Wood, Westwood, and Thompson's Introduction Youth Work

Quote:

"Youth workers are primarily educators who engage with young people in diverse settings, using different methods and activities to stimulate informal education and learning. They build and sustain open and trusting relationships in order to create the conditions for learning and wherever possible, young people will choose to engage in the learning relationship."

2 New Ideas:

-  This approach relies on STARTING where are young people are at and not where we "assume" they should be. We need to meet the young person where they already are before we can push them for greatness and begin to teach them how to become their own person, grow their own values and etc. 

- Which then ties in to taking a young person's personal and social development into consideration before anything else. We need to get some background information, learn about their home life, how they grew up or are growing up, who's involved, and then create some type of relationship or bond to help them feel safe enough to help them begin to open up and realize their full potential. 

3 Key Vocabulary Words:

Sustain: to support or maintain, especially over a long period of time

Informal education: unplanned and spontaneous learning of behaviors, norms, and values typically occurring outside of formal (school) setting

Learning relationship: the positive connections between youth, adults, and peers that foster positive social interactions and help to establish a nurturing environment 

Connection:

I came across this TikTok that I found to be entertaining more so than informational today. It's just a group of youth workers that captioned a video of them running out of their place of work with all types of supplies and additional support for when one of their youths reaches out and says, "Hey can you meet." It just made me laugh and think of how this would be me and my fellow classmates if we were in the field and heard one of our youths needed us as well. As a younger person seeing people show up and care especially when you're not used to the additional love and support can mean so much. 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8MT6va6/

Belonging

    My first time ever feeling like I belonged somewhere is when I first moved to Rhode Island from Connecticut. I moved here coming into my fifth-grade year, and I was super nervous starting a new school at an older age, as there were friendships that have already been bonded over years and I would be brand new. Coming from where I was from in Connecticut it wasn't the most diverse neighborhood, and you didn't see teachers or students that looked like me. Most having blonde hair and blue eyes, and parents who owned houses and businesses. But when I started here in Rhode Island I was blown away by the number of students and faculty that looked like me, and I finally felt as if I didn't stand out. My curl pattern would blend in line with my classmates, no one would touch my braids and ask questions, it was truly a different experience. Then as I met friends and grew bonds with them, I realized that they to have a single parent and live in apartments as well. For the first time in years, I couldn't shut up about school and how excited I was to not have to feel like I need to do certain things to fit in or not stick out, in ways people would start to ask questions. Feeling like this a huge reason to why I feel like diversity is something we need to take into consideration more and really push to become the norm.

    For my connections piece I found a quick clip from Brene Brown on the opposite of belonging is fitting in. She goes on to explain that fitting in is assessing a group of people and thinking: Who do I need to be? What do I need to say? What do I need to wear? How do I have to act? and CHANGING who you are. I feel this hit right on the head with Breathe from In the Heights, as we know that Nina went off to Stamford and came back as she struggled to try to fit in and be great there. In the musical we see her try to change and fit in, but it just didn't suit her well. From this I just remember ever day to strive to be your authentic self, always. Something one of my classmates reminded me about myself this semester. ❤

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8M37dAv/