YDEV Open House

(Stole this picture from Channy's Blog)

My second event was the YDEV Open House. I was really surprised to see so many people coming to the open house. Its definitely a great opportunity to see whats out there. There were two things that really stood out for me that day.
The first was really trying to nail that elevator speech. I felt that the more I repeated it the more sense I made. I still have trouble really "defining" what YDEV is but this practice really helped.
The second thing that was really great was seeing students from CFHS. It was really cool first off to see so many there and then being able to talk to them and connect with them about YDEV. I think it helps to see a familiar face.

"Lights On" Breakfast

So for my first event I attended the Lights on After School Breakfast of Champions. I'm really glad I was able to attend this event. I think my favorite thing about attending events such as this is hearing how much of an impact something like an after school program can be. Growing up I used after school and before school programs to get away from my problems outside of school. It started as a way to avoid conflicts like bullying and to avoid issues at home and became a huge learning experience that shaped me to be who I am. It was also great to see someone from a High School also come and speak about their experience. It validates that the programs are worth so much and should continue.

It was really inspirational to listen to the speakers and it helps talking to graduated YDEV students as well as seeing all the possible programs there are out there.

Single Story

There are many single stories out there. When I was 4 I was my mother walked me into my first kindergarten class. As the teacher introduced herself to us she noticed my mother didn't speak English very well. Automatically she began to slowly explain that I would be placed in ESL and she would not need to worry about me. Then, being the sassy 4 year old I was I told my soon to be teacher "I know English I don't need help".
I though of this moment because I think it was my first real confrontation with a single story. They saw my mother and automatically assumed that I did not know English. Many times we let single stories cloud our judgement and make us assume. With social media, new outlets and just word of mouth these assumptions are easier to come by.
This is not the first time I watched this video. I previously watched it in my social work class as well. The biggest problem with these single stories is that we make a single story not just for individuals but for groups of people. We use these to make assumptions of a group of people and don't realize their individuality.
Youth are still trying to find out who they are. Every move they make is judged. One video that stood out to me about "the other side" which I will post along with this is about a select few individuals. These individuals all have hopes, dreams, talents, that are not seen due to a single story. What single story is that? Their disabilities. Because of the way single stories have shaped us we see people as "the man with depression" instead of "the brilliant piano player".

Context Map

The boys have committed the same offense but Mitch knows that they did not commit the same offense for the same reasoning. Mitch knows the stages of identity vs. role confusion”. Antwon and Julian may have committed the same offence but because each one is at a different stage they committed  the same offence for different reasoning. That being said giving them the same punishment would be a useless punishment to them. what might benefit on would not benefit the other. Julian is asked to list the many places and relationships he must face on a daily basis.

Achieved Identity: An individual who is no longer exploring, and feel they have found their identity. They are no longer in search.

Foreclosed Identity:  This is when an individual is completely committed to a single life path. They do not explore other routes or options. Sometimes this occurs when this life path is entrusted to them or they feel they are limited to their choice due to their location/ environment.

Diffuse Identity: This is when an individual has explored possibilities however, has not been able to commit psychologically.

Identity Moratorium: Once again this identity is without commitment. They actively explore different behaviors, relationships, and beliefs.

In A World Where Youth Hold Power

"...Youth in Action...[an] organization that's all about young people- their capacity to lead, their natural ability to innovate, and their desire for positive change."

From they very first lines the tone is set that Youth hold the power. Youth in Action stands for its belief that Youth have the ability to create a community that can make a difference. The main difference if youth and action and other organizations is that the adults are there to support the youth in what they want to achieve. By supporting the youth they are creating a safe environment for them to grow,learn and make mistakes. They are empowering Youth to  create opportunities withing the community. They are empowered by  the environment allowing them to grow.

"I like that I'm part of a place where there are so many different options. The trust, respect, and openness makes us stronger."

Based on some of the stories it is clear that for the current directors and leaders of the program had past experiences in which all they needed to succeed was some one to help them, to work WITH them. When they finally find that person or space they had the opportunity to improve. Youth in Action makes that space for youth.

My Story ft My Mother and many others

I can name many people that have helped me co-create.
     My step-father that came into my life and took me to father daughter dances.
     My sister, who's rebellious nature made my parents keep a closer eye on me.
     My boyfriend that keeps me sane
     My best friend from middle school that opened my eyes
     My high school teacher Deloris Grant for giving me experience of a life time and making me try new things.
     My high school math teacher Anthony Kulla for making me love math and showing me his passion for teaching.
     My family in Guatemala for showing me to be grateful of every opportunity I have
     My aunt for letting me be a big sister to her daughter and newborn son
     My godmother for always being there
     and last but not least my mother.
My mother drove my older sister and I across the country from California to Canada/New England. She was a single mom for many years.She suffered financially for many years. She was an immigrant who worked hard, learned English and became a citizen. But she stressed the importance of her struggles and made me want to be educated and successful to make her proud. She is amazing for that. I wouldn't be here today if it were not for her. However for this assignment we had to choose our list and fill it with people who have both been good and bad in our lives and I've also had many bad experiences because my mother that has shaped who I am. When my mother moved cross country I lost the chance to ever speak to my birth father and that has always left me guessing. Because my mother struggled so much she stressed education. When my siblings were unable to continue their education the pressure was thrown on to me, the youngest and last hope. My mother found many ways to keep me close. She has said encouraging things and things that made me lose self esteem.
Everything she has done is for our sake and now I wish more than ever to have my diploma for her sake.

Invisibility

Have you ever felt invisible?

     I am a very shy and quiet person so the feeling of being invisible is something I know all too well. I tend to not stand out in a crowd nor do I like to draw in all the attention. Just this week I was siting in an office with a group of people when someone said something inappropriate, needless to say he definitely didn't remember I was still in the office. However I feel that being invisible is something that many people don't want to be, but when asked what super power you would want, many people say invisibility. I see my invisibility as a super power that allows to me observe the people around me with out drawing any attention.

Do Hobson or Nayyrah Waheed help you think about invisibility in a new way?

     Typically invisibility is seen as negative,I saw it as positive but in reference to Hobson and Waheed I understand why this is negative. I feel that we try too hard to avoid color because it makes us uncomfortable, and when we are uncomfortable we try to avoid something in hopes that it goes away. Color will never fade. We are not just our color but our color has helped in defining our live in different ways. It is important to talk about race. Action begins with awareness. If we didn't inform people about cancer because it make us uncomfortable we can never find a cure. The cure could be a milk farm for all we know!

What's Your Sign? YDEV Ideology Horoscope

After taking the Ideology Inventory Quiz I realized that my score was most best matched to Positive Youth Development. After reading what each of the three categories were I was glad that I scored within this category. I think this was the best fitting for me because I truly believe that youth workers should build on the strengths of youth and help them become healthy adults. When I think of youth workers I think of people who are supporters of youth that help guide them to reach their goals as apposed to teaching them what they should do. However when taking the quiz, my scores also evenly matched critical youth development. In critical youth development adults and youth work together to make a better place. Just as positive development I believe that youth and adults both play important roles and even if youth workers are there to help guide it is the youth that are ultimately in control of what they get out of it.

Characteristics of A Youth Worker

(OOPS...Forgot to publish)

     A youth worker has many characteristics. Youth workers are educators. This means that first and for most youth workers are educators and teachers, the only difference is that youth workers are not your traditional teachers. Youth workers are after school teachers, coaches and so much more. Youth work is also a social practice. Youth workers generally work in group settings. The encourage social interactions between peers, members of a community and families. This is done through meaningful play, ice breakers and many different activities. In a program like Tall U, they use games, ice breakers and performances to grow interaction between the community at Central Falls. Like Tall U and many other programs and activities like the after school Japanese Club I taught, students have a choice. They choose to be part of these programs unlike traditional classroom settings where they are forced to take certain classes. Youth workers are not just educators. Youth workers encourage youth to have a voice. Youth workers are advocates and encourage youth to advocate and have a voice. Youth Work is also a social practice. Youth workers help to provide opportunities that the typical school setting can not provide. Like coaching in sports. It is a way to learn team work and responsibility and learn how to manage time. This gives youth a different setting for them to learn,socialize and grow. Finally Youth workers are actively challenging inequality and work towards social justice. To me this may be one of the most important things youth workers are. This means that youth workers have to be aware of their baggage and opinions in order to show no bias. A youth worker must be attentive to any inequalities and make sure to provide equal chance for all their youth!

About Me!

If you could only chose 5 photos to describe yourself what would you chose?

For my photos I decided to choose some of my hobbies and interests. I love photography and the first picture is a picture of my "baby" my first camera not attached to a cellphone. Below is an internet photo of the one place that inspires me the most. . . Japan! I love the language and its culture and hope to study there some day. Japan has influenced other hobbies of mine such as drawing, gaming, and reading. I love to read Japanese Manga (comic books) and playing Japanese video games (basically anything Nintendo). However, I also enjoy reading in general. So, that's the basic ingredients into making me who I am!