Shifting the Paradigm - Renkly & Bertolini

The concept of asset-based thinking means to focus on the good, rather the bad. It's important to recognize and acknowledge a youth's successes and building up their values to create positive development. Asset-based thinking focuses on youth's strengths, skills, interests, and competencies, and using these factors to make progress in their development. It promotes leadership in teacher/mentor staff. In a school setting, having high expectations for students and convincing them it is achievable, and celebrating successes can highlight their strengths. Creating personalized instructions in the classroom can build students' assets further; having teachers identify each adolescent's strengths and working based on where they are currently academically, socially, and emotionally. It also creates a closer community; "resilience can be fostered in our youth when families, communities, and schools work together to provide opportunities for kids to be involved in the community and build relationships with positive adults in their lives."

3 Questions about the concept of Asset-Based Thinking

1. When is it appropriate to focus on the bad if we are trying to stay focused on the good (assets)?
• A weakness/deficit can become too severe to ignore. How does an asset-based thinker/leader know when to stop talking about the strengths and address a non-negotiable weakness without falling back into a purely deficit mindset?
2. Word choice is important in asset-based thinking. What is the benefit of word choice when referring to youth, beyond just kindness?
• e.g of word choice: "at risk," "juvenile," "kid"
3. How can a teacher create high expectations for Special Education students, English Learners (ELs), or students with learning disabilities?
• The author--who taught special education for 17 years--answers this question in this article: High Expections, All Students, No Exceptions - it's worth reading! 

CONNECTIOIN: 

"Breathe" from In the Heights by Lin Manuel Miranda

I can resonate with the song Breathe from In the Heights. Growing up Asian, success was one thing I was always taught. My family would not directly call you a failure if you didn't succeed, but deep down you would know--you would have this weird feeling, almost like guilt but not exactly. The pressure of success was always lingering throughout my years of high school. With an older sister who did great in school and got into many colleges and universities, it only made me feel more pressured to be successful--to be like her. In a way, seeing her be praised as the golden child and being known as "the smart one" only discouraged me. I thought well, we have a successful one already, why need two? and I started to slack off in school. This is something I never spoke to anyone about because truthfully, it never really made sense, even to me. Shouldn't the constant comparisons make you want to be better? My sister was supposed to be my role model, and I was expected to live up to those standards. My mother would confront me about my grades, but she only told me to do better. It made me feel immense guilt because even though she wouldn't lash out on me, I could sense her disappointment.

Thinking back to my sister and I's high school experiences, it makes me feel a bit selfish. Because although I felt the pressure of becoming someone who was as smart as her, she must've felt pressured to become that role model. Truthfully, I think she can resonate with Breathe way more than it resonates with me. 

CONNECTION: It's not rare for someone to resonate with this song. I scrolled through the comments under this song for just a few minutes and found so many people who can relate.

Wood, Westwood, and Thompson - Introduction from Youth Work

1 Quote: "For example, youth work is defined in the English National Occupational Standards for professional youth work as '[Enabling] young people to develop holistically, working with them to facilitate their personal, social, and educational development, to enable them to develop their voice, influence and place society and to reach their full potential' (Lifelong Learning UK 2008: 4)."

2 New Ideas:

    a) "Most youth work takes place in the context of social injustice, often with young people and others who are on the margins, excluded by a number of personal, cultural and structural barriers."

    b) "The character of a youth worker, their integrity and their willingness to act as a role model and critical friend are vital... youth workers can be heard describing their work with 'young offenders', 'teenage parents' and 'NEETs' (Not in Education, Employment, or Training)... using these labels to describe young people with whom we work should be resisted at all costs."

3 Key Vocabulary Words:

    - Holistic Development: the social, emotional, physical, mental, and intellectual growth of a person

    - Informal Education: A general term for education that can occur outside of a traditional lecture or school based learning systems

    - Pro-social Modeling: The ways in which individuals working with involuntary clients can model and reinforce pro-social values to elicit similar values in their clients

        ↳ Examples of pro-social behaviors:
            1. Attending appointments/classes and being punctual
            2. Being hopeful and confident in progress towards goals and achievements
            3. Politeness, kindness, empathy
            4. Associations from non-criminal peers
            5. Following orders and directions from staff

CONNECTION: "Youth workers purposefully intervene in young people's lives, creating opportunities, activities and conversations that aim to enable young people to think, feel and act differently towards their social world."

➜ I spent a lot of my high school days at an afterschool program called New Urban Arts (NUA). At first, it wasn't easy forming bonds and relationships with the mentors because truthfully, I didn't care about anything other than working on my own art projects and hanging out with my friends there. I would often get annoyed whenever a mentor would try and talk to me while I was with my friends or working on a project because most of the time they only wanted to promote an upcoming event or internship opportunity. I always ignored them until I started to really think about it--how good could these events and internships really be? I decided to actually take a look into them and started to attend the events, and I actually found myself having a lot of fun. Even though I had no interest at first, I also signed up for an internship. Reading this document and this quote made me realize that the mentors repeatedly coming up to me to talk about the events and internships was definitely on purpose, even if they could sense my annoyance. I can say confidently that the mentors at NUA are only intervening to help open up new opportunities for you and welcoming you in to create close bonds with them. 

Our Core Values: Where do you stand?

 

Youth Policy Op Ed - McKamey & Restler

When COVID-19 struck and left America in shambles, I was only a seventh grader. Back in middle school, I didn't have much interest in after school programs or clubs. However, after spending most of my seventh and eighth grade days inside due to covid, once I entered high school I had the urge to go out and explore Providence to the fullest. Because I was only a freshman and had to get my mom's permission for everything, my options were very limited. That is when I heard from a friend about an afterschool program that was just across Classical High School--New Urban Arts. New Urban Arts (NUA) opened my eyes to what all afterschool programs should be like. There I was able to meet new friends, learn how to make art in several different ways, and express myself freely. It gave me a place to relax and calm myself down after a long day of school. I was able to meet with most of the artist mentors and create a close relationship with them as well. I spent a lot of time with a mentor named Ian who taught me the entire process of the art of screen printing.

CONNECTION: While reading the McKamey and Restler piece, I found that it resonated with my experience at NUA. Due to spending so much time at NUA, I was able to talk to other students and learn more about why they spent so much time there. I personally spent a lot of my time at NUA because I wanted somewhere to relax, create art, and hangout with friends. However, I learned that for some people that may not be the case--some kids were waiting for their parents who worked late hours to pick them up, some might've needed help with studying or writing papers (these were mentioned in the McKamey and Restler piece), or some kids didn't want to go home and just pushed it as late as they could before they had no choice but to leave. This was--and still is--extremely common for kids in all grades. Many kids may not have found comfort in these after school programs, but they needed somewhere safe to stay.

TikToks ↓ ("Rare Aesthetic" - Afterschool Programs)

https://www.tiktok.com/@user0623678603/video/7545597462455667999?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7537191062348072503

https://www.tiktok.com/@anthropologetic/video/7488794811693042975?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7537191062348072503

This Book Is Anti-Racist - Jewell and Durand

While reading This Book Is Anti-Racist, I realized how everything stated in the book felt familiar in a way. I always knew how common it is for someone to feel like they don't fit into the box of "the dominant culture." There are so many different aspects to a person and not just their skin color and/or interests; it's also their sexual orientation, any disabilities, or whether they are considered rich or poor. There are so many more people who don't fit into this box than those who do. 

As a queer Asian American woman with curly hair who grew up poor, it would only make sense for me to understand everything the book was stating. I've always loved how people are continuing to find ways to express themselves and their identity because it helps others understand who you are. I also liked how the book explains what makes a person's identity and explains that you are you, what makes you unique, and how you shouldn't change. Staying unique and true to yourself is something I strongly believe in.

About Me

Hi, my name is Athena and I use she/her pronouns! I am a first year student at Rhode Island College and majoring in Youth Development. I chose Youth Development because I've always wanted to work with kids in the future but not exactly be a teacher.

Some things I enjoy doing in my free time is go on walks, watch TV shows, and spend time with my family. I also love traveling, trying new foods, getting my nails done, shopping, and listening to music.

I'm very excited for my journey at RIC, but more specifically the Youth Development programs since this has been a dream for many years. I also look forward to many things such as meeting new people and making unforgettable memories!