Elevator Pitch

WHAT IS YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?

Youth Development is a bachelors degree program at Rhode Island College, where students take classes in social work, education, non profit, as well as classes towards a concentration or minor of their choice.  We are the only bachelor degree program in the United States that also graduates with a nonprofit certification.  By the time we graduate we will also have completed a 180 hour internship in a youth setting of our choice.  The program prepares us to be mentors in youth settings outside of the classroom. 

Youth workers provide a safe space for youth to grow socially, creatively, intellectually, and more.   Youth workers aim to create individualized relationships with their youth.  We are not babysitters.  Instead, youth workers can be found in after school programs, recreational centers, juvenile justice centers, and more.  We are the adults that will actively lead with youth in helping them growing into the individuals they want to be.  We provide a listening ear, teach lessons that are not taught in the classroom, and have the ability to impact a childs life.

What Is Youth Work?

Youth Development is a bachelors degree program at Rhode Island College, where students take classes in social work, education, non profit, and classes towards a concentration or minor of their choice.  This program trains the students to become prepared professionals to go out into the world and make a difference for youth.  By the time Youth Development majors graduate they will have completed a 180 hour internship in a youth setting of their choice.  This opportunity teaches them the possibilities you have after college, the skills necessary to be a successful youth worker, and the impact you can have on youth.  Youth workers are not babysitters.  Instead, youth workers provide a safe space for youth to grow socially, creatively, intellectually, and more.  Youth workers can be found in after school programs, recreational centers, juvenile justice centers, and more.  These are the adults that your child spend time with outside of the classroom.  They provide a listening ear, teach lessons that are not taught in the classroom, and have the ability to impact a childs' life.  Youth workers aim to create relationships with their youth to help them grow to their full potential, and to create relationships between the youth to create a socially safe space.     

Rock the Vote

Doing this blog after the election changes how I feel about this past election.

The fact that Trump was elected as our next president makes me nervous for our country, and more specifically many of the clients in which we as youth workers serve.  

Many of the clients who we serve are nervous for their rights.  

This election brought to light the hatred, frustration, and need for change the country is feeling.  I could not believe the way this election spiraled out of control.  Throughout the election I keep hoping there was no way that he could win, but he did.  Seeing the outburst after he won was truly sickening.  There were instantly reports of fights, attacks against minorities, and other vandalism.  I am trying to stay hopeful that he will not do many of the things he originally stated but when watching who he appoints into his office, it is getting more difficult to stay positive.  Since I do not agree with the things he stands for it is now my job to stand up for what I believe in.  

While there are many negatives that have come from this past election the positive is that many people who may have never paid attention to politics were interested this year.  Many young voters felt this was an election they needed to be informed about.  

Context Map

Context mapping shows what is important to an individual and is a way to get to see how a person describes themselves. This is an easy way to allow people to describe themselves in a low pressure way.  There are four different types of identity.  

1.  Achieved Identity:  this is when the individual has successfully integrated his ego-identity from the past, present, and future. 

2.  Foreclosed Identity:  the identity that is either thrust upon a person or accepted. 

3.   Moratorium:  when one actively explores ones roles, beliefs, behaviors, and relationships.

4.  Diffuse Identity:  an identity with no real commitment and changes more often than not.  

Event #2

My second event was a Drums Alive Certification training.  

Drums Alive's mission is, "using rhythm as the source of inspiration to discover a new group fitness experience Drums Alive combine the benefits of a traditional physical fitness program with the brain affected benefits of music and rhythm.  Drums Alive is a program that fosters a healthy balance physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially!"

Drums Alive is the only research based fitness program.  The program has been proven to benefit individuals with dementia, Alzheimer's, social disabilities, mental disabilities, physical disabilities, as well as the "general" population.  This program allows its participants to use almost all of their senses, visual watching the teacher & drums, auditory listening to the music and instructor, touch holding the sticks.  Teaching Drums Alive has allowed me to see the benefits it can have on individuals.  This training helped me to better understand how to cater to the population in the room.  Drums alive can serve each group differently.  I was able to learn how to adapt for different groups. It can be used to teach math and other subjects as well as work as a physical therapy for others.   

Event #1

My first event was a training for my internship.  During this training we discussed how we can better serve our clients, better serve ourselves, and how we can continue to grow as individuals.  

My mentor has a new organization she is building online called, Be Human U.  

This organizations mission is to help individuals who also want to work in inclusion fitness.  It serves as a positive space online for people to ask questions, post about experiences, and investigate what their purpose is.  My mentor, Kim, worked with us at this training on finding how we can use our own personal strengths to help our clients.  We discussed where we excel and where we can grow.  I learned that my strength is teaching.  I am not afraid of leading the class, or being silly to get my students excited.  I am willing to do whatever I have to do to have the class moving in a positive direction.  Where I want to grow is simply to know more.  To have my knowledge about my students.  Before this internship I never worked with the special needs community.  While I did take special ed 300, that is no where close to enough of information to best serve my clients.  I am eager to learn more about the individual needs of my clients, based on their personalities as well as their diagnosis.     

Resillience

My passion and mission for youth work is inspiring youth to learn social, emotional, and practical skills through movement and fitness.  The most rewarding part of the work I do is to see the small victories every class. For me, in my drums alive classes, it could be as simple a student who usually has difficulty staying at their drum following along for one song.  Or seeing what songs a student may really connect to and how I can best engage my students individually.  While many do not understand the way an activity like drums alive can influence a students social skills or emotional skills it has tremendous effects on our students.  They learn to create a community, begin to feel safe and accepted, they also are using fine motor skills, engaging in auditory, visual, and tactical ways.  

I related to the video that spoke about how their work relaxed them.  Along with the room where we lead activities we also have a sensory room where our students can go to relax themselves if they are having a difficult moment.  They learn coping skills and how to walk away to avoid a problem that can be avoided.  I also was reminded of how students often are nervous or worried when class starts and soon they are having fun in their own way.  I also related it back to myself because when I walk into Wiggle Kids no matter what kind of day I have had thus far, all my negative thoughts seem to go away and I become totally engaged in my students.  My experience there has helped me to focus on what a difference you can make when you totally commit.  

An example of what drums alive for kids would look like, this is not where I am currently interning just an example.