In a World Where Youth Hold the Power

The main idea of the article “In a World Where Youth Hold the Power” is that youths are powerful than what they are given credits for, however they tend to doubt their power and abilities because of their age and also lack of confidence which is caused by adult's point of view about the youth's capability in this society . A lot of the youths are not comfortable enough to make their own decisions, because they have been told they do not know anything or any better.  In fact they tend to know more than some adults, and adults can learn a lot from the youths Spaces like YIA encourages youths to put their power in action, and let them t explore they own identity and creativity. That is how they come to find out who they really are and what really makes them happy.

Youth Development

Youth Development is a new major at Rhode Island College and its mission is to prepare the students to improve the lives of the youths in their communities’. The Youth Development program provides foundation in education, social work and nonprofit studies. The social work courses focus heavily in the social work services in which the students are introduced to social work and social welfare; social work policy and analysis, human behavior in the social environment; individual, family, small and large small groups, and generalist social work practices. The nonprofit courses are geared towards in given communications, resource development and volunteer management.

As a youth worker, you will have a various option of career choices, such as: after school programs, recreation centers, community arts centers, youth residential housing, justice and probation sites, youth ministry, and governmental agencies.

About Me :)

Family is everything 

My root

 I love my friends and sunset

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”― Maya Angelou

Mindful Practice

I loved taking the deep breath activity. I practice this activity on a daily basis, especially on my way to school and work when I start losing my mind in the traffic. It is like a rest to me when I take the deep breath, it calms me down and allows me to be more rational and less impulsive. I think it is a great tool.

The glittering activity is a very interesting mindfulness activity as well.  I never thought a container of water filled with glitter would have this much of an effect in someone's life.  Yet, I have been practicing this mindfulness activity for about 3 weeks now, and I have recommended it to my friends during these final weeks to help calm the anxiety before the exams.

I love those mindfulness activities; it is very effective in removing negativity from my mind and creating stable mental health. I am glad I learned about all these amazing techniques which are really helping me to maintain a healthy mind. 

Ted Talk

To be born and raised in a county where my leaders and system of power were led by  people that looked like me, of the same colors and sex, made me grow up with the state of mind that my dreams are not limited and that I could be anything that I wanted to be.

That reality completely changed when I moved to the USA, where my leaders and system of power runners looked nothing like me. White privilege is so present in America and it totally made me feel invisible in this society at certain points. Especially this year, 2016, where it is surely marked as one of the most controversial year in terms of racial issues.

Hobson argues that lack of diversity is what constructs racial stereotypes and prejudices.  During the talk, she said how her husband, a white male, thought that "Black people use lotion on everything every single day" but he learned that it was not true after being with her. Just like Hobson had this assumption about black people, black people also have their assumptions about white people.   When in reality, this was far from the facts and I only became aware of this after being surrounded by more white people.  From there I learned the importance of diversity and I am proud to said I learned this here at Rhode Island College, where diversity is one of the college's strengths.

They do not know about the real facts until they are around the different race to realize the truth. I had a lot assumptions about white people until I started being involved with them more often. Being surrounded by an environment in which most of the folks are people of the same race as me, I always had this mentality that white people were crazy, and that the only black folk they would be close with are the ones who have money.

Youth spaces like YIA can be an antidote to invisibility in the way it is very diverse.  Here, the youth can share different interests, religions and backgrounds which permit them to be aware of social issues and will ultimately prepare them to not be ignorant. It also teaches them that if they really want to grow as a person, they must embrace diversity and learn from other people who are totally different from who they are.  As I have seen from the young girls at youth action, they are very well prepared youth who can speak for themselves, are very aware of social issues, and that they can take the lead in where ever they go. The confidence they have will prevent them from feeling invisible. 

Ideology Inventory Quiz

Ideology Quiz

 

What I have learned about myself from the ideology inventory is that I identify as Risk Resiliency and Prevention. The belief is that the youth are not mature enough to always make the right decision, and so it is essential for them to have a positive mentor in their life to guide them towards good choices.

Most of the at risk youth become part of the criminal environment and make bad decisions during their adolescence mostly because they were misguided.  Their lack of supervision and positive environment they could engage with to help them avoid the street, led them to bad behavior.

To prevent this issue, an early intervention is required. It would be helpful to engage the youth in positive environments such as community youth centers and after school programs.   Informing them about society issues such as gang activity, drug use, and teen pregnancy  so they can be aware of the consequences of those issues and the negative effect it could have on their present and future lives.