that were important to them such as diversity, civic engagement, etc. to a board of teachers and in the end receiving a grade on how they did.  The work they are doing was focused on students opinions and really letting the students take the lead on something they are passionate about and incorporating it into the curriculum.  The second workshop I attended sort of focused on leading with but it wasn't as hands on like the first workshop.  But, this workshop gave me a lot of new inf...

I currently work at the YMCA for their after school program so i feel like I get the opportunity to play everyday.  Being around youth at work, I feel like I'm a little kid again and although I'm there watching them, I make sure they have fun and I'm having fun.  I recall this past week, I played in many different ways.  I played football with a few of the kids and a lot of the kids at the Y, like to play with stuffed animals and littlest pet shops, so I made sure that I played along with their animals and the story line they had going.  I probably hadn't played with stuffed animals or little dolls since I was maybe 10, so it brought me back to being that age and I felt like a little kid, with no worries in the world.  Following with Jenkins "6 Ps," I think this followed the first rule which is, permission.  Before playing, I had to give myself permission to play with dolls.  This isn't an activity I would normally engage in while I was at home, but I ...