What is Youth Work? (Tracing History)

Reclaiming Community: Race and the Uncertain Future of Youth Work 

In this article, I wouldn't help, but connect to my actual work. My role is to advocate, support and guide the youth that are in the program. It is something that I have the passion for because I saw how the program once helped me.  I also believe in giving back and knowing that when good is done than it deserves to shine, but when organization and personnel shifts are made it is not always for the better. I truly connected with the idea of "the work that has been done is going to be or it has co-opted." For years, the program was run with the mindset of always putting the students first, the community was one big family, and the question in staff meetings would always be "what is in the students' best interest?" What would help them develop and be better prepared for the world? Seven years later things began to change and the feeling of "students first" was no longer there. The purpose of events and activities were based on numbers and simply checking off a box of requirements. The staff no longer had the energy and joy they used too. Decisions were no longer being made with the students in mind. Instead, it was just fulfilling a requirement. A way to make it look like the job was getting done. Today, while students continue to be serve, it no longer feels the same, and now the numbers have been impacted and the experience of the students is not what it used to be. I bring this up because the feeling of wanting to help is still there, but one person can't do it all. There needs to be a clear vision and focus and yet that continues to lack from the top.

Decolonizing youth development: re-imagining youthwork for indigenous youth futures

I was shocked and often saying, "what?!?" by the descriptions used to describe indigenous youth, and how they utilize their behavior as a way to explain that they were behaving like animals/savages. This article was harder to process and connect with because I couldn't digest the language being used. In addition, the idea that Western philosophies and colonization was the best approach for all is not something that sits well. I enjoy learning about other cultures and why they do things a certain way. This allows me to better understand the world and the youth we serve, so reading this was hard. I also agree that just like youth learns from us, the adults, we too can learn from them because of how different they see the world. I think we can all learn from one another and not always label the youth as not knowing what they are doing. Their behavior and actions typically come from something bigger, but if we don't take the time to sit with them and help them figure it out how do we expect them to be better adults? How are we to see change when all they wanted was to be heard in their youth, but weren't?