What's The Tee (in YDEV)?

In this week's blog post, I chose to focus on Vasudevan's "Occupational Culture and Identity of Youth Workers," as I resonated with it most. I also explored the Providence Youth Student Movement's web page as I have worked with them in the past. Both the reading and organization have much in common and really speak to my commitment of youth empowerment and amplification of their voices. The following quotes from my readings resonate with my philosophy of youth development... Some out-of-school time programs have offered alternative spaces to rethink and redress education received or erased in public school curricula. (Vasudevan, p. 10) When I began my journey in youth work, my top priority was creating a safe space for my scholars. I worked primarily with public school students, students who came from the community I grew up in. With that being said, I think it's safe to assume that there were tons of things in their curricula to rethink and redress. In reflec...

Reading this week's texts made me feel a ton of things, especially Johnston-Goodstar's view on decolonizing youth development. Growing up in Providence, the Southeast Asian community took up more than half of the spaces in public schools. Until ARISE rose (no pun intended) awareness on the importance of Ethnic Studies, I didn't value my heritage the way I do now. Johnston-Goodstar discusses how Western concepts of youth development, which are often rooted in racist and colonial theories, have historically harmed our youth, most specifically Indigenous youth. Though I am not of Indigenous decent, the theory of justifying oppressive programs for youth to erase their cultures is something that hits close to home. What do I feel in my body? When I was in the sixth grade (last grade before middle school), our graduating class hosted our elementary school's first ever Culture Day Festival. We dedicated the inaugural event to celebrating important parts of everyone's cultu...

This was my first time hearing about the film Camp Crip: A Disability Revolution, let alone watching it, and revolutionary it was. In this film, not only are you able to see through the lens of the subject, but you also gain a different perspective on a marginalized group, such as our disabled youth, through storytelling and lived experiences. Camp Jened was a judgement free place with a holistic approach on youth development, despite being pushed to the margins of our society. It was a place that saw our youth as whole people and not just part of something smaller (an issue). Something that stuck out to me as I watched the film was the theory that our youth, abled or disabled, are aware of EVERYTHING from a really early age. A theory that lived experiences are not limited to just those who are labeled "normal," and able to share them, was something that pushed my thought bubble a lot. As camp-goers shared their experiences, it made me think about the way adults, especially a...