What Kind Of Youth Am I Going To Serve?

Pathologizing the Poor: Implications for Preparing Teachers to Work in High-Poverty Schools
By: Kerri Ullucci

This article is extremely interesting and makes valid points. Ullucci tries to get across the impact of poverty on youth. "1 in 5 children below the age of 18 live in poverty". This can impact how a child experiences life. Children in poverty are less likely to have things others take for granted. Ways poverty impacts children include environmental issues, health issues, child labor, community, violence, mobility, child care, transportation issues, mental health issues, and shelter issues. "These circumstances undoubtedly influence school performance and academic outcomes". These children are extremely disadvantaged but another factors goes into play on how teachers can deal with it. There are four myths about poverty that teachers should rid their students of. They are:

1. Anyone can pull themselves out of poverty ( The Bootstraps Myth)
2. Those who are in poverty are lazy, welfare queens, and/or irresponsible (The Individual Faults Myth)
3. Poor children are not particularly smart or school-ready (The Educability Myth)
4. People in poverty share a common "culture" (The Culture of Poverty Myth)

In order to help these students Ullucci promotes educators to grasps a better understanding of poverty and how it impacts students. In return they can then anchor questions that can guide conversations and activities to update perspectives on poverty. " We assert that any framework for understanding poverty and learning be based on a comprehensive and critical set of ideas that do not blame students in poverty for being poor and cast them as inferior, but that recognize the social, political, and economic conditions, which have profound influences on the day to day lives of students in these communities".


After reading this article I thought about a project I did over the summer for Social Work 325. For this project I acquired a better understanding of poverty itself. Like the author suggested many people including myself belief the myths of poverty. People think that it is so easy to get out when in reality it is not. The project I did focused on Olneyville and I spent a lot of time researching and observing this community. What I realized was there are a lot of organizations trying to help rebuild Olneyville and help the community out of poverty. However, it still remains to be in poverty and many of the people will remain in poverty their whole lives.

Olneyville Housing Corporation is a great organization that does a lot for this community. Here's the link to their website (THEY HAVE INTERNSHIPS ) ttp://www.olneyville.org/our-mission

Thinking of where I want to work and what kind of youth I am going to serve I am honestly not 100 percent sure. I do know that I want to make a difference in a lot of children's lives. I tutored in an overcrowded providence school and knowing that my students started getting 100s on their tests in the subject they were struggling with made me feel good. I like helping children in need and knowing I made a difference in their life. Looking at the statistics of all the children in poverty makes me sad because it isn't fair. If I've learned anything in life it would that it is extremely unfair! However, my thought about children is that every child deserves an equal opportunity to succeed and be happy in this world. Bad things happen everyday and are going to happen everyday. I want to be that voice of reason that gets through and changes their mind.

Youth Development: History & Perspectives

History, Ideology and Structure Shape the Organizations that Shape Youth
by: Joan Costello


"During the second decade of their lives, adolescents may spend as much time in organized settings as they do at home or in other informal settings with friends or family members". This articles focuses on promoting youth development through public schools, primary supports, and problem- focused specialized services.

What are primary supports? " A second human service sector includes organizations that provide primary source of support by extending what schools and families offer".  Such as cultural, athletic, social and recreational opportunities that are voluntary in near or neighboring communities. Some of the oldest organizations are the YMCA, YWCA, Boy Scouts, and 4-H club. These organizations offer flexibility that empower youth, but also lack in fully involving youth. Costello suggests, that staff lack education and training to have structure to create these opportunities because they share a commitment to meeting the normal developmental needs of young people rather than focusing on their problems. What these organization do provide is voluntary participation and autonomy. "primary supports offer differing degrees of autonomy for youth to make decisions about their own activities and to influence decisions that help determine the course of the organization itself".  Primary Support organizations also provide youth to create relationships with adults and other peers. All in all these sectors provide opportunities to build youth development goals and practices into everyday activities.

Reading this Article I was most interested in the part about the YMCA because I currently work at  the Kent County Branch. Here's a link to their News & Events!
http://www.ymcagreaterprovidence.org/Branches/KentCounty/NewsEvents/tabid/249/Default.aspx
If you check out their website you can see all the programs, activities, etc. they have available for youth of all ages. I have worked there for like three years and have done summer camp, after school programs, and worked in the active family center. I spent my childhood at the YMCA everyday because I was on their swim team. I have witnessed so many families and a community utilize this organization to its potential. They have everything under the sun at the YMCA and if they don't you could probably start it up. Wanting to work with youth and seeing the children that come through there on a daily basis I really think that it is essential to healthy development. It gives youth opportunities to participate in sports,  and events (carnivals, magic shows, etc.) while giving them a chance to socialize in a healthy community. They are able to meet people of all ages and develop relationships that they wouldn't necessarily get from home or school. I think that this truly is an organization that betters youth development.

   

Digital Natives

What is your relationship to technology and in what ways can technology help you as a youth worker?

I use technology everyday whether its my cell phone, computer, laptop, TV, etc. Technology is a tool I use to communicate with friends, family and teachers. It is a tool I use to complete learn and be entertained. Technology is a tool that is used a lot in todays society, however I think that there should be a limit. Marc Prensky makes a valid point that the educators of society should use technology more for learning to teach because of how society is changing. Which is true because many people spend mass amounts of time using it. Children find it more interesting to watch TV and play video games so it could be useful. I don't know if I agree with that being how school should be taught. Yes it makes it more interesting sometimes and children more eager to learn but it takes away from socializing. The more children spend playing video games the less time they spend interacting, pretending, and communicating. I don't see children playing outside anymore they stay inside on Ipads and sit on the couch watching TV. As a youth worker I would interact technology into teaching students but to a certain extent. I don't think preschoolers need to learn how to use Ipads. I don't think that turning lesson plans into video games is how children should be taught. I do think that adding technology to lesson plans will help interests children and make them more eager to learn. For example teaching about history and slavery. Showing a movie on the topic is a great way to show an example. Or teaching math computer games are definitely a fun way to practice. So I guess what I'm saying is technology can be a useful tool and should be brought into classrooms but I do not think that it should take over because I fear a future where children don't know how to talk to the person next to them.

A World Where Youth Hold the Power

A World Where Youth Hold the Power
by: Adeola A. Oredola & members of Youth In Action


This article is about:

• what youth in action is: "A providence, Rhode Island organization that's all about young people- their capacity to lead, their natural ability to innovate, and their desire for positive change".
• members own live experiences.
• how members believe that youth are powerful assets instead of problems.
• youth and adults can grow together to solve community problems

with reading this article there are some things that really stuck out to me:

• "So its like you're not even a person yet. You're basically somebody else's person, somebody else's property"
• "Teachers and administrators tend to demand respect but feel like treating students with the same respect is pointless".
• "Teachers tell you what to think and never actually ask what you need or encourage critical thinking".
• " If you disagree with a teacher, a police officer, or the mayor or if you talk about politics, want to read a different book, or believe the rules adults have set up are a mistake, people usually don't want to hear about it. You don't have permission to disagree in other places".

These main points are what really got me thinking about the article because starting from 7th grade and throughout high school I was labeled a trouble maker. Now I know that some of the time I was being immature but other times I wasn't. I have always been an opinionated girl but also someone who sticks up for themselves. I have four brother,s I learned how to defend myself and not take any shit. So I have never been afraid to voice my opinion or tell someone how I really feel. This didn't go so well in school because teachers feel they are above students. They tell you what to think, what to do, and leave no room for you to disagree. Teachers are human beings and they aren't always right. They shouldn't shoot a student down for disagreeing or kick them out of class. Teachers are meant to teach you, but the only thing their teaching is for students not to think for themselves. I have had teachers demand by respect but turn around and mock me to an entire class. So why on earth would I respect them? Well I didn't and I made that known. which to a lot of people is the wrong thing to do. However I didn't believe that because that person was my teacher they had the right to belittle me and make me feel as I was less than them. Teachers are suppose to inspire students to achieve greatness not tell them they'll be saying "would you like fries with that". As I've been in college I've learned to bite my tongue a little but I've also fought for what I believe in. I've had professors that I didn't agree with. One teacher I had to show her facts to prove my point but she respected me for it and told me to always stick up for myself. But then you have other teachers that are arrogant and abuse their power as a professor. The minute I disagreed with another professor they docked points off my grade because of their feelings towards me. Which to me is not fair and what does that teach me? That I should stand in line and just follow suit? I believe that at 22 years old I am allowed to have my own opinion and stick up for myself. People tell me I should kiss the professors butt to get the grade I want but that doesn't work for me.

I think that the Youth In Action program is a huge asset to the providence community and I think that it should be spread throughout Rhode Island. I believe that children are the future of the world we live in and to see a better future we need to incorporate them in it. Stop telling them what to do and give them the opportunity to show the world what their made of.

This Is Me

Gabrielle Faith DeSisto
22 years old

why am I a youth development major?
  hmmm well it didn't start of that way and college wasn't in the plan back then, but something sparked in me. My life experiences and working and being around children got me here. long story short I want to help children achieve the happy and successful life they deserve. Everyone is dealt life cards many of them unfair, but these cards we don't choose. We can't be in control of everything that is going to happen in life. The choice we do have is how to respond to what happens, how we play our cards we're dealt. I was given pretty shitty cards when I was 14 years old and I responded the only way I knew how. I was angry, hurt, confused and I still am. However I change my mind which in return changed my life. I am choosing to ignore the pain and use it as motivation to success because I am always going to be angry. My goal in life is to be that helping hand for children. I know from my own life that you cant be told how to act, how to feel, what to think. Sometimes all you need is people who are there for you to make you feel less alone. So many children out there aren't being talked to because parents think their to young to understand. That isn't true children know and they feel things and they need to be talked to. They need people to talk to them instead of ignoring what's going on. So why did I chose this major? well because if I can help one child help themselves, spare them from going down the wrong path over circumstances they cant control then ill succeed in life. Children are the future and I don't believe they are born to be evil, hate and do some of the cruel things we see. I think society fails them and the only one to blame for their actions are ourselves.