Blog Post #5 by Cabrera, Roberto

 

Youth Work is a Philosophy: It Is Important To Be Around and Support Youth

Quote 1: "This approach resonates with many of our students because of the ways it disrupts dominant school discourses that position young people as part of the problem, rather than part of a solution" (p.5/Positive Youth Development)

My reflection towards this quote: Being a Youth Development major has taught me in better ways how to communicate, seek for support, and work better to support others. Before I switched to Youth Development, I started out as a Psychology, where things did not go well. There was no one to support or tutor me, professors aimed more for students with high learning needs/fully abled and oppressed those who needed help. I was that person when I tried to seek support for being behind. When I tried, all they said was study harder without realizing what my learning needs were. As I switched, I was still struggling, but then the staff were able to understand my learning needs and that I have anxiety. They knew that everyone learns differently and just wanted students to work to the best of their ability, they were not just asking for right or wrong answers, which is what Psychology majors mostly are. Now that I am in the field of my interest, the Youth Development staff encourages me to express my problems to them and we all work together as a team to solve it and get all the help I can get to become successful. 

This is something I experienced last year when tutoring at Spaziano-Laurel Hill Elementary School. There were 4 students I remember tutoring because they were had difficulties in Math and Reading, they spoke Spanish and I had to help them learn English because it was their second language and not fluent at the moment, and they needed someone who could be a support to them. I was proud to be there to support them last year. I viewed them equally and tutored them not only the using the knowledge I remember as a 5th grader, but to show them how they will learn and do this on their own in the future. Every student learns differently, but the important thing is to not oppress those who are not as highly fluent in the moment. There was one student I remember tutoring and did not know much English. In math, she was told by her teacher to present a problem on the board. As she was not ready, she told me to go work with me, which I think is OK, but one thing I remember in YDEV 300 is no labels. Just because someone got an answer wrong or does not understand well should be told to do something else like seeing me for help, something I think the teacher could have done instead was ask me to go up and present with her or give her another chance later on. As a Youth Development major, I want to be professional and show that each student is important and that their own knowledge/experiences that they bring to me in school will help me learn what they are good at and what they need the most support in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0ZQZEFTqB0  (This link is to see the video about Positive Youth Development and explains why we choose to be supportive people and study Youth Development. This shows a way how Youth Development is the right supportive source in supporting students. Please see when you have a chance)

Quote 2: "The kids are playing games -- they are leading games, and they are laughing and learning. Everyone knows each other's names. And I saw the coach pull a kid aside and ask how his grandmother was feeling now that she is out of the hospital. I was a competitive basketball player in high school. Our practices didn't look like this at all. I remember being yelled at by my coaches, and we did a lot of challenging and repetitive drills, over and over until we 'got it right.' I thought sports were for people who could grit through the pain, and come out on top. The wrestling program is so different". (p.9/Moment One: Playing at Purpose and Value)

My reflection towards this quote: This quote was is eye-opening to me because it does not just show how students or players who are competing against one another are fighting for a game, but not realizing what they see when they are on playing against other teams or players. When kids are playing on a team, it is an ability for them to get to know each other, communicate and practice drills, and feel ready before having a huge game. It made me think about the time I was playing Flag Football for After zone when I was in 7th and 8th grade. My coach was not only looking for victory and leadership, he was aiming for the players with the greatest skills to be heard more and only think about them winning the game for the coach and focus less on us. I always wanted to be heard and seen as a young person and I like how the author mentions wrestling as a way to show how students should be treated when playing on sport teams. When children are playing sports, sports can be a way for children to have fun and interact with one another such as building positive relationships and helping one another when someone makes a mistake. A sentence from this quote that appealed to me the most was, "Sports were for people who could grit through the pain, and come out on top" because as a member of the Flag football team eight years ago, I always thought that an athlete needed excellent skills and train very hard to become the best player you could be. Not only did this quote help me learn about how sports is not always about winning or being better, there is a video I found that has taught how losing helps us learn. I think it is OK to lose because it helps me think about the mistakes I make when playing sports, it helps me learn and be ready for the next game, it show that I tried my best, and that I am someone who is willing to compete with all my ability. Now that I think about it as a Youth Development worker, it is not about being better than any other player or team, you must have the opportunity to have fun when you play sports. When I plan on teaching youth to play sports, I want them to have fun when they play before they even think about win or lose situations. I also want to find something they will enjoy and learn from, and not just what I think is best for them. After, I want them to tell me how they feel and how I could be a huge support to them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp4sdWdzTiw (This is the link to the video I mentioned on my reflection. When you have a chance, please see this video as it mentions why losing it helps us learn. They use NFL games as an example) 

Quote 3: "For our students who are from marginalized communities and their allies, this ideology offers a disciplinary framework around power, privilege, and oppression that resonates with their lived experiences and inspires avenues for collective liberation" (p.6/Social Justice Youth Development

My Reflection: I enjoy reading this quote because it makes me think about the problems happening in our society such as the different learning abilities each student has, the ways students should be supported and how not all teachers are meeting their students needs. This resonates with me because I always needed help, but I feel as I have not received great support until I made it to college. As a college student majoring in Youth Development, I want to work with students in the elementary school and teach all of them equally. In other words, I do not want to view anyone as the minority or oppress others for their race or thinking skills. As a student in middle school, I did not get as much help as I needed. Also, some of my classmates would not let me work with them because of the way I learned and the way I looked. As of this moment, I believe each student should have a chance to succeed. A word that comes to my mind after reading this quote is privilege, which I think should be removed. If that was removed, everyone would have a chance to have fun, get a chance to know one another. It is important for all of us to be heard. We must make room for one another and help empower our experiences. We want our society to be safe and let people be who they are and show us what they can handle. The more we accept people, the better our environment will grow/expand. The goal for everyone is to lead, advocate, and support one another because we all belong together.