Alyssa G: YDEV 352/3

     For this post I focused on the content of the article "Nice is Not Enough" by Sonia Nieto.  I had some views of "care" in youth development that were challenged by this reading. Before I would have defined "care" for youth as meeting their basic needs like food, water, rest and clothing. I would also include giving them affection, encouragement and love. This reading showed me that there is a lot more to the idea of care than I previously thought. The author focuses on unintentional racism from teachers in this article, but I think that some of her arguments and ideas can be applied to care of youth in general.       One idea related to "care" in youth development was treating all students  equally. Part of caring for children is pushing them to develop appropriately and to succeed. I thought the author made a good point that sometimes teachers do not treat students equally or expect the same that they do other students. This d...

  Social Justice Youth Development programs are very important to establishing equity in communities. There are many programs focused on social justice youth development nationwide, including some close to home in Rhode Island. One such program is called Youth in Action. This is an organization based in Providence, Rhode Island.   Youth in Action serves Rhode Island's communities that are effected by a "disproportionate share of social, economic and environmental burdens." The programs focus on giving support and resources to youth who are people of color. Sone of the programs that they provide is a three step program. The first step is "core" which is a year long program where the participants meet to share their stories, focus on emotional development and learn about identity. They also have an immersion program, which has the participants immerse themselves in community service to help the communities that they deem need it most. The ...

 Risk, Resilience and Prevention "Adults are responsible for identifying problems, recognizing deficits, and leading young people to understand the importance of preventing risky behavior. The aim of this model is to influence the development of skills and prosocial, protective behaviors for individual young people. In preventing negative behaviors like violence, sexual promiscuity, or drug use, youth work programs can influence positive community outcomes." What this quote means to me: When reading the article by my YDEV teachers, I was very intrigued with their discussion, particularly about youth work ideologies. This quote stood out to me because I believe that starting to teach children at a young age, helps them create awareness of negative behaviors. In my experience, I have worked with children in youth programs who strive to make the their priority educating them in the right way to act as a young person. Growing up with different knowledge and experiances can defin...

 After reading Tatum's article I learned many things about racial identity that I wasn't aware of before. One quote that stood out to me from her article was that her experience has been that, "most of her students, regardless of their class and ethnic background, still find racism a difficult topic to discuss." I also agree with what she observed from her students, because in my own experience, this topic is hard to talk about with my friends and family.  After reading journal comments from the students in her class, I easily connected to one of them because it was exactly how I feel when we think about racial identity.  Journal entry from her student: "I had never thought about my social position as being totally dominant. There wasn't one area in which I wasn't in the dominant group. . . . I first felt embarrassed. . . . Through association alone I felt in many ways responsible for the un-equal condition existing in the world. This made me feel like sh...

 What are the visible and invisible rules/ codes of conduct that govern Marcus’s school and classroom?   I believe Marcus’s school and teacher did a great job with trying to support him. He acted out on various occasions which resulted in him not learning a lot in the classroom. There were many rules/codes of conduct that the school and Marcus’s teacher used. I also read many strategies that his teacher tried to implement for him in the classroom to see if his behavior would change. In the classroom, there is a table that his teacher calls “take a break.” The children would go to this table if they were having a difficult time during morning circle. It was basically a consequence for their actions. In addition, there was a “buddy room” which is another form of a break table. However, it was an intermediary step between the time-out desk and the principal’s office. Another rule in the classroom I noticed was to raise your hand before you speak out. This was a difficult task for...

  Serve and return: Engagement is one of the most important things you can do for your child. Describes the fundamental adult-child interactions which helps a baby reach their full potential It’s something basic like paying peekaboo with your child or talking to them so they can learn words and form a language  Studies show that a child surrounded by caring and responsive adults will start elementary school with better social skills, better emotional regulation, and a better ability to focus then a child lacking the positive adult attention A lack of serve in return is one of the causes of the education gaps happening in society today Without healthy brain architecture children are at risk of falling behind and never catching up. I believe this statement is partially untrue because as a current educator, I know many parents that work long hours and may not have the time every moment of the day to talk and interact with their babies. However, as I do believe that it’s great to ...

  Alyssa Giammarco Dr. Victoria Restler YDEV: 352/3 1 September 2020 Youth Development Guide:  Engaging young people in after-school programming What I already knew: Public schools became over crowded which resulted in teachers not giving students the proper individual attention they needed. In addition, children began to engage in negative behavior such as violence, drug and alcohol use, dropping out, and teen pregnancies.  I heard of the Deficit Approach in some of my other education courses. It was interesting to see that their programs failed because they did not address young children's basic developmental needs. For example, the article discussed the Summer Training and Education Program. This program provided additional help in academic, life, and work skills to students who come from low income families. This seems like a great program but how come it did not work? Studies showed that students who gained in reading and...